The King of Kings (1927 film)
| The King of Kings | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Written by | Jeanie MacPherson |
| Based on | The Gospels of Matthew Mark Luke John |
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Starring | H.B. Warner Dorothy Cumming Ernest Torrence Joseph Schildkraut Jacqueline Logan Rudolph Schildkraut Victor Varconi |
| Cinematography | J. Peverell Marley F.J. Westerberg |
| Edited by | Anne Bauchens Harold McLernon |
| Music by | Hugo Riesenfeld (1927) Josiah Zuro (1928) |
| Distributed by | Pathé Exchange |
Release date |
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Running time | 155 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Silent English intertitles |
| Budget | $1,265,284 |
| Box office | $2,641,687 |
The King of Kings is a 1927 American silent epic film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Starring H. B. Warner in the lead role, it depicts events in the life of Jesus, from the exorcism of Mary Magdalene to the crucifixion and resurrection. The screenplay was written by Jeanie MacPherson and includes verses from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Filming took place in 1926 in Santa Catalina Island and the DeMille Studios in Culver City, California. The opening and resurrection scenes were filmed in two-color Technicolor, other sequences were tinted sepia or yellow, and the torch flames in the blue-tinted scene of Jesus' arrest were hand colored.
The King of Kings first premiered in New York City on April 19, 1927, and later opened in Los Angeles on May 18. The film is the second in DeMille's biblical trilogy, preceded by The Ten Commandments (1923) and followed by The Sign of the Cross (1932).