The King of Kings (1927)

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Starring H. B. Warner, Ernest Torrence, Joseph Schildkraut, Dorothy Cumming, Jacqueline Logan, James Neill, Victor Varconi, Rudolph Schildkraut, John T. Prince, Joseph Striker, Robert Edeson.

Stolid, airlessly reverent “greatest hits” biblical epic from DeMille is one of the rare times in his Hollywood career I wish he’d have gone for broke with more outsized production numbers; anything to get this stuff to come to life. Bypassing the Nativity episode, the film depicts the adult life of Jesus Christ as a series of dry Sunday School parables and sermons. DeMille and company held the material to a high standard, but since they’re so terrified of independent thinking in place of homilies, there’s no energy or passion to it, exemplified by a Jesus pulled from softly-colored church pamphlet art—too pure to offend, too bland to inspire. Warner’s graceless mannequin-of-divinity portrayal is contrasted by the overacting of a few of his disciples, notably Ernest Torrence as Peter and Joseph Schildkraut as Judas, who resembles any run-of-the-mill silent movie baddie with his hammy expressions. Will probably preach to a good portion of the choir faithful, but those who want a good, meaty story told with a balanced perspective, character complexity, and challenging ingredients are apt to feel starved after more than two-and-a-half hours have passed. Opening sequence and the rise of Christ from his tomb near the end were shot in Technicolor.

31/100