Review of The Big Fisherman

This rarely-seen religious drama is overlong (at 164 minutes), sprawling, meandering, but also intelligent, uncommonly character-driven, and boasting a gallery of fine performances: Howard Keel as a conflicted Simon / Peter, the stunning Susan Kohner in a remarkable, for the genre, female character - strong, brave and determined, Herbert Lom as a complex villain, Martha Hyer as a scheming queen. It's a well-mounted, ambitious production, with at least two main crisscrossing plotlines, and the rather unusual idea of featuring Christ's voice and fleeting glimpses of him but never showing him in a full shot. **1/2 out of 4.