The thief who lived. What happens when your death sentence gets outsourced to a messiah?
The story about the thief who didn't get crucified because Jesus was choosen to take his place.
Acting
Ulf Palme's haunted, hollow-eyed descent into meaninglessness.
Cinematography
Stark black-and-white that makes guilt feel tangible.
Direction
Sjöberg's theatrical staging amplifies the psychological torment.
Director
Alf Sjöberg
Ulf Palme
Barabbas
Hugo Björne
Leper at Death Valley
Eva Dahlbeck
The Mother
Anders Henrikson
Roman procurator on Cyprus
Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Maria of Magdala
Holger Löwenadler
Thief
Åke Grönberg
Armful watchman at Rome
Gunnar Hellström
Worker in pottery
Tor Isedal
Man at Christian meeting
Margaretha Krook
Woman in robbers cave
Jarl Kulle
Leper at Death Valley
Torsten Lilliecrona
Supervisor at copper mine on Cyprus
Yvonne Lombard
Prostitute
Per Oscarsson
Boy
Sif Ruud
Fat Woman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Eva Dahlbeck's first major role; she'd later become Bergman's muse. The film also competed at Cannes but was overshadowed by the 1961 Anthony Quinn remake everyone actually remembers.
Pär Lagerkvist's 1950 novel won the Nobel Prize for Literature partly due to this existential reframing of a biblical footnote — the film captures that same god-haunted Swedish despair.
SE
