Movies - King of Kings

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King of Kings is a 1961 American motion picture epic retelling the story of Jesus from his birth to his crucifixion and resurrection.

An earlier silent film about Jesus was titled The King of Kings
, released in 1927 and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Director Nicholas Ray's 1961 version places Jesus's life in the political context of Roman conquest. As Jesus becomes an active preacher and healer, his activities are contrasted with the political stance of Barabbas and his insurgents who battle against the Roman occupiers.

The film features scenes of Jesus's miracles and his Sermon on the Mount (shot with many thousands of extras), as well as a scene where Jesus visits John the Baptist in his dungeon during his imprisonment by Herod Antipas -- Ray staging the scene in such a way that John the Baptist must crawl up an incline inside the dungeon, holding out his hand to reach for Jesus's hand: a vivid example of Ray's architectural sense of composition and visual drama (reminding one that Ray had studied under Frank Lloyd Wright to become an architect).

Nicholas Ray's direction balances spectacle with the human drama of Jesus's life. In the Sermon on the Mount sequence, Ray also conveys the central ethical-religious messages of Jesus's teachings. As such, the film can be seen as a model of the epic where grandeur serves to underscore the content. King of Kings is also memorable for the music score by Miklós Rózsa, a Hungarian emigre composer who composed the music for MGM's Ben-Hur
(1959) and many other epic films.

However, others have criticized it for showing a Jesus that was too "white bread" and a very subdued John the Baptist.

Also, most films at the time showed did not show Jesus's face, preferring to do shots of his hands (as in Ben Hur) or over-the-shoulder views. This was the first where his face was portrayed by an actor, causing some to nick-name the film "I Was a Teenaged Jesus," a parody from the Michael Landon film I Was a Teenage Werewolf.

Primary cast

Jeffrey Hunter
: Jesus
Siobhan McKenna : Mary
Robert Ryan
: John the Baptist
Ron Randell
: Lucius
Hurd Hatfield
: Pontius Pilate
Viveca Lindfors
: Claudia
Rita Gam
: Herodias
Frank Thring
: Herod Antipas
Royal Dano
: Peter
Rip Torn
: Judas Iscariot
Harry Guardino
: Barabbas
Carmen Sevilla : Mary Magdalene
Brigid Bazlen : Salomé
Guy Rolfe : Caiaphas
Gregoire Aslan : Herod the Great

Not credited at the time, Orson Welles did the voiceover of a narrative written by Ray Bradbury.

Category:Dramatic portrayals of Jesus Category:1961 films Category:Drama films

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Movies - King of Kings

Primary cast

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