The story of Jesus is without a doubt the greatest story ever told. It is such a good story that I believe that it appeals in some way to everyone, regardless of whether they have faith, or whatever creed they are.
To depict such a story in the shape of a film must be such a daunting task. Yet there has been a flurry of such films in recent years. These later films have however tended to portray a more controversial side of the life of Jesus.
King of Kings is an example of a film that attempts to keep quite close to the original story told in the Bible. This portrayal is an example of one of the earlier attempts to tell the story on the screen and on the whole it works well.
Watching this film today it is easy to forget that it was filmed as long ago as 1961. Unlike many of the films that followed this version, King of Kings lacked a multi-million budget of today's films and there are none of the great Hollywood names of the era to be found here. Although some of the cast did go on to carve out successful careers following the success of this film.
Produced by Samuel Bronston and directed by Nicholas Ray, King of Kings tells the story of Jesus set against the backdrop of Political unrest due to the Roman
Conquest of the Holy Land.
The story begins in Nazareth where Joseph is looking for shelter for the night for his heavily pregnant Wife, Mary. The streets are full of Roman Soldiers and there is fighting.
A man called John the Baptist is preaching the good word and telling everyone that the Messiah is soon to come. It is not long after Mary gives birth to her Child, Jesus, that the whispers begin. People are beginning to say that this was an immaculate conception and this Child named Jesus, is the Messiah that John the Baptist has been foretelling.
The Romans in a bid to bring peace and stability to the area have declared a man called Herod, King of Judea to rule over Nazareth, but he is not a popular man. The Jews see him as a self proclaimed leader who is selfish and greedy and someone that does not care about their fate.
King Herod has always been suspicious of John the Baptist and the news that a Messiah may have been born sends him into panic. In a ruthless bid to destroy this so called Messiah, Herod instructs his men to murder the first born son of every family in Nazareth. In a twist of fate Joseph and Mary leave Nazareth overnight and thus Jesus avoids this barbaric slaughter.
The years pass by and Jesus becomes a man. The Romans are still ruling the land with an iron fist and we are introduced to a Jewish thief called Barrabus. From here on this film shows the contrasts between Jesus and Barrabas. Barrabus is an insurrectionist and the rebel leader of the Jewish resistance who are trying to rid the Romans from their land. Whilst Jesus is preaching a message of Peace. The Romans however believe that both of these men pose a serious threat to their Empire and as Jesus gathers more and more supporters they become evermore wary of Jesus.
By focusing this drama around the political unrest within the Region this film manages to capture the well known story of Jesus, but shows it within a slightly different context. One which is more action packed and less Religious.
I am not a religious person but I still recall watching this film for the first time when I was at School, as part of a religious education lesson. I thoroughly enjoyed it then and when I watched it again recently I enjoyed it again.
Of course, there are religious moments within the film. One of the most memorable of these is that of Jesus delivering the Sermon on the Mount.
This film has an Unclassified certification meaning that it is suitable to watch by all. It is certainly a mixture of an educational film and a drama. I would however have reservations about allowing small Children to watch this film as there are quite a few gory moments. The most chilling of these moments is when Salome, the step daughter of King Herod dances for him and as her request for performing this dance she asks for the head of John the Baptist to be brought to her on a silver plate.
It is easy to criticise a film that is over 45 years old yet watching this film for the first time again after many years it does not seem dated at all. The acting by the main cast including Jeffrey Hunter's portrayal of Jesus is excellent throughout and there is always enough action to keep you gripped to your seat until the end, even though you know how the story will end even before it has begun.
The main cast is as below:
Jesus - Jeffrey Hunter Mary - Siobhan Mckenna Joseph - Gerard Tichy Pontius Pilot - Ron Randell Barrabus - Harry Guardino John the Baptist - Robert Ryan King Herod - Gregoire Aslan
The film is narrated throughout by Orson Wells which is particularly helpful for anyone that is not familiar with this Biblical story.
At its time there was criticism that Jesus was portrayed as a blonde haired, blue eyed boy and that Mary had more than a hint of an Irish accent. I would like to think that this is just a little bit of poetic license. It is perhaps also true that some of the background shots resemble Southern California much more than the Holy Land, but again, given the fact that it was filmed so many years ago on a budget that was not huge, this is something that should be overlooked.
The DVD version of this film was released in 2003. Prior to this it was available on VHS Video Cassette.
This is a film only review.
Year of release - 1961 Running time - 171 minutes
Thank you reading.
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Directed by a true genius of early cinema, Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings is both a ... more
sincere and major work or religious devotion and an epic milestone in cinema history.First premiered in 1927, the film follows the life of Jesus Christ from the c...
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