gagman66 Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 I found the original KING OF KINGS (1927) which aired for the second time this month (and ever I believe for that matter)on TCM to be a powerful, gripping masterpiece of silent cinema! Though I saw it on Wednesday, I didn't take the time than to watch it intently. It wasn't until the rebroadcast on Silent Sunday Nights that I discovered the true quality of the film. Now I'm very happy I recorded it to my hard-drive. I have waited to see this picture for well over 20 years! The version aired by TCM doesn't appear to be the newest or most complete print that is out there. Rather it looked like a sound-track added reissue from the late 1940's are early 50's? Does anyone know if this is the same version KINO released on video(and perhaps even DVD) some years ago? The footage in part One of the Demille documentary appears to indicate that better more complete prints must exist! If their is in fact a full-length Thames Carl Davis scored version I would love to see it aired sometime? While H.B. Warner may have been on the face of it a rather odd choice to poetry our Lord, his performance proved very memorable. Poetic license was taken with the character of Mary Magdalene, no historical evidence actually exists suggesting she was ever even a prostitute let alone a courtesan. All we really do know is that Jesus "cast out from her seven demons". However, Demille was simply keeping in tune with the established and generally accepted "Christian myth" of the time regarding her earlier background. The aftermath of the Crucifixion, is probably the most all encompassing of any version of the life of Christ that has been produced to this day. I do not recall another Jesus film where we see the earth quake or the vail of the temple split from top to bottom. THE KING OF KINGS is by no means perfect but it is a riveting viewing experience! Bravo, Mister Demille! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brackenhe Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 I've been attempting to watch this since it was on last week (I taped all the Demille silents that were on late.) Anyway it's an interesting film. I got the impression that the music & sound effects were original. Wasn't this made in 1927? I think some of the films by that time did have music and sound effects after "The Jazz Singer" was released. I'm no film historian but I have seen a couple of other silents that did have original music & sound effects such as "Don Juan" with John Barrymore & "Showboat" with Joseph Schildkraut. "Showboat" even had some dialogue, I think. It's been a while since I saw it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagman66 Posted April 13, 2004 Author Share Posted April 13, 2004 "brackenhe" It's doubtful that the score was original, it seems unlikely that the church themes would have been included, not to mention the sung Alleluia's! Of course I could be wrong, but if you examine the first title it clearly appears to be from a later sound re-issue. It's possible that the film might have been released simultaneously with and without a recorded track. WING'S and SUNRISE were. The problem with this equation however,is that at the time of it's release in 1927 very few theaters were fully equipped for sound. Furthermore, recorded sound as musical accompaniment was actually frowned upon by the bigger theaters that boasted full scale symphonies on a regular basis! By contrast, a monophonic Vitaphone type track synchronized on record must have seemed rather anti-climatic to patrons of the great movie palaces, even a step in the wrong direction!. Most people don't realize that contrary to popular perception that the lone piano pretty much died out with the passing of the Nickelodeon, if not before hand. Even the cheapest theater could afford two or three instrumentalist's. Say a Pianist,a violinist and something else. Meanwhile the medium size venue's had small to fairly large pit bands. In some places the Theater Organist be they at a mighty Wurlitzer or a Kimball, was apparently actually revered above the symphonies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orson4ever Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Does anyone know why Criterion issued a laserdisc version of this years ago, but has no DVD release of it lined up for the future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
movieslover1000 Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Per Criterion, I have no way of knowing for sure, but the most likely reason is their right to release the movie expired before they could issue a DVD. Their releases can only be in print for as long as they have an agreement with the copyright holder. Such is the reason that their Notorious DVD disc is out of print, the copyright holder to the movie, ABC I believe, decided not to renew it with Criterion. The same fate befell a couple other Hitchcock movies that were released on Criterion DVD with the same copyright holder as Notorious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brackenhe Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 I guess I was wrong about the sound effects and music although it was a little misleading on the credits. I guess that's why I was confused. BTW I have a question about this movie. *****SPOILER SPACE******* When Christ is carrying the cross to Calvary and they show his mother Mary, is that Marie Dressler standing with her? I looked up the credits but it didn't mention her & I swear it looked like her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagman66 Posted April 14, 2004 Author Share Posted April 14, 2004 Actually "Brackenhe", I confess that you may have been correct concerning this score after all! It now appears that the version of THE KING OF KING's aired was a 1930 re-issue print, but I have since learned that the original film in 1927 just three years earlier, was indeed released both with and without a recording track! So in all probability the score heard at least on this re-release (their may be others) most likely remained the same! Once more I could be wrong, who knows? I've never heard of "Modern Sound Pictures Incorporated" the name found on the opening credits of the print. Photo-phone however was a direct competitor of Warner Brothers far better known (historically) Vitaphone recording process. I wish I could help you with the Marie Dressler situation? At this time though I don't yet have the information you need. I'll do some additional digging and see if I can come up with something more for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brackenhe Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 Thanks Gagman--It will drive me crazy about the Marie Dressler thing--at least for a couple of days and then I'll probably forget about it. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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