The King of Kings (1927 film)
| The King of Kings | |
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| Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Written by | Jeannie Macpherson |
| Starring |
H.B. Warner Dorothy Cumming Ernest Torrence Joseph Schildkraut James Neill |
| Music by |
Hugo Riesenfeld Josiah Zuro |
| Cinematography |
J. Peverell Marley F.J. Westerberg |
| Edited by |
Anne Bauchens Harold McLernon |
| Distributed by | Pathé Exchange |
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Release date
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Running time
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155 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent film English/Aramaic intertitles |
| Box office | $1.5 million |
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).
We see Mary Magdalene, here portrayed as a wild courtesan, entertain many men around her. Upon learning that Judas is with a carpenter she rides out on her chariot drawn by zebras to get him back. Peter is introduced as the Giant apostle, and we see the future gospel writer Mark as a child who is healed by Jesus. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is shown as a beautiful and saintly woman who is a mother to all her son's followers. Our first sight of Jesus is through the eyesight of a little girl, whom he heals. He is surrounded by a halo. Mary Magdelene arrives afterwards and talks to Judas, who reveals that he is only staying with Jesus in hopes of being made a high official after Jesus becomes the king of kings. Jesus casts the Seven Deadly Sins out of Mary Magdalene in a multiple exposure sequence.
Jesus is also shown resurrecting Lazarus and healing the little children. Some humor is derived when one girl asks if he can heal broken legs and he says yes, she gives him a legless doll. Jesus smiles and repairs the doll. The crucifixion is foreshadowed when Jesus, having helped a poor family, wanders through the father's carpentry shop and, himself a carpenter's son, briefly helps carve a piece of wood. When a sheet covering the object is removed, it is revealed to be a cross towering over Jesus.
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