The Big Fisherman is a 1959 American historical drama film directed by Frank Borzage about the life of Simon Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus.

The young Fara discovers that she is the daughter of Herod Antipas who married and shortly discarded her Arab mother Arnon in favor of Herodias.

[4]: 168–71 [5] After having starred in a number of MGM film musicals from 1950 (Annie Get Your Gun) to 1955 (Kismet), Howard Keel switched to straight acting roles with the 1958 British noir thriller Floods of Fear, followed by The Big Fisherman.

"[7] Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (2012 edition) gave The Big Fisherman 2½ stars out of 4, describing it as a "sprawling religious epic" and deciding that it is "seldom dull, but not terribly inspiring."

Steven H. Scheuer's Movies on TV and Videocassette (1993–1994 edition) also settled on 2½ stars out of 4, writing that "the story of Simon called Peter" "unfolds with predictable pageantry and uplifting sermonizing".

Assigning 2 stars (out of 5), The Motion Picture Guide (1987 edition) found it to be "long, often-enraging and totally miscast" with "a nonsinging Keel as Saint Peter".

Evaluating the presentation as "just so much biblical nonsense because such liberties are taken that any serious student of the life and surrounding events will take exception," the write-up declares that "Douglas wrote the novel but made the mistake of entrusting it to the wrong people."

Halliwell's quoted Monthly Film Bulletin ("its overall flatness of conception and execution is a stiff price to pay for the lack of spectacular sensationalism characterizing its fellow-epics") and The Hollywood Reporter ("the picture is three hours long, and, except for those who can be dazzled by big gatherings of props, horses and camels, it is hard to find three minutes of entertainment in it").