"I have orders to bring you to God... heathen" - John the Baptist

Last night I watched the 1965 movie, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" which tells the story of Jesus Christ in warp speed... well not really, the movie is over 3 hours long. But as I watched it, I tried to figure out how they decided which parts to include about Jesus, and which parts to leave out for the sake of time. Weren't they all important?

I got a kick out of Charlton Heston. He plays John the Baptist and is heard throughout the movie saying, "REPENT! REPENT!" I chuckled just a little to see him dressed like a caveman, but he's got the legs for it :)

One thing that stood out to me was that anyone watching this movie would have to have a pretty good base knowledge of the life of Jesus, or it would not make any sense at all. I suppose in 1965 the chances were pretty good that most would be able to follow along without too much trouble. I wonder if that same assumption could be made today.