He Who Must Die

Set in a Turkish-occupied Greek village shortly after World War I, Jules Dassin’s stunning He Who Must Die tells the story of the townspeople’s efforts to stage their Passion Play, an event that occurs once every seven years. The leading citizens choose who will play the parts: a stuttering young shepherd is chosen as Jesus; the town butcher as Judas; the town prostitute as Mary Magdalene. But as the movie unfolds, the Passion becomes a reality, and the villagers actualize their biblical roles against the tragic backdrop of a country uprooted by war and poverty. Adapted from author Nikos Kazantzakis (Zorba the Greek, The Last Temptation of Christ) by the world-renowned Jules Dassin, the director of Rififi, Never on Sunday and Topkapi, this powerful film asks: What would happen if Jesus came down to Earth a second time? The extraordinary international cast includes Melina Mercouri, Pierre Vaneck, Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Grégoire Aslan, Gert Fröbe, René Lefèvre, Roger Hanin, Nicole Berger, Maurice Ronet and Fernand Ledoux.