Having scored big-time box office with his first Biblical epic, The Ten Commandments (1923), Cecil B. DeMille hoped to top this success with his 1927 The King of Kings. Inasmuch as he was now dealing with the life of Christ, DeMille had to be careful to serve up equal amounts of showmanship and reverence. The first creative challenge: how to "introduce" Christ in a tasteful manner? The answer: as a blind child is cured through Jesus' intervention, DeMille cuts to the child's point-of-view,
slowly fading in on the kindly countenance of H.B. Warner as the Son of Man. Still, DeMille remained DeMille, especially in his handling of the character of Mary Magdalene (Jacqueline Logan). No longer a tattered streetwalker, Mary Magdalene is now a glamorous courtesan, replete with legions of gorgeous slave girls (one of whom is "bubble dancer" Sally Rand) and dressed in revealing Hollywood-style gowns. In fact, the film opens on this character, as she ruminates over the defection of her favorite customer, Judas Iscariot (Joseph Schildkraut), who is spending far too much time with Jesus of Nazareth. Upon visiting Jesus herself, she immediately repents, casting off all her prior sins. Once again, the efficacy of the Cecil B. DeMille formula is proven: redemption has no dramatic value unless the film shows viewers why the sinner needs to be redeemed. Once he's gotten his box-office considerations out of the way, DeMille adheres faithfully to the particulars of Jesus' life, betrayal, trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. (Again, however, the director improves a bit upon his source material: the storm that follows the Crucifixion is of the same spectacular dimensions as the parting of the Red Sea in Ten Commandments, while the Resurrection is filmed in vibrant Technicolor). To back up the authenticity of his images, DeMille -- with an assist from scenarist Jeannie Macpherson -- utilizes Scriptural quotes in his subtitles. And to avoid any untoward publicity while filming, DeMille required all of his actors to sign legal documents preventing them from indulging in any sort of "sinful" activity; this meant that poor old H.B. Warner had to steer clear of alcoholic beverages for nearly a year, though he more than made up for lost time after his contract ran out. Prepared to mercilessly lambaste The King of Kings, DeMille's critics were disarmed by his reverent, tasteful approach to the subject. Years after the film's release, a specially prepared 60-minute version of the 18-reel King of Kings was making the rounds of religious groups, church basements, and Easter-weekend telecasts. The film was remade in 1961 by producer Samuel Bronston and director Nicholas Ray, with Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
maintains fidelity to a particularly strand of the Christian imaginary, one that wants everything clean, neat, and wholesome, from the morals to the characters' beards
In a genre that deserves the best artists can offer but is plagued by mediocrity, DeMille's flawed but powerful film remains one of Hollywood's most remarkable achievements.
cecil b demilles silent classic about the life of Jesus. demille, one of the greatest directors in history, says that this is the most important film he ever made. he claimed to have a deeply rooted reverence for the Bible but he was also a showman as a filmmaker, both sides of his character show in this film. he
took way too much liberty with the telling of Jesus' life and created a flawed portrayal of events, but did so well with what he got right that I still had a genuinely worshipful experience watching this film. some of it was so bad it was comical, other parts were so good i was in awe. ultimately it was well worth the time even though this film was a bit long for a silent film.
February 21, 2008
danny d
Super Reviewer
Awesome silent-film version of the Jesus myth, replete with some vintage sets and an easy to follow, dry recounting of the events shortly before and after the crucifixion (Using Scripture snippets themselves). I think I am biased, as biblical adaptations have always immensely fascinated me, but I still think this film
is epic enough to stand on its own two feet, over eighty years after it was filmed. The perspective is from the New Testament, so Judaism is second class, and there's proselytizing ulterior motives, but the more zealous a religious director, the better the movie experience. For seriously diverse juxtaposing, see this alongside The Passion of the Christ; both films are practically one in the same in terms of structure, script and purpose, but with obvious decade distinctions.
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