King of Kings
The power, the passion, the greatness, the glory.
Who is Jesus and why does he powerfully 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.
The scale is huge (7,000 extras in the Sermon on the Mount scene alone). The mood is reverent. The music is another milestone in the career of composer Miklos Rozsa. The performances of a splendid cast-with charismatic Jeffrey Hunter at the center-are real and moving. From the producer of the epic spectaculars El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire and the director of Rebel Without a Cause and 55 Days at Peking comes a vivid retelling of the world's greatest story, the saga of the Nazarene who would be King of Kings.
Member Reviews
An Epic Vision of the Birth of Christianity - MovieProf
A few years before he won the role of the original Captain Christopher Pike in an obscure new science fiction television series called “Star Trek,” Jeffrey Hunter was an up and coming big-screen star. That television series would eventually make drastic changes (Captain Pike became Captain Kirk), and Hunter was relegated to low-grade films until his untimely death in 1969. However, in 1961, he was still flying high, no more in evidence than his starring role in Nicholas Ray’s “King of Kings.” Here, Hunter plays Jesus, arguably his best-known role.
Filmed on location throughout Spain, this is one epic film. Thousands of extras were used: the mass of extras shown in Jerusalem, or the scores of Roman soldiers in other various shots, demonstrate the size of this production. Producer Samuel Bronstein was no stranger to big-budget epics, having already produced “El Cid,” with Charleton Heston and Sophia Loren. A few years later, he would again recreate Roman history with “The Fall of the Roman Empire.”
This film was not highly regarded at the time of its release, and is not as well-known as another take on the life of Jesus, the 1965 star-studded epic “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” However, although “King” is devoid of big name stars, it is still an entertaining film. The music score by legendary composer Miklós Rózsa is outstanding.
Member Reviews
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An Epic Vision of the Birth of Christianity - MovieProf
A few years before he won the role of the original Captain Christopher Pike in an obscure new science fiction television series called “Star Trek,” Jeffrey Hunter was an up and coming big-screen star. That television series would eventually make drastic changes ...