King of Kings (1961)

Happy Good Friday everyone! As I had mentioned last week, another film from Cecil B. DeMille's Biblical Trilogy was remade. It "is" a film about Jesus, but otherwise not related to the 1927 silent film. Director Nicholas Ray retold Jesus’ story from his birth to his crucifixion and Resurrection, and it was called "King of Kings," which came out in 1961. Here is the basic premise that I will link from IMDB:

"When the Romans under General Pompey (played by Conrado San Martin) conquer Judea in 63 BC, an era of despair and fear begins for the Jewish people. In the trials and persecutions that the Jews suffer under the Romans and under King Herod (played by Frank Thring), they take hope in the promise that the Messiah someday would come. In the reign of Augustus, when Jesus (played by Jeffrey Hunter) is born in Bethlehem to Mary (Siobhan McKenna) and Joseph (Gérard Tichy), there are some who recognize him as the future king of the Jews. Later, when Jesus reaches adulthood and begins to appear in public, there are many different responses to his message, and there are also those who wish to use him for their own purposes." (IMDB)

"Filmed on a relatively grand scale, the film includes all of the major events referred to in the New Testament; his baptism by John the Baptist (played by Robert Ryan); the miracles - cripples walking, blind men seeing; the fishes and the loaves; and so on. The film actually begins with the Roman invasion by Pompey in 65 B.C., the appointment of King Herod the Great (played by Grégorire Aslan) by the Romans and finally the crowning of Herod Antipas (Thring) after he murders his father. The revolt led by Barrabas (played by Harry Guardino) is also included and John the Baptist's beheading as Salome's (played by Brigid Bazlen) price for dancing for Herod." (IMDB)

Even though the film does have a focus on Jesus, it doesn't give him the meat of the movie. New York Times reviewer Bosley Crowther said the film had "the nature of an illustrated lecture" and was a "peculiarly impersonal film that constructs a great deal of random action around Jesus and does very little to construct a living personality for Him." (Crowther) I would sadly have to agree with Crowther there, because there isn't much of a focus on Jesus as much as on Herod and his court trying to kill Jesus. However, this is one of those films that over time, has gotten an acceptance. One of the critics, Leonard Maltin gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four. Musicians, such as Art Greenhaw, have said that this film influenced their work and even call it their favorite film of all time.

Also, one of the greatest actors, who is also an alcoholic, Rip Torn, plays Judas Iscariot, for those who remember, is the one who betrayed Jesus at the Last Supper. To add on top of that, the narration is done by another great actor for his time, the late Orson Welles.

In closing, since there is not that much to talk about in here that I haven't talked about in my post on DeMille's silent film, watch this film, since this is Good Friday and Monday is Easter. You may or may not like it, depending on how much you like the focus this film has on Jesus. Stay tuned for next month, where mostly I will switch gears and blog on films about Muslims.

The Ten Commandments (1956)

As you all may have recalled in my post about the 1923 silent film version of "The Ten Commandments," I had mentioned the 1956 more popular version. Well, the wait is over. Now the time has come to review this epic remake of Cecil B. DeMille's already popular version, and made it even more popular with this version. Unlike the silent film, where the first third of the film was about the ending of the Exodus chapter, this version focuses entirely on the Exodus chapter. Cecil B. DeMille remade this masterpiece in 1956, like I had already mentioned, and it's one of my all time favorite religious films. Here is a quick synopsis:

To escape the edict of Egypt's Pharaoh, Rameses I, played by Ian Keith, condemning all newborn Hebrew males, the infant Moses, played by Fraser Clarke Heston, is set adrift on the Nile in a reed basket. Saved by the pharaoh's daughter Bithiah, played by Nina Foch, he is adopted by her and brought up in the court of her brother, Pharaoh Seti, played by Cedric Hardwicke. Moses, now played by Charlton Heston, gains Seti's favor and the love of the throne princess Nefertiri, played by Anne Baxter, as well as the hatred of Seti's son, Rameses, played by Yul Brynner. When his Hebrew heritage is revealed, Moses is cast out of Egypt, and makes his way across the desert where he marries Sephora, played by Yvonne De Carlo (daughter of Jethro, played by Eduard Franz), has a son (played by Tommy Duran) and is commanded by God (voiced by Heston) to return to Egypt to free the Hebrews from slavery. In Egypt, Moses's fiercest enemy proves to be not Rameses, but someone near to him who can 'harden his heart.' (IMDB).

Heston's Moses, according to The Nostalgia Critic, is much like a prodigy, even before he speaks to God. His portrayal shows a great amount of confidence. He's strong and powerful, but at the same time, kind and wise. Every single one of his lines has a weight to it. You know that Moses was destined for greatness, even before he had his true calling. If someone were to tell you that Heston would be your leader, you would immediately follow him. With Heston, you feel that there was greatness inside of him from the start. When you see it realized, it becomes all the more influential. However, the drawback to his performance is that his speech does come across at times as stilted and preachy. Aside from that, Heston does sort of have that representation of will and strength that all good people can possess, which is pretty hard to pull off. Though I do have to ask: Why do they keep calling him Moses Moses? Is that his full name? Because that doesn't make any sense. It's like in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" where Mario and Luigi's last name was Mario, but don't worry, we'll get to that piece of garbage eventually. Right now, let's focus on this epic religious film.

Yul Brynner plays Rameses, Moses's brother, as very cold-hearted, not caring for his brother or anyone else except for his legacy. He's a likable character because of how despicable he is. He's cunning, manipulative, and doesn't care who knows it. There is a great passion and rage that Brynner pulls out of this performance.

Now talk about star-struck in this film. "The Ten Commandments" had a giant number of supporting cast, some of which I had already mentioned. Others include Edward G Robinson as Dathan, the ever creepy Vincent Price as Baka, and one of the many actors who portrayed Dracula, John Carradine as Aaron. With the duration of this film being pretty long, we're allowed to look at even more characters, like Moses's son. Even though this film has a lot of characters, there are great actors portraying them. The relatively short scenes come across as how sympathetic or unsympathetic they are. When Moses murders Baka, it's much more satisfying to see that Price is playing him. You instantly see scumbag, and he doesn't have to do that. That's just the power of Vincent Price. The same can be said of Robinson's performance of Dathan, who is really cocky when he reveals Moses's past. Even with a sword at his throat, he has nothing to fear. Nefertiri is very complex choosing between the man she loves and the man she marries, only to find her life destroyed by Moses and left with the emptiness of Rameses, who is vengeful. When Rameses is about to kill Nefertiri, she says to him, "Before you strike, show me His blood on your sword." He can't even do it and drops the sword. Maybe he's ashamed of his failure or he figures it's cruller to leave her alive, but Rameses knows that killing Nefertiri will bring him nothing. Someone like Nefertiri, who is so simple yet so complex, can bring that reaction. DeMille portrays this world as so advanced but so savvy where great monuments are made but death is common and seen all the time. A world that needs someone like Moses to intervene. This cast is so fascinating in how cutthroat they are. They get across a lot with very little, which makes them darker and interesting.

When most people think about hearing God, the portrayal in this film is probably what they would think. This is the same God who sent flaming hail, constant darkness, and killed all the first born Hebrews, so he was pretty bad. Heston provides this portrayal of God with a deep, booming voice. However, DeMille's depiction of God in this film looks a little too cartoony. It's the deep, traditional, booming voice that, while impressive, doesn't sound that loving, which is probably closer to what most people would think of.

Overall, this is a complex story with a lot of drama going on, but there are several things they overlooked. The most important one is DeMille doesn't have Moses and Rameses remember they were brothers who grew up together when Moses comes back. I know that Rameses is being portrayed as the villain, but if you weren't told that Moses and Rameses were brothers, then you probably wouldn't have guessed it. They show no love to one another, or reminisce on the good times they had, and when Moses shows up after years of being gone, Rameses just wants him to go away. The visuals are great in this one, and when Moses tells Sephora that he saw God, it's done very well, and a lot of it is portrayed through Heston's expression. There are also some scriptural problems in this film, like when Moses turns his staff into a snake, the high priests do the exact same thing. Isn't the Bible and this film supposed to portray that there is only "one God?" How did they change that? The expressing of emotions in this film is good, but at times it seems like a Soap Opera. I know this is pretty heavy material DeMille is working with, but something about the way they hold themselves and speak to one another does seem like a bit much. The few corny moments in this film does come out as just corny and don't really add anything in the long run. The corniness just comes from how overdramatic it is, not how funny it's trying to be. You'll also hear the line throughout this movie, "So shall it be written, so shall it be done."

Overall, despite some of the flaws I pulled out, you should still see this film. It's a great Biblical film that everyone should see if they are familiar with the Exodus chapter of the Bible. Watch out next week where I look at another film that could be technically a remake from the Biblical Trilogy, but isn't really related.

The Sign of the Cross

First off, I want to apologize for not making my weekly Friday posts like I always do. The reason behind it was I was away from my computer this past weekend, so I couldn't make the post. However, this week, as a special treat for missing this past Friday, I will make two posts to make up for it. Today, I would like to finish off Cecil B. DeMille's Biblical Trilogy, ending with one of the earliest sound films, the 1932 "The Sign of the Cross," based on the original 1895 play by Wilson Barrett. Here is the basic plot synopsis of the film:

"After burning Rome, Emperor Nero, played by "The Hunchback of Norte Dame" himself, Charles Laughton, decides to blame the Christians, and issues the edict that they are all to be caught and sent to the arena. Two old Christians, played by Arthur Hohl and Harry Beresford, are caught and about to be hauled off, when Marcus, the highest military official in Rome, played by Fredric March (famous for playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), comes upon them. When he sees their stepdaughter Mercia, played by Elissa Landi, he instantly falls in love with her and frees them. Marcus pursues Mercia, which gets him into trouble, with the Emperor (for being easy on Christians) and with the Empress, Poppaea, played by Claudette Colbert, who loves him and is jealous." (IMDB)

What can I say about this film? It is one of those films that you just hate the Romans for doing all of this torture to the Christians. You wonder to yourself, "What in the world did the Christians do to the Romans that made the Romans and Christians enemies? Was it because they were trying to spread God's word and teach everyone of the religion?" When Poppaea is informed by Dacia, played by Vivian Tobin, of Marcus falling in love with Mercia, while Poppaea is taking a bath in donkey milk, she tells her, " Dacia, you're a butterfly with the sting of a wasp. Take off your clothes. Get in here and tell me all about it." Somebody will say that was odd for 1932, but nowadays, I think men would love that.

One part that you really start to feel hatred for the Romans is when Marcus's rival, Tigellinus, played by Ian Keith, tortures Stephanus, played by Tommy Conlon, on where the Christians will be having their secret meeting. He does the right thing as to not tell him, but when they start to burn his back, that makes Stephanus tell Tigellinus where the meeting is. Stephanus feels really bad that his body was weak and he told the Romans. Marcus goes and tries to stop them, but the Romans beat Marcus to it (because he gets sidetracked by Poppaea), and they massacre the Christians. However, when they are taking the Christians to their prison, Marcus informs the soldiers that he wants Mercia.

When Marcus finally has Mercia, he only wants her, but Mercia is saying that she is still devoted to the Christians. This shows that she is sticking to her roots and not wanting to be alone without them. Realistically speaking, if you were separated from your people, wouldn't you be devoted to them 100%? You would if they were taken away from you, put into a cell, and you were in the hands of someone you love, but only cares for you. That's a strong decision Mercia made. Also, when court temptress Ancaria, played by Joyzelle Joyner, does a very seductive dance and the Christian music just gets louder to a point that she can't stand it, that easily shows that the Romans have to be atheists or do not believe in the same tenants as the Christians, because they have their own Gods.

In the end it is agreed that the Christians will be eaten by the lions in the arena. When you see the type of stuff the Romans watch in the arena, during their time, you can easily call them savaged beasts for watching such torturing and disgusting events, and even gambling for who wins. Gladiators kill each other, African pygmies fight half-naked Amazon women to the death, men wrestle wild beasts, tigers devour maidens, and gorillas and naked girls are tied to posts. Finally, when the Christians come out, they walk out praying, but Stephanus is scared for going out there alone, and Mercia gives him hope to go out to the arena and that she'll be with him shortly. This is a reasonable reaction from someone as young as Stephanus, and Mercia is a good guide for Stephanus. Marcus comes and tells Mercia that he cannot live without her, but she says that she cannot go on without her Christian people. This is once again showing Mercia being completely devoted to her people, but Marcus is too blind by his love that he cannot see Mercia's side. However, they both walk out together, signaling that they both die together and are with each other for all eternity in paradise.

Watch this closure to the Biblical trilogy. Cecil B. DeMille is one of the greatest directors of all time that really knows how to show religion on screen. He does an outstanding job and you will just love this film because of how much you want the Christians to be the winners as opposed to the Romans. You will hate the Romans after watching this for seeing them portrayed as savages and haters of Christians for no apparent reason.

DeMille actually remade a film from this trilogy, which everyone probably knows which one I am talking about from a previous post that I made. Stay tuned Friday for a review of one of the greatest films ever made.

The King of Kings (1927)

Welcome back to my religious film reviews, where today's review will be on the second film in Cecil B. DeMille's Biblical Trilogy, the 1927 silent film, "The King of Kings." This film shows the last weeks in the life of Jesus Christ. What makes this really interesting is that it is the only silent film that I have seen where a couple of parts are in Technicolor. For starters, it is actually done pretty well, and for maybe the only silent film that have Technicolor parts in it, they look good for its time.

Now the basic premise of the film goes like this (according to IMDB): Mary Magdalene, played by Jacqueline Logan, becomes angry when Judas, played by Joseph Schildkraut, now a follower of Jesus, played by H.B. Warner, won't come to her feast. She goes to Jesus and becomes repentant. From there the Bible Story unfolds through the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Jesus is shown curing people, like a child from blindness, and resurrects Lazarus, played by Kenneth Thomson. They adapted this film from the sections of the New Testament that tells the story of Jesus. Those who have read the Bible and have seen this silent film can tell how accurate DeMille made it. I have read the King James version of the Bible, but I can't recall this part, if I have read it, or never got to that part. Look, I was only studying it as Literature for a class that I took, that's all. There is the part when Jesus and his apostles go to Jerusalem, where they have problems with Caiaphas the High Priest, played by Rudolph Schildkraut, who declares him a false prophet. Obviously, DeMille had to insert the part where Jesus wanders the desert, being tempted by Satan, played by Alan Brooks, but drives him away. That part shows Jesus knowing that Satan is no good and will only trick you into believing he knows your deepest desires, but will only bring you ruin.

The Last Supper also had to be inserted because that is a very important part to put in because Jesus knows that Judas will turn on him. I guess I can see why he says that the bread and wine are his body and blood because he wants to see who will not eat. Judas doesn't eat since he now has joined Caiaphas. For a silent film to see Jesus tortured at the Garden of Gethsemene is horrifying. For those that remember, Jesus gets presented by Pontius Pilate, played by Victor Varconi (his wife Proculla is played by Majel Coleman). Like any mother would do, Mary, played by Dorothy Cumming, begs not to, and when they don't, but crucify him, Mary asks God to forgive everyone for killing Jesus. Like they all have said: Jesus died for their sins. Before he is crucified, he heals a group of cripples, and is taken away. The effects they used when crucifying Jesus are earthquakes, the sky turning black, lightning striking, wind blowing, the people who mocked Jesus run away, and the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple are split in two, which for a silent film, doesn't look all that bad. Once you accept the fact that all the hard work that went into it is shown, then you will love the film.

Now the last thing to mention is the Resurrection. When he is buried, the third day he is raised. He goes to his apostles to spread the word, and the film ends with a quote of Jesus saying "I am with you always," while showing a modern city, emphasizing that he always does watch everyone. Many of the intertitles are quotes from the Bible, which could not be complete without those quotes.

Anyone who wants to watch this film for a good look at the last weeks of Jesus, by all means do so because this really portrays it nicely. Just accept that it's a silent film, and you'll be fine. Thanks for tuning in for my second edition of the religious film reviews, stay tuned next week for the final entry in DeMille's Bible Trilogy.

The Ten Commandments (1923)

I'm feeling religious, and I want to review all the religious films that I have seen. So over the next 2 months, I will review the Islamic and Christianity films I have watched. To kick off this religious celebration, let's take a look at one of the greatest directors of all time, Cecil B. DeMille's biblical trilogy in the early 20s to early 30s. The first in this epic trilogy is the silent film titled "The Ten Commandments." I know that everyone is familiar with the 1956 version, since that is really popular, and hands down, one of the greatest films of all time, but not that many people seem to be familiar with the 1923 silent film version. First off, I would like to say that until probably much later, this will be the oldest film that I will have reviewed so far. Let's start the review:

You're probably wondering: is the entire film about the Exodus chapter in the Bible or Torah. The answer is no. That only takes up the first third of the film. However, it is appropriate to start off with that portion. So, appropriately enough, the film starts off with Moses, played by Theodore Robers, leading the Jews out of the his brother Rameses's, played by Charles de Rochefort, grasp in Egypt to the Promised Land. Of course, they do show the famous chase scene of Rameses with his crew and Moses with all of the Jews, the splitting of the Red Sea, and receiving the tablets from God of the Ten Commandments. For those who remember that part of Exodus, when the people started to lose faith and instead Dathan, played by Lawson Butt, build a golden calf as a way of begging for Rameses's forgiveness. After forcing Moses's brother Aaron, played by James Neill, to complete the gold plating, they start to commit a lot of sin. Once Moses gets the tablets and sees what the Jews were doing, he throws the tablets down, killing Dathan and his men. The people are forced into 40 years of exile, the rebellious generation are killed, and the Hebrews are accepted into Canaan. Moses can't be accepted after disobeying God at the waters of strife (not shown), and that's where the story ends.

The film then cuts to a family in San Francisco where a mother named Martha McTavish, played by Edythe Chapman, is telling the Exodus chapter to her two sons, John, played by Richard Dix, and Dan, played by Rod La Rocque. These two brothers are polar opposites, where John is a die-hard religious man, but a poor carpenter, and Dan is an atheist where he wants to break every single one of the Ten Commandments and be dishonorably successful. Now, that's the first Commandment broken, which is "I am the Lord thy God" and "Thou shalt not have no other gods." The mother, like any religious mothers who teaches her children about their religion and read the Bible, has been teaching her two sons to be afraid of God, which everyone should be. When John reads the part in the New Testament where Jesus cures the lepers, he analyzes that you should love and forgive God, which is another essential part of Christianity. I can see why you should love God, but I'm not sure how you can forgive God. Mrs. McTavish's strict morality compared to John's view is shown as well.

For the remainder of this film, it shows Dan breaking the Ten Commandments, with each of them showing up on screen, and how it makes him realize later on that he is sinking really deep. This is a really powerful lesson where a person should not attempt to break the Ten Commandments and believe in and fear God. Otherwise, a person would be punished in a severe way, like how Dan is portrayed in this movie. When he constructs a Cathedral out of really poor material, and Mrs. McTavish shows up to see it, the Cathedral collapses, killing her. She realizes that she should have taught her children to love God as opposed to fear him. Another Commandment, “Honour thy Father and thy Mother," is broken. Dan then starts to really hate himself for what he has done, which a person will realize once they have done something wrong. It's better if you realize that you're doing something wrong quickly before it's too late.

Also, the brothers are both in love with Mary Leigh, played by Leatrice Joy, but she goes for Dan instead, which is another Commandment broken: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." You'll have to watch the film in order to see how Dan breaks every single one of the Ten Commandments. He attempts to steal pearls from her, and when she tries to stop him, he kills her, which is something that really makes Dan sink deeper into his own sin and hating himself for. He just broke another Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" and "Thou shalt not steal." This is really powerful for a silent film at the time. I haven't seen so many silent films, but this one really brings the drama out of it, which DeMille did a tremendous job doing. After breaking all of the Ten Commandments, he tries to escape by sailing to Mexico on a motorboat, but because of the heavy waters out at sea, he dies crashing into a rocky island.

Let this film be a lesson to all of you out there. Be a good person and fear God every day. Also, be as religious as you can. I know there are people that aren't really religious, but still know that God exists and honor and worship God for as long as you live. If you even think of crossing him, you will end up just like Dan in this film. This would be hard for Atheists and Agnostics out there, but for those who do believe, fear and love God. Now, I know that a lot of people don't like silent films because you have to read the line when it is shown what the character is saying, but you should still appreciate them and give them a watch. This one is a great silent film, but underrated in the sense that not a lot of people are familiar with it. So, do give this one a watch and see for yourself the religious lesson this film portrays.