'The King of Kings is a 1927 American silent epic film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It depicts the last weeks of Jesus before his crucifixion and stars H. B. Warner in the lead role. Featuring the opening and resurrection scenes in two-color Technicolor, the film is the second in DeMille's Biblical trilogy, preceded by The Ten Commandments (1923) and followed by The Sign of the Cross (1932). Cast H. B. Warner as Jesus Dorothy Cumming as Mary, the mother of Jesus Ernest Torrence as Peter Joseph Schildkraut as Judas Iscariot James Neill as James the Great Joseph Striker as John the Apostle Robert Edeson as Matthew the Apostle Sidney D'Albrook as Thomas, the Doubter David Imboden as Andrew – a Fisherman Charles Belcher as Philip the Apostle Clayton Packard as Bartholomew the Apostle Robert Ellsworth as Simon – the Zealot Charles Requa as James the Less John T. Prince as Thaddeus Jacqueline Logan as Mary Magdalene Rudolph Schildkraut as Caiaphas – High Priest of Israel Sam De Grasse as Pharisee Casson Ferguson as Scribe Victor Varconi as Pontius Pilate Majel Coleman as Proculla – Wife of Pilate Montagu Love as Roman Centurion William Boyd as Simon of Cyrene Micky Moore as Mark Theodore Kosloff as Malchus – Captain of the High Priest's Guard George Siegmann as Barabbas Julia Faye as Martha Josephine Norman as Mary of Bethany Kenneth Thomson as Lazarus Alan Brooks as Satan Viola Louie as Adulterous Woman Muriel McCormac as Blind Girl Clarence Burton as Dysmas – the Repentant Thief Jim Mason as Gestas – the Unrepentant Thief May Robson as Mother of Gestas Dot Farley as Maidservant of Caiaphas Hector V. Sarno as Galilean Carpenter Leon Holmes as Imbecile Boy Otto Lederer as Eber – a Pharisee Bryant Washburn as Young Roman Lionel Belmore as Roman Noble Monte Collins as Rich Judeaean Lucio Flamma as Gallant of Galilee Sôjin Kamiyama as Prince Of Persia André Cheron as Wealthy Merchant Willy Castello as Babylonian Noble Noble Johnson as Charioteer Jim Farley as Executioner James Dime as a Roman soldier Cast notes Sally Rand was an extra in the film, years before becoming notorious for her "fan dance" at the 1933 World's Fair. Writer Ayn Rand (no relation to Sally Rand) also was an extra in the film, and met her future husband Frank O'Connor on set. Micky Moore was the last surviving cast member at his death in 2013. Production A giant gate built for this film was later used in the 1933 film King Kong, and was among the sets torched for the "burning of Atlanta" in Gone with the Wind (1939). Other sets and costumes were re-used for the 1965 Elvis Presley film, Harum Scarum. The movie has two Technicolor sequences, the beginning and the resurrection scene, which use the two-color process invented by Herbert Kalmus. The 1927 Cummings trial for divorce from her husband Frank Elliott revealed that DeMille, because Christians would not accept any reflections cast upon Christ or his mother, had Cummings sign a contract on August 21, 2026, that regulated her private life for seven years, and included clauses that prevented her from divorcing her husband for any act, to do anything that would give her husband grounds for divorce, or play a prostitute or similar role in any film. The contract did not prevent the divorce. Release The King of Kings was the first movie that premiered at the noted Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California on May 18, 1927. The film was screened there again on May 24, 1977, to commemorate the theater's 50th anniversary. In what is considered one of the earliest applications of market segmentation to film promotion, students ranging from elementary to high school were dismissed early to attend afternoon screenings of the film. The King of Kings was seen by around 500 million viewers between its original release in 1927 and the remake in 1961. Critical reception The King of Kings received rave reviews from the critics. The Film Daily stated: "There can be said nothing but praise for the reverence and appreciation with which the beautiful story has been developed. . . The King of Kings is tremendous from every standpoint. It is the finest piece of screen craftsmanship ever turned out by DeMille". Photoplay described the film as "Cecil B. DeMille's finest motion picture effort" and thought he took "the most difficult and exalted theme in the world's history—the story of Jesus Christ—and transcribed it intelligently and ably to the screen." Norbert Lusk of Picture Play believed "The King of Kings is Cecil B. DeMille's masterpiece, and is among the greatest of all pictures. It is a sincere and reverent visualization of the last three years in the life of Christ, produced on a scale of tasteful magnificence, finely acted by the scores in it, and possessed of moments of poignant beauty and unapproachable drama. This is a picture that will never become outmoded." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_Kings_(1927_film)

• published: 07 Jun 2023
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