De Mille's KING OF KINGS by Synoptic Gospels

Taking advantage of my mother’s home video library on a visit home for the hoildays, I decided to treat myself to an old fashioned movie marathon. I decided on a double feature (one silent) with cartoon and film short to start (sans Pathé news)… I opted for the shorter 1927 version of this film.

Movie Marathon Entry the third:

Whatever De Mille's record on race, let us admit that the mysogeny of this film he borrows straight from the Bible. Magdelene may not be a foreign woman, but as 'courtesan' she is shown consorting with the Romans. Worse, she is in some sort of league with Judas.

The greatest story ever told is here reduced to a Springer episode. Herod loved Magdalene who loves Judas who loves Jesus. Nice cinematic touches include sins leaving Mary and slight returning to a blind boy offering us our first fuzzy view of the Christ. Then of course there are the set pieces, the tableaux (pieta, etc.) and - being a Demille pic - the spectacles.