The Great Commandment [SEP] director
The Great Commandment
The Great Commandment is a 1939 American Christian film directed by Irving Pichel, which portrays the conversion to Christianity of a young Zealot, Joel, and the Roman soldier Longinus through the teachings of Jesus in his Parable of the Good Samaritan. It was co-produced by Rev. James K. Friedrich and released by Cathedral Films in 1939. Its theatrical release was in 1941 by Twentieth Century Fox.
Plot.
The film takes place in 30 A.D. Judea in a fictional village near Jerusalem. The protagonist is
the interest of Hollywood studios: Cregar was tested for the second lead in "The Letter" and made screen tests for MGM and Paramount. The producer and director of "Oscar Wilde" were reported as preparing an independent company to star Cregar in "The Life of Mohammed". He was then tested by 20th Century Fox, who considered him as a replacement for Tyrone Power in a film called "The Great Commandment".
Cregar performed "Oscar Wilde" in San Francisco then eventually signed with 20th Century Fox.