The King of Kings - Criterion Collection

Starring:H.B. Warner, Dorothy Cumming, Ernest Torrence, Joseph Schildkraut, James Neill, Joseph Striker, Robert Edeson, Sidney D'Albrook, David Imboden, Charles Belcher, Clayton Packard, Robert Ellsworth, Charles Requa, John T. Prince, Jacqueline Logan, Rudolph Schildkraut, Sam De Grasse, Casson Ferguson, Victor Varconi, Majel Coleman
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

Description

With this silent-era spectacle, Cecil B. DeMille cemented his reputation as the master of the biblical epic. DeMille tells the story of Christ's life and Passion with great attention to historical accuracy, along the way paying homage to the religious illustrations of Da Vinci and Doré, and, in a modern flourish, restaging Christ's resurrection in luminous Technicolor. In time for Christmas, Criterion will present fully restored editions of both versions of this glorious spectacle in a heavenly two-disc set: the original 155-minute silent version from 1927 - never before available on home video - and the 1931 release, re-cut by DeMille to 112 minutes. The DVD edition will also include new Dolby Digital 5.1 scores by composers Donald Sosin (1927 version) and Timothy J. Tikker (1931 version); the original score for the 1931 release by Hugo Riesenfeld; behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film; cast portraits, production and costume sketches, a stills gallery of production photos and promotional material; the original illustrated program and press book featuring photographs from the film's gala premiere; and more.

Customer Reviews:

Renaissance Art Come to Life.......2007-04-23

This great film was released EIGHTY years ago, during an era which our current society has all but forgotten. That only adds to the mystique of "King of Kings"--which one could almost imagine was somehow filmed in Biblical times, so remote and rarified is its visual quality.

In viewing the Criterion set, I was continually awed by the way in which DeMille evokes the visual style of classic religious art ---it's as if you are witnessing the work of Da Vinci, Raphael, Tintoretto and Gustave Dore come to life on screen. (Rudolf Schildkraut as Caiphas has the uncanny appearance of one of Rembrandt's self-portraits right there on your TV screen!)

Once we are past the incredibly cheesy opening scene with Mary Magdalene and her Nubian zebras--that is, once the film gets into its black and white glory, De Mille composes almost every shot to reflect the majesty and reverence of the the great art work that we have always associated with the events of Christ's life. DeMille arranges his actors and extras within each shot--especially during the "Way of the Cross" scenes, with a marvelous sense of DEPTH--all I can do is marvel at the visual texture of each shot, with the crowds of onlookers creating a succession of artfully arranged living tableaux.

The scenes of crucifixion and its aftermath are awe-inspiring and chilling---truly a Dante-ish Inferno of mayhem on film! The shots of HB Warner (having expired) on the cross in near darkness---with wind-blown leaves and lightning flashes---are breathtaking. The 1928 soundtrack including a chorus of voices during these scenes---screaming, wailing, moaning along with the action on the screen (especially during the remarkably effective earthquake scenes), and this is an essential element of viewing the film I think. In fact, it's really too bad that the 1928 orchestral/choral soundtrack only exists for the shortened (112-minute) version, because the sound of this score is so evocative of the time in which the film was made. You can't beat the final two minutes of the film, as Jesus leaves his disciples in the Last Supper room in a radiant glow--to the strains of a lovely hymn, and then appears over a modern skyline to a full orchestra/choral rendering of "Rock of Ages"; that's what religion USED to feel like. The new score for the complete film is serviceable---all synthesized, though rarely is it distracting(a few incredibly poor synthesized cymbal crashes make me cringe). Of course, one MUST see the entire, full-length film....in which case the new synthesized score is your only choice.

A word about the cast: check them out on IMDB---you'd be amazed at how many of the actors had impressive credentials throughout the silent era and beyond, and yet whom are totally forgotten to us today. The actors who played the parts of Pontius Pilate and the Roman Centurion, for instance, are very impressive indeed---and their career background is fascinating. (There's something very cool about "Hopalong Cassidy" [Bill Boyd] stepping in to help "Old Man Gower" [HB Warner] carry his cross). Of course, Joseph Schildkraut, looking every bit the matinee idol as Judas, was a very distinguished actor--check his Oscar-winning performance as Dreyfuss in 1937's "Life of Emile Zola" for starters---or his 2 Twilight Zone appearances in 1961/62.

It's a pity that so much of our great film heritage has been lost forever---which is why it's all the more important for Criterion and other companies to continue to preserve it---especially the masterpieces like DeMille's "King of Kings."

PS---Included as bonus material is a substantial amount of behind-the scenes shots made during filming, which apparently DeMille did as a matter of course. What a treasure---practically worth the cost of this set alone!

a magnifisent film.......2007-04-12

Watching Jesus , brinks you years back like you lived that years with him but i believe that Franco Zeffirelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" is the best story , of the jesus life , in the history of cinema , and Robert Powell as Christ the best ever..............

More sincere than you'd expect from De Mille.......2006-05-02

While no match for Nicholas Ray and Samuel Bronston's 1961 film, the restored version of Cecil B. De Mille's The King of Kings is surprisingly good. It's a curious mixture of showmanship and sincerity, with sincerity surprisingly gradually winning over even if De Mille was using a film about Christ to defraud his principal backer into keeping his failing studio afloat with a lot of creative accounting (the film cost a million less than the accounts stated!). Although it skirts close to anti-Semitism at times for a film made by a Jewish director (albeit a closet one), it does ultimately make the distinction between good and bad people who happen to be Jews, adding a Jewish character who won't take Caiaphas' bribe to call for Jesus' death.

Starting off in typical De Mille mode, with Mary Magdalene breaking off an orgy to go after her errant admirer Judas Iscariot - "Go harness my zebras, a present from the King of Nubia!" - it never descends to the threatened kitchfest. Beginning towards the end of Christ's ministry, he plays fast and loose with the chronology (Palm Sunday AFTER Jesus goes to the Temple?) and it's a long way from history, but De Mille understood the power of symbolic design: Pilate's throne room may look nothing like the cramped quarters of most Roman buildings, but the giant eagle that towers and glowers behind his throne is a great piece of visual shorthand for the overbearing power and might of the Empire. And he pulls off some surprising coups de cinema, be it Christ's much-delayed first appearance through the gradually restored sight of a blind girl, the ghostly sins surrounding Magdalene, Pilate's first establishing shot or a strikingly powerful moment when the beam Jesus is leaning on outside a farmhouse is suddenly revealed to be a cross. De Mille also is a master of crowd scenes - these crowds are alive, a world of movement, with Christ's stillness setting Him apart.

H.B. Warner is a genuinely unexpected figure here considering the hollowed, balding old man of barely a decade later: very much a picture book Jesus, he does have a striking presence (when not overlit or made up with too much pancake) and there's a surprising warmth too - a scene where the carpenter repairs a child's doll is genuinely charming. There's a restrained power, too, most notable in the scene with the moneychangers in the temple, where an expected eruption of anger is instead turned into a simple tip of a table that is actually more violent in its controlled fury.

Don't expect a great movie - this is a great show, a Medieval Mystery Play filmed on a truly epic scale, and quite winning in its way. Criterion's disc is quite a winner too, with the picture quality of the uncut version quite outstanding aside from some relatively minor color fading in one sequence. The extras are pretty good too - the restored 155-minute roadshow version is acompanied by the two-hour general release version, plentiful stills and text galleries, two trailers and a genuinely informative booklet.

The King If Kings.......2005-10-07

welli just order the dvd criterion version a friend of myne alledged that the begining titles and mary magelene befor redemption was in technicolor as much as the resserection but that has yet to be proven it might be tinted the mary magelene courtesean and begining scene that is well im looking forward to this 155 minute version

From a non-Christian perspective.......2005-09-21

Not being the target audience for this film, I had a different reaction to it than the average Christian viewer is likely to have, and as a historian, I take issue with quite a few of the events and things in here presented as fact (too numerous and off-topic to get into here). Therefore, I was left to view this film not as theology or history but rather as a religious story. Certainly this film is far more heavily religious than the 1961 remake, although the original also isn't as long as the remake and doesn't lose its focus by wandering off into subplots. Although unlike the remake, the original covers less time; instead of beginning with the birth of Jesus, it starts about a few weeks before the Crucifixion. And I know some people take minor issue with the fact that it doesn't exactly go in the order these stories take place in the Bible, although given how religious DeMille was, it seems to have been done respectfully instead of just arbitrarily cutting and pasting the most important stories together.

Though I didn't feel really moved or spiritually uplifted the way a Christian viewer would, there were some scenes I found very moving and touching, like particularly the scenes Jesus has with children, such as healing the blind girl and later on healing the broken legs of another small child's wooden doll. Another moving scene is when he's shaping some wood and suddenly looks up and realises it's in the shape of a cross. H.B. Warner himself gives a really moving performance, very well-suited for the role. He was truly perfect for this role; another strong performance is by Ernest Torrence in the role of Peter. Mr. Torrence usually did character work, and was often in a villainous role, but here this big bulky man really shines in a role different from many of the other ones he did. Other points of note are the two beautiful scenes in two-strip Technicolor, the opening scene (probably the only real non-Biblical scene in the entire movie) and the Resurrection scene near the end, as well as the cute scene where the Romans are hoping they'll find fish with gold in their mouths the same way Peter just did.

Cecil B. DeMille is a director the likes of D.W. Griffith; you either love or hate him, either find most of his films overwrought morality plays or excessive Biblical dramas with a saturation of sex and violence or find most of his films masterpieces or moving touching affairs. However, whatever one's personal feelings about him may be, even many people who ordinarily dislike him have to admit this is one of his best films, one where he doesn't engage in many excesses.

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