The King of Kings (1927)

Calificación de los usuarios:

7.8/10   

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Guionista:

Jeanie Macpherson (story)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

1928 (Austria)

Género:

Drama | Historia

Frase comercial:

Most reverent and strikingly beautiful panorama of the tragedy of all ages--the world's greatest screen epic. A production acclaimed by world-famed scholars, press and public in this country and abroad, as the most ambitious presentation of the final years of the life of Jesus ever pictured on the screen. An epochal motion picture that will live forever in the hearts of mankind.

Plot:

Mary Magdalene becomes angry when Judas, now a follower of Jesus, won't come to her feast. She goes to see Jesus and becomes repentant...

Plot Keywords:

Resurrection | Crucifixion | Temple | Adultery | Two Strip Technicolor

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Creative, Interesting, & Still Well Worth Seeing

Reparto

H.B. Warner	...	Jesus, the Christ
Dorothy Cumming	...	Mary, the mother
Ernest Torrence	...	Peter
Joseph Schildkraut	...	Judas Iscariot
James Neill	...	James, brother of John
Joseph Striker	...	John, the beloved
Robert Edeson	...	Matthew, the publican
Sidney D'Albrook	...	Thomas, the doubter
David Imboden	...	Andrew, a fisherman
Charles Belcher	...	Philip
Clayton Packard	...	Bartholomew
Robert Ellsworth	...	Simon, the zealot
Charles Requa	...	James The Lesser
John T. Prince	...	Thaddeus
Jacqueline Logan	...	Mary Magdalene

También conocida como:

El rey de reyes (Spain) [es]

Duración:

USA:112 min (alternate version) | USA:155 min (premiere version)

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Negro y Blanco | Color (2-strip Technicolor)

Relación de Aspecto:

1.33 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (RCA Photophone System) (1931 reissue) | Silent | Silent (RCA Photophone System)

Clasificación:

Australia:G | USA:Not Rated

Locaciones de Filmación:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Compañía:

DeMille Pictures Corporation

Trivialidades:

This film features author Ayn Rand as one of the hundreds of people in a crowd. At a time when Rand was a struggling immigrant, DeMille gave her the job to help get her on her feet.

Errores:

Personal o Equipo Visible: In the first scene in Mary Magdalene's house, studio lights are reflected in a large hand-held mirror.

Citas:

Mary Magdalene: Harness my zebras - gift of the Nubian King! This Carpenter shall learn that he cannot hold a man from Mary Magdalene!

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1990) (TV)

Creative, Interesting, & Still Well Worth Seeing

This Cecil B. DeMille silent classic is still well worth seeing. It is creative and interesting, while remaining respectful to its subject, and thus it is among the best of the many movies made about Jesus. Unlike most directors (especially today), DeMille did not think that he was bigger than his subject, and thus he uses his skills to illustrate the well-known story and to make it memorable, rather than expending time and energy in trying to push some trivial perspective of his own. He makes it lavish when it should be lavish, and keeps it simple when it should be simple.

The opening scene, with Mary Magdalene and her admirers hearing bits of news regarding Jesus and Judas Iscariot, is a good introduction to the rest of the story, and also sets the tone for what follows. While it is a fictionalized scene not found in the Bible, it seems natural and works well. The rest of the movie likewise does not always follow the biblical narratives exactly, but the added material is always in keeping with the main themes. The cast is pretty good, although given the nature of the story, most of them have limited screen time. H.B. Warner looks just a little too old to be fully convincing as Jesus, but otherwise he is good enough in a difficult role. Probably the best performance is given by Joseph Schildkraut as Judas. He is quite believable, and is especially good in the Last Supper scene. His father Rudolph is also good in a smaller role as the high priest Caiaphas.

With the vast number of movies that are always being made about religious subjects, no doubt it will only be silent movie fans who will seek out this version of "The King of Kings", but that's unfortunate because it is nicely made and has many positives that make it worth seeing.