King of Kings is a 1961 American epic religious film directed by Nicholas Ray and produced by Samuel Bronston for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Adapted from the New Testament, the film tells the story of Jesus of Nazareth from his birth and ministry to his crucifixion and resurrection. It stars Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus, with Siobhán McKenna, Robert Ryan, Viveca Lindfors, Ron Randell, Hurd Hatfield, Carmen Sevilla and Rip Torn and is narrated by Orson Welles.
Throughout the 1950s, John Farrow began developing a proposed film project based on the life of Jesus, tentatively titled Son of Man. In November 1958, actual development started when Farrow partnered with Samuel Bronston following their collaboration on John Paul Jones (1959). By the next year, Farrow left the project due to creative differences, and Nicholas Ray was hired as director. Ray then hired screenwriter Philip Yordan to write a new script. Filming commenced in April 1960 and wrapped in October 1960.
Financing of the film was initially provided by Pierre S. du Pont III and other private investors. During production, Bronston signed guarantee bonds with MGM, who became interested in the film following their success with Ben-Hur (1959). With MGM involved, mandatory rewrites and additional scenes were added to the film. Reshoots took place in December 1960 and again in May 1961.
The film premiered at Loew's State Theatre in New York City on October 11, 1961. It premiered in Los Angeles on October 12 and opened there on October 13. During its initial release, it received mixed reviews from film critics, but was a box office success. Miklós Rózsa was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Plot
In 63 BC, under General Pompey, the Romans conquer Jerusalem and the city is sacked. He arrives at the Temple and massacres the priests. In pursuit of the temple's treasures, he enters the Holy of Holies only to find the scrolls of the Torah. Pompey takes the scroll and holds it over a fire until an old priest reaches for them imploringly. Pompey relents and hands the scroll to the old man, who takes it. Pompey then leaves to carry out massacres of villages and towns.
Many years later, a series of rebellions break out against the authority of Rome. The Romans crucify many of the leaders and place Herod the Great on Judea's throne. A carpenter named Joseph and his wife Mary, who is about to give birth, arrive in Bethlehem for the census. Not having found accommodation for the night, they take refuge in a stable, where the child, Jesus, is born. Joseph is seen with Shepherds when the Magi from the East enter to worship Jesus and give him gifts. Herod, however, informed of the birth of a child-king, orders the Roman centurion Lucius to take his men to Bethlehem and kill all newborn male children.
Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt with the child. The Massacre of the Innocents occurs. Herod dies, killed in his death throes by his son Herod Antipas, who then takes power. In Nazareth, Jesus, now twelve years old, is working with Joseph when soldiers arrive under the command of Lucius, who surmises that Jesus escaped the massacre of the infants. Lucius does nothing and asks only that Mary and Joseph register their son's birth before the year's end.
Years later, Jewish rebels led by Barabbas and Judas Iscariot prepare to attack a caravan carrying the next governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate and his wife Claudia, daughter of caesar Tiberius. The ambush fails, partly due to the diligence of Lucius, and Barabbas and Judas flee for their lives.
Pilate and Herod Antipas meet on the banks of the River Jordan, where John the Baptist preaches to the crowds. Jesus arrives here, now 30 years of age. He is baptized by John, who recognizes that he is the Messiah. Jesus goes into the desert, where he is tempted by Satan. After forty days, Jesus travels to Galilee, where he recruits his Apostles.
In Jerusalem, Herod Antipas arrests John the Baptist. Jesus visits John in prison. Judas leaves the rebel Barabbas and joins the Apostles. Jesus begins to preach and gather crowds, among which are Claudia and Lucius. Herod reluctantly beheads John on a whim of his stepdaughter, Salome, who despises John.
Herod, Pilate, and the High Priest Caiaphas are troubled by the works and miracles of Jesus. Barabbas plots a revolt in Jerusalem during Passover, during which time Jesus enters the city in triumph and goes to the Temple to preach. The rebels storm the Antonia Fortress, but the legions of Pilate, having learned of the plot, ambush and crush the revolt, massacring the rebels. Barabbas, the sole survivor, is arrested.
Jesus meets the disciples on the evening of Thursday, having supper one last time with them. He then goes to pray at Gethsemane. In the meantime, Judas wants Jesus to free Judea from the Romans. To force his hand, Judas delivers him to the Jewish authorities. Jesus is brought before Caiaphas and then Pilate. Pilate starts the trial, but sensing that the issue is one of Jewish sensibilities, sends him to Herod Antipas, who, in turn, sends him back.
Pilate, infuriated by Antipas' return of Jesus, commands his soldiers to scourge Jesus. The people demand the release of Barabbas. Pilate bows to their pressure and sentences Jesus to be crucified. Jesus, wearing a crown of thorns, carries his cross to Golgotha where he is crucified with two thieves, one of them being the penitent Dismas and the other, the impenitent Gestas.
Desperate because he has betrayed Jesus to his death, Judas hangs himself. His body is found by Barabbas. Jesus dies in front of his mother, the apostle John, a few soldiers, Claudia, and Lucius, who utters the words, "He is truly the Christ." Jesus' body is taken down from the cross and is carried to a rock tomb. Two days later, Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty, and encounters the risen Jesus.
The film ends on the shores of Lake Tiberias when Jesus appears to the apostles for, according to the narration, "a final time" and tells them to bring his message to the ends of the world. Only his shadow is visible, forming the shape of a cross where it falls on the stretched-out fishing nets. The apostles then leave. As the shadow of Jesus falls across the screen, it could be assumed that he is ascending to Heaven.
Cast
Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus Siobhán McKenna as Mary Hurd Hatfield as Pontius Pilate Ron Randell as Lucius of Cyrene Viveca Lindfors as Claudia Procula Rita Gam as Herodias Carmen Sevilla as Mary Magdalene Brigid Bazlen as Salomé Harry Guardino as Barabbas Rip Torn as Judas Iscariot Frank Thring as Herod Antipas Guy Rolfe as Caiaphas Royal Dano as Peter Robert Ryan as John the Baptist Edric Connor as Balthazar Maurice Marsac as Nicodemus Grégoire Aslan as Herod the Great George Coulouris as Camel Driver Conrado San Martín as Pompey Gérard Tichy as Joseph Antonio Mayans as John the Apostle (credited as José Antonio) Luis Prendes as Dismas, the Penitent Thief David Davies as Burly Man José Nieto as Caspar Rubén Rojo as Matthew Fernando Sancho as the Demon-Possessed man Michael Wager as Thomas Félix de Pomés as Joseph of Arimathea Adriano Rimoldi as Melchior Barry Keegan as Gestas, the impenitent thief Rafael Luis Calvo as Simon of Cyrene Tino Barrero as Andrew Paco Morán as Blind Man of Bethsaida (credited as Francisco Moran)
Uncredited Cast John Kerr as a Man at the Sermon on the Mount Ray Milland as the voice of Satan Orson Welles as the Narrator
Production Development In February 1951, it was reported that director John Farrow was developing a film on the life of Jesus, his script being titled Son of Man. He had also intended to produce the film independently for less than $800,000. By November 1951, it was reported that the project was under development at the Nassour Studios and that Farrow was conducting a search for an actor for the title role. When asked of the requirements he desired, Farrow replied, "High personal character and a good actor."
However, by August 1953, Farrow was contracted to direct The Sea Chase (1955) with Warner Bros. In February 1954, the Los Angeles Times reported that Farrow was likely to begin development on Son of Man following the completion of The Sea Chase. It was speculated that it would be shot in England and that Jesus would not be shown directly, although Farrow did not confirm these statements. Shooting was scheduled to begin by summer 1954. It was ultimately set aside when, in April 1955, Farrow signed to direct Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), from which he was later fired after nearly a week of shooting.
In January 1956, Variety reported that Farrow was in negotiations with RKO Pictures to finance and distribute Son of Man. Two months later, in March, Farrow began a search for an unknown actor to portray Jesus on the condition that he would not appear in another film, television, or stage production for up to 20 years. However, these plans were again postponed when, in October 1957, Farrow signed on to direct John Paul Jones (1959) for Samuel Bronston. A year later, Farrow and Bronston formed a production company, Brofar, as they planned to produce a second project.
In November 1958, it was reported that Bronston and Farrow were collaborating on a film project based on the life of Jesus. In May 1959, it was reported that Sonya Levien had been hired to write the final script. However, by October 1959, Farrow had left the project over creative differences. Farrow later explained that in the context of Jesus's trial, Bronston wanted him to "whitewash the Jewish leaders, and lay blame entirely on the Romans. I refused to make these changes. I quit." Additionally, associate producer Alan Brown stated the "script was not really a script, it was the Four Gospels put down, and Sam called me and said, 'I cannot even understand this, it's all Thee and Thou and everything else.
In November 1959, Nicholas Ray signed on to direct the project. With set construction nearly complete, Ray asked screenwriter Philip Yordan, whom he previously worked with on Johnny Guitar (1954) to rewrite the script. Ray explained, "I asked for him and made concessions to have him. They had asked me to write it. I didn't feel up to the responsibility; I am as impatient with the other writer on my own screenplay as with others."
Yordan recalled, "I didn't want to go to Spain, but he asked me to just come over there for the weekend. The picture was called Son of Man. Terrible title, and someone had taken chapters of the Bible and sort of tried to make it play, but it was awful." He then recommended re-titling the script to King of Kings, but was reminded the title had been used for the 1927 film of the life of Jesus directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Yordan retorted the title was in the public domain, and it was later discovered DeMille had not registered the title. Yordan promptly registered the title with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
Yordan wrote a new script in six weeks, which Bronston liked so much that he encouraged him to stay in Madrid. There, Yordan later co-wrote the script for El Cid (1961). Yordan did not find writing the script to be difficult, observing that "Christ was a loner. He's not much different than my usual character. The Western character. It's the same character. The man alone."