MUBI

I really like this film and really appreciate the treatment it got in its DVD release, even though in many respects it’s an anomaly within the Criterion Collection. Big budget Hollywood production, straightforward piety to the point of being hokey and moments of over-the-top showbiz schmalz. But all that aside, what a production! The sets, pageantry, visual effects and of course DeMille’s vaunted cast of thousands all madly gesticulating, filling the screen with bodies so artfully arranged. I’ve watched it three times in the past few weeks and continue to be impressed with new details each time.

Theologically, I think this film occupies a very important place within film culture and within the Criterion canon, since it portrays in fairly unambiguous terms the sentiment and reverence popularly associated with the story of Jesus. Though I think it can be argued that King of Kings offers a progressive moral and ethical message on its own terms, it’s portrayal of a classically beatific, “Sunday school” version of Jesus, entirely devoid of irony or existentialist angst, also serves as the basic template to which many of the more theologically subversive Criterion films respond. While Bergam’s Trilogy and The Last Temptation of Christ take on more specifically pointed primary issues, those films acquire additional power when placed in contrast with the presentation that DeMille, his crew and his investors put together. King of Kings is a true landmark of cinema!

Here’s a link to my blog post on this film: http://criterionreflections.blogspot.com/2009/01/king-of-kings-266.html