Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Not part of a collection.
King of Kings
Of good and evil, of love and hate, of peace and war.
Who is Jesus, and why does he impact all he meets? He is respected and reviled, emulated and accused, beloved, betrayed, and finally crucified. Yet that terrible fate would not be the end of the story.
- Original title
- King of Kings
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $7,775,000
- Revenue
- $13,400,000
John Chard
Jan 2, 2019 · via TMDB
The best of the Christ story epics. King Of Kings is a good film, and certainly one that is better than its reputation suggests. It's for sure better than the poorly put together The Robe from 1953 and the gargantuan excess that would be The Greatest Story Ever Told four years post this MGM piece. Produced by legendary Samuel Bronston and directed with assurance and imagination by Nicholas Ray, the film tells of the 33 years of Jesus Christ's life. From his birth in Bethlehem to his Crucifixion, to the Resurrection and finally the Ascension. A familiar story that is nicely spread to a movie under three hours long, takes in the Apostles selection, John The Baptist, 40 days in the desert, the miracles (though we are short changed here), Sermom on the Mount, Judas' betrayal and of course The Last Supper. The film contains a narration by Orson Welles, which was written by Ray Bradbury. It's a wise move for it helps the narrative immensely, while lets face it here, Orson had a great voice, perfectly biblical and it lends a touch of class to the material. Of the cast, Jeffrey Hunter has the glory role of Christ. A relative unknown (this helps I feel), Hunter is effective with his steely blue eyes, while Robert Ryan is first rate as the doomed John The Baptist. Also turning in good performances are Harry Guardino (Barabbas), Viveca Lindfors (Claudia), Royal Dano (Peter) and Rip Torn (Judas). Though not hurting the movie, Hurd Hatfield as Pontius Pilate is a touch too animated, while Frank Thring as Herod Antipas takes the woe is me mantra a step too far. Naturally with a budget of $8 million the film has considerable scope. Thousands of extras are a given of course, all captured among the Spanish locations in 70mm Technicolor (Cinematography by Manuel Berenguer, Milton R. Krasner & Franz Planer). While the sets (almost 400 used) are very pleasing on the eye and Miklós Rózsa provides a suitably effective score. The writing from Philip Yordan is lean, there's no heavy filler and for a film of this type it's a pleasant surprise to see such restraint. Ultimately it's just real good story telling given a good technical work out. The appearance of Judas for the first time still sends a shiver down the old spine and the Crucifixtion instills a sadness that is hard to shake off once the credits have rolled. Job done really. 8/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Jeffrey Hunter
Jesus
Siobhán McKenna
Mary
Hurd Hatfield
Pontius Pilate
Ron Randell
Lucius
Viveca Lindfors
Claudia
Rita Gam
Herodias
Carmen Sevilla
Mary Magdalene
Brigid Bazlen
Salome
Harry Guardino
Barabbas
Rip Torn
Judas
Frank Thring
Herod Antipas
Guy Rolfe
Caiaphas
Royal Dano
Peter
Robert Ryan
John the Baptist
Edric Connor
Balthazar
Maurice Marsac
Nicodemus
Grégoire Aslan
Herod
George Coulouris
Camel Driver
Conrado San Martín
General Pompey
Gérard Tichy
Joseph
Antonio Mayans
Young John
Luis Prendes
Good Thief / Roman Soldier
David Davies
Burly Man
José Nieto
Caspar
Rubén Rojo
Matthew
Fernando Sancho
Mad man
Félix de Pomés
Joseph of Arimathea
Adriano Rimoldi
Melchior
Barry Keegan
Bad Thief
Rafael Luis Calvo
Simon of Cyrene
Paco Morán
Blind Man
Frank Braña
Roman Soldier/Barrabas Soldier (uncredited)
Cris Huerta
Jewish Rebel (uncredited)
John Kerr
Man at Sermon on the Mount (uncredited)
Ray Milland
Satan (voice) (uncredited)
Antonio Montoya
Roman Soldier (uncredited)
Paul Naschy
Herod Antipas' Servant/Roman Soldier (uncredited)
Aldo Sambrell
Judea Soldier (uncredited)
Ron Veto
Bit part (uncredited)
Orson Welles
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Enrique Alarcón
Set Decoration
Milton Krasner
Director of Photography
Terry Yorke
Stunts
Nicholas Ray
Director
Noël Howard
Second Unit Director
Renée Lichtig
Editor
Miklós Rózsa
Original Music Composer
Philip Yordan
Screenplay
Apocalypse Now
The Chosen: Last Supper
Mendès la France
Thomas Müntzer
Selena
Walk the Line
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Elvis and Me
The Greatest Game Ever Played
The Last Supper
The Buddy Holly Story
Flywheel
Julius Caesar
What's Love Got to Do with It
Monarch
The Great Waltz
Casey Stengel
1987
Lady Sings the Blues
Barabbas
Bird
Guru
Twin Sisters
Swimming Upstream
And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself
Fire in the Sky
The Prodigal Planet
They Died with Their Boots On
Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave
My Boy Jack
Summer Rain
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Sister Smile
Diesel
Pancho Barnes
Mommie Dearest
The Legend of King Naresuan 1
Sarı Zeybek
The Rat Pack
Barbara
The Last Days of Pompeii
The Abdication
The Birth of Jesus
The Borgia
Christmas at Maxwell's
The Final Inquiry
Sing a Song, Poet
Adam's Testament
Katherine of Alexandria
Countdown
Lie
Unexpected Places
Tvář za oknem
Beatus Ille
The Quest for the True Cross
Muppet Man
Streets of Hope
Revival!
The Kaplinski System
Nuremberg
The Passion of the Christ
The Name of the Rose
The Last Temptation of Christ
Jesus Christ Superstar
Silence
Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Shattered Glass
Son of God
Esther
Three Christs
Francesco
Experimenter
Luther
Hounddog
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Land of the Pharaohs
The Young Messiah
Titus
The Ledge
Salomé
Nightwatching
Plan A
Max
Adventures of a Mathematician
Effie Gray
The Secrets We Keep
Dalíland
Oct 11, 1961
