Directed by:
Cecil B. DeMilleCinematography:
J. Peverell MarleyComposer:
Hugo RiesenfeldCast:
H.B. Warner, Dorothy Cumming, Ernest Torrence, Joseph Schildkraut, Robert Edeson, Sidney D'Albrook, Charles Belcher, Jacqueline Logan, Rudolph Schildkraut (more)Plots(1)
DeMille retells the story from the point of view of Mary Magdalene (Dorothy Cumming), once a courtesan for the decadent and gluttonous empire of Rome, who is made pure by Jesus' (H.B. Warner) love. Taking text directly from the Bible, DeMille follows Jesus' rise to greatness as he humbly performs miracles and amasses thousands of devout followers. Jesus is introduced in the film through the healed eyes of a blind child, aglow with the light of faith. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (1)
This is Cecil's great film on the life of Jesus Christ. What could be more logical in his parade of biblical themes? We have already seen The Ten Commandments and Adam's Rib. In sound film from around the year zero, he liked the theme of The Sign of the Cross and Cleopatra, and in an arc through Samson and Delilah, he came again to the Ten Commandments. Unfortunately, he chose only a fraction of the attractions for the showcase of the King of Kings' life deeds - for example, the original character of Mary Magdalene, filmed in color. Two-band Technicolor is nice, but intertitles composed mostly with quotations from the Gospels are really an experience only for the advanced. Thus, all the black-and-white material only acts as an illustration of what is known and given beforehand. And every glimpse of a color sequence is absolute bliss and an escape from lethargy.
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