King of Kings (1927)

[Mr. Arkadin]

Probably one of the best films about the life of Christ (the other being Pasolini's The Gospel According to St.Matthew [1964]). Anyone watching/recording?

[cinemalover]

I will definitely be recording it. It is one of the classic silents that I don't have a copy of and have never seen. Thanks for the reminder.

[Dawtrina]

This is the film that really turned me on to how great an actor H B Warner was and it's the best portrayal of Christ on film to my eyes (so far, at least).

I'd wondered about him ever since I realised that all the silent bridge partners in Sunset Boulevard were real stars. I hadn't even heard of H B Warner but then he started turning up all over the place: in Bulldog Drummond moves, a bunch of thirties classics and elsewhere. Now I'm a confirmed fan.

I think he's the only good thing about the otherwise dire The Adventures of Marco Polo, he's what I remember best about Lost Horizon and he's my favourite character in It's a Wonderful Life (which, being English, only saw for the first time last year).

[Mr. Arkadin]

He's also great in 1931's Five Star Final.

[Dawtrina]

He's one of those actors who was apparently great in everything he did, bringing a subtle quality to the film through acting not just with his body and his voice, but with his face and his eyes too. He has very cool sparkling eyes.

I read somewhere that he relished the part of Mr Gower because it gave him an opportunity to really act that had been denied him for so long in run of the mill movies. Yet when I look at the few films from the 40s that I've caught him in thus far, he's shone in them too. He was a stubborn but principled bishop in Hitler's Children, for instance, and his character has stayed with me long after most of the rest of the film.

He was great in Five Star Final, but he had a great cast, crew and story to work with. Often I'm finding that my favourite actors tend to be the ones who continue to shine when they don't have that luxury. I mentioned The Adventures of Marco Polo, which I felt was truly awful. There were a lot of very talented name actors in there (Gary Cooper, Basil Rathbone, Alan Hale) but they couldn't do a thing with the material. Yet H B Warner could.

[moira finnie]

While I agree about H.B. Warner's abilities, I must say that this movie, which I recently saw on a marvelous Criterion dvd that included glimpses of home movies made during the making of King of Kings (1927), shall always be memorable to me for the immortal line:
Harness my Zebras!

This is what Mary Magdelene, (Jacqueline Logan) who, in the DeMille version of the New Testament is a very upscale courtesan, cries when she realizes that her main squeeze, Judas Iscariot (Joseph Schildkraut) has fallen under the spell of a carpenter from Nazareth. The movie is also well worth watching just for the wonderful faces of the multitudes. Every street person in Hollywood must've worked during the filming of this epic and their beautifully lived in faces are marvelous as the denizens of ancient Galilee.

It may not reflect the four Gospels, but it is a wonderful movie. I wonder if they'll show ones with the the scores by Donald Sosin (1927 version) or Timothy J. Tikker (1931 version)?

Maybe I'm being a bit sacrilegious, but I must say that this movie is a great show.

[Mr. Arkadin]

It may not reflect the four Gospels, but it is a wonderful movie. I wonder if they'll show ones with the the scores by Donald Sosin (1927 version) or Timothy J. Tikker (1931 version)?

Maybe I'm being a bit sacrilegious, but I must say that this movie is a great show.

What I think makes King of Kings different from a film like Passion of the Christ, is it never claimed to be an exact translation. We know DeMille plays fast and loose with the Gospels, so we (or at least I) don't hold the film to the standards of some other films which did make such claims. Also, as you noted, DeMille often uses these falsities to create levity and humor which helps to make such a serious subject more palatable.

I do think Warner is great as JC. He provides the anchoring aspect of the film that keeps it from just becoming a parody. As I said in another thread here, I've never taken DeMille's Christian work seriously and am surprised when people do, but Warner's performance in this film makes you overlook all those aspects and just focus in on his character. While so many films try to be exacting with the Gospels, DeMille evokes the spirit (while throwing in his usual amount of sex) and comes a bit closer to the mark in my opinion than many "Christian" filmmakers.

[moira finnie]

Hi Ark,
As I wrapped some presents last night well past midnight, I tried to watch King of Kings again out of the corner of my eye. The risible moments are definitely there, but nevertheless, the sequence of the Crucifixion itself was deeply moving, in large part because of the eloquence of H.B. Warner's face and the two thieves suffering beside him, played by Clarence Burton as Dysmas, the repentant thief and James Mason (not the British one) as Gestas, the unrepentant thief. That segment of the film stands alone in its power and simplicity.

[Mr. Arkadin]

Definitely agree. I think that's why this film works so well. It has a little bit of everything, but never overplays it's hand. So many biblical style films require (and expect) foreknowledge, belief, and deadly serious content (read boring). King of Kings has no such expectations. The film walks a nice line between reverence and lighthearted hilarity and I think those two techniques dovetail together well. I also think it's made the film more accessible to viewers who would normally never watch any kind of religous film at all. Unfortunately, many of DeMilles later epics are quite dry and contain none of the humor or passion seen here.

[Dawtrina]

One word that hasn't been mentioned yet is 'holy'.

I grew up in the Church of England and met a lot of people associated with the church from lowly servers and churchwardens up to the future Archbishop of York. I have a huge amount of respect for a lot of them and many are 'good' people in many senses of that word. However I've only ever met one I could fairly describe as 'holy'.

The same applies to film. It's not that difficult to play the good guy, it's a lot harder to play someone truly 'good' without becoming a sap but this is the only performance I could apply the word 'holy' to. Warner seemed to be at once both playing the part and yet be somehow 'elsewhere' throughout. Most people play Jesus like a man, just a really good one. Warner played him like the son of God.

[sandykaypax]

Darn, in the excitement of Christmas Eve, I forgot to record this one. It sounds like I missed a good one.

I think that H.B. Warner's performance as the druggist Mr. Gower in It's a Wonderful Life is one of the most moving moments on film. I always cry watching the scene with the photo of his dead son on the counter behind him. The boy who plays the young George Bailey is quite good, too.

Sandy K