The King of Kings

"Supreme in Theme! Gigantic in Execution!"

1927 2h 35m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 68

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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The King of Kings is the Greatest Story Ever Told as only Cecil B. DeMille could tell it. In 1927, working with one of the biggest budgets in Hollywood history, DeMille spun the life and Passion of Christ into a silent-era blockbuster. Featuring text drawn directly from the Bible, a cast of thousands, and the great showman’s singular cinematic bag of tricks, The King of Kings is at once spectacular and deeply reverent—part Gospel, part Technicolor epic.

“Supreme in Theme! Gigantic in Execution!”

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Where to watch · US

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Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

H.B. Warner
Jesus, The Christ
Dorothy Cumming
Mary, the Mother
Ernest Torrence
Peter
Joseph Schildkraut
Judas Iscariot
James Neill
James - Brother of John
Joseph Striker
John - the Beloved
Robert Edeson
Matthew - the Publican
Sidney D'Albrook
Thomas, the Doubter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Writers: Jeanie Macpherson, Jeanie Macpherson
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 155 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

99 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot by J. Peverell Marley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anne Bauchens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

H.B. Warner and Dorothy Cumming and Ernest Torrence carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Supreme in Theme! Gigantic in Execution!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0018054 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cecil B. DeMille directs. J. Peverell Marley behind the camera. Anne Bauchens cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 155 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Shot for just $1.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
399 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot by J. Peverell Marley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Anne Bauchens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6H.B. Warner and Dorothy Cumming and Ernest Torrence carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Supreme in Theme! Gigantic in Execution!".
8IMDB entry: tt0018054 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 68 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "crucifixion", "resurrection", "silent film", "messiah".

The technical file

Cinematography: J. Peverell Marley
Editing: Anne Bauchens
Costume design: Adrian
Runtime: 155 min · 2h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,265,284
Box office: $2,641,687
Return: 209% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The King of Kings (1927)

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Cecil B. DeMille

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-06
★ 7/10
As biblical epics go, this is probably the best in my book. Cecil B. de Mille has crafted a masterpiece of silent cinema depicting the tale of the Christ from the beginnings of his journey until the resurrection. Using partly scripted and actual verses from the bible, the intertitles are expertly spaced to offer support to the dialogue when required, but largely we are left to follow the story with the grand scale imagery doing the talking for it. The detail is meticulous - costumes, sets etc, as you would expect - but the use of light and shade, particularly at the end, is magnificent. The characterisations from HB Warner as Jesus; Joseph Schildkraut (Judas) and Jacqueline Logan as the courtesan Mary Magdalene, replete with zebra-driven chariot all contribute to a rich, extensive, cast whose facial expressions carry far more weight than any words might do. Long? Well it's not, actually - the enterprise flies by (I saw it beautifully accompanied by the Sosin 2004 score) and if you've any interest in the history of cinema (or Christianity) then this is a must watch.

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