When we asked him to describe his favorite movie scene in 2014, here’s what Liam Neeson answered…
Nominated for the Oscar for his moving performance in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, which remains probably the greatest role of his career to date, Liam Neeson has offered cinema a multitude of unforgettable moments.
This exceptional actor has in turn lent his features to the venerable Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars saga, to the disturbing Father Cristóvão Ferreira in Scorsese’s Silence, to the ruthless hero of the Taken saga, and his voice to the majestic Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia. But if he undoubtedly made many spectators dream, what about his own memories of cinema?
In 2014, when he came to present the thriller Walk between the tombs, we asked him what the most memorable scene in cinema was for him. Liam Neeson then mentioned to our microphone The Greatest Story Ever Told, a biblical fresco produced by George Stevens in 1965, which returned to the life of Jesus.
Lasting 3h45, this peplum inspired by the Gospels thus recounted each of the episodes of the story of Christ, and in particular the resurrection of Lazarus, a sequence rightly quoted by Liam Neeson:
United Artists
“I have in mind a close-up, symbol of the power of an actor. That of the actor Van Heflin. It is a scene from the film ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’. A film about the life of Christ , who is played here by Max von Sydow. (…) [Le] character [de Van Heflin] sees Christ raising Lazarus from the dead. The camera is right on him, we don’t see Lazare (…). It’s just on him seeing this extraordinary thing [se produire]. I remember seeing this scene as a teenager. I had been tapped! Stunned by the power of the actor and by this close-up.”
In addition to Van Heflin, who played a man named Bar Amand, George Stevens’ film was able to benefit from an absolutely exceptional cast. On the poster of the feature film, we can thus find Max von Sydow (in the role of Jesus), Charlton Heston (John the Baptist), Martin Landau (Caiphas), David McCallum (Judas), Roddy McDowall (Mathieu), Sidney Poitier (Simon of Cyrene), Angela Lansbury (Claudia) or John Wayne, playing a Roman centurion.
(Re)discover the trailer for “The Greatest Story Ever Told”…