Director: Cecil B DeMille
Story: Jeanie Macpherson
United States | 1927
155 Minutes | Color and Black & White
Starring: H.B. Warner, Dorothy Cumming
and Ernest Torrence
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What a way to start things off! I don't play around. I'm pulling out the stops on this one, even before we get going. Here is a gorgeous technicolor and black & white epic of cosmic proportions. Here is an MOS (completely silent), 2 1/2 hour masterpiece that was the most expensive film ever made according to it's time. I'm talking about a 2.5 million dollar film from the late 1920's that features a cast of, literally, thousands. But before we get going, I'm also going to show my cards. The pick was entirely unintentional, but given the sobering and reverential subject matter, of which I am personally connected, I cannot endorse an alcoholic beverage to accompany this mega-film. I don't think it's wrong, I just don't feel comfortable with it, and while an e-critic of a more facetious manner might suggest a tannin-rich cab [cabernet], I simply say watch the movie and soak in the sweet nectar of it's visual power.
The King of Kings gets inside of you. I would highly recommend watching it alone, in a quiet environment, for although it's silent, it penetrates the mind to such a degree as to warrant an inner soundtrack. I mean that. You will literally start to hear sound in your head, the imagination filling in the gaps to the affect that it's entirely natural. And I don't even think you have to be a Christian to appreciate the power and beauty of how passion-week plays out in this lyrical, magnetic light show.
The story (post inter-titles) begins peculiarly with Mary Magdalene and company in their den of iniquity. Like other sub-plots in the film, the event is fictitious, though it makes for a fascinating case study: Mary's 7 demons [Luke 8:2], once raging in prideful subversion, are finally exorcised by Christ himself - at least, according to writer Jeanie Macpherson, who interprets the demons as representing the 7 Deadly Sins. Other inventions pertain to order and context, although one can't be dogmatic - besides, film is that great artform where reinvention is encouraged, not dry literalism. We go to movies for that existential pit-stop, where the pulpit is the screen and the message is shown, not told.
To it's credit, the content of the film is mostly accurate, Biblical references sprawling throughout via inter-titles. The effect is one of anticipation, not abeyance, as the plot thickens and emotions take root. Filmed partially in technicolor, the aesthetic change to and from black & white is fairly annoying. Also, the film print has a generous amount of noise ("snow" on the picture), though neither of these unfortunates detract from the overall experience. From a logistical standpoint, the production is legendary, featuring hundreds of extras filling epic spaces, such as the seat of Pontis Pilate and outside of the temple where Jesus makes a whip of cords, driving out the money-changers [John 2:15]. Other memorable experiences include a young boy's exorcism, Peter's denial, Judas' betrayal, and the white dove [Holy Spirit] motif, which serves as spiritual anchor-point and is beautifully contemplative. ~ N.O.
In summary:
I. Persistent vision of director DeMille results in artistic and memorable visual experience.
II. Well-cast with strong performances, an emotional, mental and spiritual substance is reached.
III. Well-edited and scripted, the story builds to a fluid and essential climax.
IV. The sets and costumes are exquisite and masterful, as is J. Peverelle Marley's cinematography
V. Ahead of it's time, King of Kings is a piece of film history that holds it's weight even today.
9 / 10 on the NORS [Night Owl Richter Scale]
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Pair With : N/A
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