Amongst
movie buffs, KING OF KINGS ($20) is often referred to as I
Was A Teenage Jesus because of the youthful appearance of its star
and because the film also featured the same director as REBEL WITHOUT A
CAUSE. While the film’s nickname is rather amusing, KING OF KINGS
is one my favorite religious epics because of the film’s sense of
reverence and the majestic sweep imbued on it by its legendary director
Nicholas Ray. Nicholas Ray had a keen eye for composition even while
Hollywood films were being made in the old Academy ratio, however when the
movies went to wide screen, Ray's impressive visual style really came into
its own. KING OF KINGS is an amazing cinematic event, with the film’s
imagery being lovingly composed to take advantage of the Super-Technirama
canvas. Some of the film’s camerawork is truly innovative, which helps
to give KING OF KINGS the larger-than-life feeing that a religious
epic requires.
In
addition to what Nick Ray brought to the table, KING OF KINGS is
also one of the epic films that were produced by cinematic showman Samuel
Bronston, who was also responsible for such films as FALL OF THE ROMAN
EMPIRE, EL CID and 55 DAYS AT PEKING. With Bronston
behind the production, KING OF KINGS is the kind of movie in which
no expense was spared in recreating the ancient world at the time Jesus
Christ walked the Earth. Bronston’s films had tremendous production
value, and every dollar of is clearly up on the screen in KING OF KINGS.
What is done today with digital trickery, had to be done by practical
means in the early 1960s when KING OF KINGS was produced. Therefore, every one of
the enormous, elaborate sets had to be built and every one of the thousand
extras in the movie was a real person, in a real costume, and not a
digital substitute.
For
cinematic purposes, KING OF KINGS takes some creative license with
the supporting figures in the story of Christ; adjusting them to suit the
needs of the movie. However, the film’s screenplay doesn’t completely
rewrite the bible. Some have quibbled about the choice of Jeffrey Hunter
to portray Jesus in KING OF KINGS. Personally, I think Hunter was a
terrific choice for the role. His good looks made Hunter a perfect
composite of the Christ who has been idealized in century after century of
European artwork. Additionally, Hunter’s understated performance had an
enigmatic quality that suited this telling of the story exceedingly well.
The solid international cast of KING OF KINGS also features Siobhan
McKenna, Hurd Hatfield, Ron Randell, Viveca Lindfors, Rita Gam, Carmen
Sevilla, Brigid Bazlen, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, Frank Thring, Guy Rolfe,
Royal Dano and Robert Ryan.
Warner
Home Video has made KING OF KINGS available on DVD in an utterly
superb 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic
enhancement for 16:9 displays. The image on this DVD is nothing short of
miraculous; making one feel as though they could walk on water while
watching KING OF KINGS. KING OF KINGS is a clear example of
how the combination of Technicolor and Technirama could produced the most
awe inspiring visuals during the heyday of the wide screen processes. I
watched KING OF KINGS with my mouth agape for close to three hours,
loving each and every frame of this beautifully photographed epic.
Everything
appears wonderfully crisp and highly defined. As for the colors, this is
as close as one can get to the look of an original IB Technicolor print,
without having a projection booth in their homes. All of the highly
saturated hues literally leap off the screen, yet the image provides
wholly credible looking flesh tones. Color reproduction is flawless, with
none of the brilliantly saturated colors ever becoming unstable or fuzzy.
Blacks are velvety, whites are clean and contrast is very smooth.
Additionally the picture produces a terrific sense of dimensionality,
especially during the outdoor daylight sequences. The film element used
for the transfer is nearly pristine, with only a few errant speckles being
the only sign of age. Digital compression artifacts are never readily
apparent on this cleanly authored dual layer DVD.
KING
OF KINGS is offered with a newly remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 channel
soundtrack that seems to reflect some of the more modern sensibilities.
Dialogue is primarily localized into the center channel, with stereo
imaging across the forward soundstage being relegated to sound effects and
the film’s music. The rear channels are subdued compared to the forward
hemisphere, however the surround channels come to life to offer occasional
sound effects and reinforcement of the film’s score. Speaking of the
score, Miklós Rózsa’s majestic compositions are rendered with
excellent fidelity and a genuine musical presence. While the bass channel
isn’t up to modern standards, it does kick in effectively during key
sequences. A French language track has also been encoded onto the DVD,
along with English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which provide one with access to
the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as a few
supplements. The Camera's Window Of The World is an original
black and white theatrical featurette, which runs four minutes and
provides the audience with a look at the massive undertaking of filming
the Sermon on the Mount sequence from KING OF KINGS
that required having seven thousand extras on location at an olive grove
in Spain. King of Kings -Impressive Premiere On Two
Coasts offers two minutes of newsreel footage that covered the New
York and Hollywood premieres of KING OF KINGS. King of Kings
- Egyptian Theater Premiere offers even more footage of the film’s
Hollywood premiere. A cast & crew list, as well as the film’s
theatrical trailer close out the DVD’s supplements.
KING
OF KINGS is an old style Hollywood spectacle of epic proportions,
which maintains a sense of reverence in its telling of the life of Christ.
Warner’s DVD is nothing short of a revelation, making it something that
every movie fan will want to add to their collections. Recommended.
Amongst
movie buffs, KING OF KINGS ($20) is often referred to as I
Was A Teenage Jesus because of the youthful appearance of its star
and because the film also featured the same director as REBEL WITHOUT A
CAUSE. While the film’s nickname is rather amusing, KING OF KINGS
is one my favorite religious epics because of the film’s sense of
reverence and the majestic sweep imbued on it by its legendary director
Nicholas Ray. Nicholas Ray had a keen eye for composition even while
Hollywood films were being made in the old Academy ratio, however when the
movies went to wide screen, Ray's impressive visual style really came into
its own. KING OF KINGS is an amazing cinematic event, with the film’s
imagery being lovingly composed to take advantage of the Super-Technirama
canvas. Some of the film’s camerawork is truly innovative, which helps
to give KING OF KINGS the larger-than-life feeing that a religious
epic requires.
In
addition to what Nick Ray brought to the table, KING OF KINGS is
also one of the epic films that were produced by cinematic showman Samuel
Bronston, who was also responsible for such films as FALL OF THE ROMAN
EMPIRE, EL CID and 55 DAYS AT PEKING. With Bronston
behind the production, KING OF KINGS is the kind of movie in which
no expense was spared in recreating the ancient world at the time Jesus
Christ walked the Earth. Bronston’s films had tremendous production
value, and every dollar of is clearly up on the screen in KING OF KINGS.
What is done today with digital trickery, had to be done by practical
means in the early 1960s when KING OF KINGS was produced. Therefore, every one of
the enormous, elaborate sets had to be built and every one of the thousand
extras in the movie was a real person, in a real costume, and not a
digital substitute.
For
cinematic purposes, KING OF KINGS takes some creative license with
the supporting figures in the story of Christ; adjusting them to suit the
needs of the movie. However, the film’s screenplay doesn’t completely
rewrite the bible. Some have quibbled about the choice of Jeffrey Hunter
to portray Jesus in KING OF KINGS. Personally, I think Hunter was a
terrific choice for the role. His good looks made Hunter a perfect
composite of the Christ who has been idealized in century after century of
European artwork. Additionally, Hunter’s understated performance had an
enigmatic quality that suited this telling of the story exceedingly well.
The solid international cast of KING OF KINGS also features Siobhan
McKenna, Hurd Hatfield, Ron Randell, Viveca Lindfors, Rita Gam, Carmen
Sevilla, Brigid Bazlen, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, Frank Thring, Guy Rolfe,
Royal Dano and Robert Ryan.
Warner
Home Video has made KING OF KINGS available on DVD in an utterly
superb 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic
enhancement for 16:9 displays. The image on this DVD is nothing short of
miraculous; making one feel as though they could walk on water while
watching KING OF KINGS. KING OF KINGS is a clear example of
how the combination of Technicolor and Technirama could produced the most
awe inspiring visuals during the heyday of the wide screen processes. I
watched KING OF KINGS with my mouth agape for close to three hours,
loving each and every frame of this beautifully photographed epic.
Everything
appears wonderfully crisp and highly defined. As for the colors, this is
as close as one can get to the look of an original IB Technicolor print,
without having a projection booth in their homes. All of the highly
saturated hues literally leap off the screen, yet the image provides
wholly credible looking flesh tones. Color reproduction is flawless, with
none of the brilliantly saturated colors ever becoming unstable or fuzzy.
Blacks are velvety, whites are clean and contrast is very smooth.
Additionally the picture produces a terrific sense of dimensionality,
especially during the outdoor daylight sequences. The film element used
for the transfer is nearly pristine, with only a few errant speckles being
the only sign of age. Digital compression artifacts are never readily
apparent on this cleanly authored dual layer DVD.
KING
OF KINGS is offered with a newly remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 channel
soundtrack that seems to reflect some of the more modern sensibilities.
Dialogue is primarily localized into the center channel, with stereo
imaging across the forward soundstage being relegated to sound effects and
the film’s music. The rear channels are subdued compared to the forward
hemisphere, however the surround channels come to life to offer occasional
sound effects and reinforcement of the film’s score. Speaking of the
score, Miklós Rózsa’s majestic compositions are rendered with
excellent fidelity and a genuine musical presence. While the bass channel
isn’t up to modern standards, it does kick in effectively during key
sequences. A French language track has also been encoded onto the DVD,
along with English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which provide one with access to
the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as a few
supplements. The Camera's Window Of The World is an original
black and white theatrical featurette, which runs four minutes and
provides the audience with a look at the massive undertaking of filming
the Sermon on the Mount sequence from KING OF KINGS
that required having seven thousand extras on location at an olive grove
in Spain. King of Kings - Impressive Premiere On Two
Coasts offers two minutes of newsreel footage that covered the New
York and Hollywood premieres of KING OF KINGS. King of Kings
- Egyptian Theater Premiere offers even more footage of the film’s
Hollywood premiere. A cast & crew list, as well as the film’s
theatrical trailer close out the DVD’s supplements.
KING
OF KINGS is an old style Hollywood spectacle of epic proportions,
which maintains a sense of reverence in its telling of the life of Christ.
Warner’s DVD is nothing short of a revelation, making it something that
every movie fan will want to add to their collections. Recommended.
