Search - King of Kings on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Scary Moments Movie Release: 1961 DVD Release: 02/25/2003 Format: DVD - Letterbox for TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 51 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Epic, Religious Epic, Hagiography See Also: The King of Kings

One major film star referred to director Nicholas Ray as a "loser," because of Ray's alleged willingness to let his more temperamental actors walk all over him. Evidently, Ray had a very compliant and cooperative cast in King of Kings, inasmuch as the film emerged as one of the most disciplined Biblical epics ever made. Jeffrey Hunter is cast as Jesus Christ, delivering a wholly credible performance in this most taxing of roles (never mind the wags who referred to the film as "I Was a Teenage Jesus"). Siobhan McKenna is a radiant if somewhat overaged Mary; Hurd Hatfield offers a properly preening Pontius Pilate; Rip Torn portrays Judas more for the tragedy than the treachery; Robert Ryan (a personal favorite of Ray's) is one of the best John the Baptists you're ever likely to see; and Harry Guardino convincingly interprets Barabbas as a firebrand political extremist. The only false note in the casting is the MGM-dictated selection of teenaged Brigid Bazlen as Salome. The best aspect of the film is its handling of the days after the Resurrection; the "Jesus sightings" are offered as secondhand information, so as to retain some of the mystery inherent in the Scriptures. King of Kings was previously filmed in 1927 by Cecil B. DeMille, with a middle-aged H.B. Warner as Jesus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jeffrey Hunter - Jesus Christ
Hurd Hatfield - Pontius Pilate
Siobhan McKenna - Mary
Ron Randell - Lucius, the Centurion
Harry Guardino - Barabbas
Viveca Lindfors - Claudia
Rip Torn - Judas

Nicholas Ray's biblical epic King of Kings comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Mono. Supplemental materials include a featurette, the original theatrical trailer, and newsreel footage of the film's premiere. This DVD should be of value for any Ray fan or genre enthusiast. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide