The Beatific Splendor of The King of Kings

THE KING OF KINGS

(Cecil B. DeMille, USA, 1927, 155 minutes) 

Monday July 30, 7pm, The Paramount, Seattle

The life of Jesus from the conversion of Mary Magdalene to the crucifixion is revealed in beatific splendor.

Directed by Hollywood's master of the spectacle, The King of Kings (1927) featured Cecil B. DeMille's by then standard combination of moralizing melodrama played against dizzying production values, monumental sets, and a cast of thousands. 

Outwardly expressing disdain for Sunday-school stereotypes, DeMille cast fifty-two-year-old H.B. Warner in the title role, dressed him in flowing robes and bathed him in glowing light, while art directors constructed scenes reproducing the work of 298 old masters. 

To sanctify Jeannie MacPhereson's anti-Semitic, evangelical Christian with-a-showbiz-twist screenplay, DeMille invited members of the clergy to visit the set, and received the stamp of approval from Will Hayes. Highlights include the spectacular palace of Mary Magdalene, the Calvary tempest and bookending Technicolor scenes.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre held the West Coast premiere for their grand opening, charging $22 a seat!

STG Presents!

Seattle Theatre Group, the Paramount Theater and Trader Joe's present Silent Movie Mondays with Cecil B DeMille's biblical epic The King of Kings, featuring live musical accompaniment performed at the Paramount's original 1928 Publix One 4/20 Wurlitzer by Jim Riggs.