Addressing the "King"

Did you presume I fell into a black hole? It's been a long time since I have contributed anything to ol' P.U. Too many concerns to even go into, though it's also been a situation of not having anything drift in front of me that inspired me to write. Until now. You can thank (or blame?) Jesus for that... Ha ha! This past Easter Sunday, I was inside all morning and early-afternoon because it was cold outside and my family wasn't getting together until 3:30pm. So I curled up and nestled in for a viewing of one of those old-school Biblical epics that sometimes hit the right spot. In this case, it was 1961's King of Kings. Now I'm not about to tackle all the points of a nearly 3-hour movie, but rather am going to alight mostly on the visuals. I watched a positively beautiful rendition of this film on BluRay, which can also be seen right here for those inclined. Director Nicholas Ray, in a genre that was far from his usual arena, delivered a resplendent film with picturesque staging, be it indoors or out. I've written before about actors who appear in this including Jeffrey Hunter and Frank Thring, but this is my first real delve into other aspects of the movie. 

One of my favorite things about this motion picture is the magnificent score by esteemed composer Miklos Rozsa. A 74-piece orchestra and an oohing and ahhing choir of 50 vocalists sent this all the way to the top. Oddly ignored by the Oscars, the work was Golden Globe nominated (losing to The Guns of Navarone), though he was a three-time Academy Award winner, notably for Ben-Hur the year before this. You can quickly hear the memorable opening title theme here. 

Another thing I adore is the costuming, provided by Russian-born veteran Georges Wakhevitch. He also designed the sets, giving the stage pictures a stunning coherence and artful quality. 

The use of color, particularly red, throughout the film is delectable. In this opening sequence, a large flock of white-robed priests watch as General Pompey ascends their temple on horseback. The set is huge and beautifully detailed. 

His costume perfectly compliments the background while also standing out from it. (This story point involves him entering the sacred place and seeking valued treasure. His cutting of a massive scrim in order to enter was a moment that stuck with me from my first viewing decades ago and remains interesting today.) 

Here, Hebrew slaves are shown chipping away in a stone quarry while Roman soldiers trot past on horseback. The scope of such moments are something to see on a large screen. 

Then there are low-key sequences such as Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem against a striking landscape. 

Irish actress Siobhann McKenna plays Mary with great serenity. I can recall seeing this movie as a youth on TV and thinking she seemed 60 years old! (She was actually under 40, though the character is meant to age about 30 years or so from start to finish.) 

Here, the gift-giving wise men pay tribute to the newborn Jesus. That middle hat is giving me Max the Dog on his way to Whoville to help the Grinch steal Christmas!

Seen here in the early part of the film are two characters who have important roles as the story plays out. Australian actor Ron Randell is a gladiator while Frank Thring is Herod (at this point, son of the present king, Herod the Great.)

Advisors to Herod the great include these two. No, that's not Ted Neeley on the left! LOL To the right is Guy Rolfe as Caiaphas. 

Gregoire Aslan, as King Herod, was one of the few performers in a key role to actually possess much of the authentic ethnic background for the parts in question. He was born in the Ottoman Empire. Herod orders all newborn males in Bethlehem to be slaughtered out of fear that a messiah has been recently delivered there. 

Later, in a spectacularly composed sequence, he drops to the floor dying while his greedy son looks on. 

A procession of Romans is weaving its way through the terrain, overseen by two Hebrews. 

About the last two gents you'd expect to see up on that hill are, in the tradition of the time, there nonetheless. Texan Rip Torn plays Judas while New York-bred Harry Guardino is rebel leader Barabbas. 

When Hurd Hatfield appears on the scene in his chariot as Pontius Pilate, it also signals the arrival of more eye-popping costuming and pageantry. 

Along for the ride in a litter carried by a dozen bearers is Hatfield's wife. 

Said spouse is played by Viveca Lindfors, one of a few ladies who serves up the bling in this movie. 

Meanwhile, Randell and Thring have come out to greet Hatfield and company. 

Thring has a litter in tow as well, though its bearers appear to be a tad less well-appointed than their counterparts. 

Inside can be found Thring's niece/stepdaughter, the infamous Salome, as enacted by young Brigid Bazlen.

Also within can be seen Thring's wife (the ex-wife of his brother!), played by Rita Gam. Gam supplies the bulk of my favorite costume items in this movie. Has this ever happened to you? There's a performer who holds almost no interest to you at all. They just don't register. But then ONE role comes along and in that role only, you just adore them? That is my story here. I love every single glimpse, expression and utterance of Gam in King of Kings, but outside this, she is not a favorite of mine!  

About this same time (if you look carefully, you'll see the horses and litter going by on top of the cliff in the background), there's a meetin' down by the river. 

John the Baptist is, what else?, baptizing people in the water. He's played by veteran leading man Robert Ryan, who's given prestige billing in the credits. 

One of his attendees gives him a start as he's preparing to perform the baptism. 

Jesus! It's Mr. Hunter, making his first appearance in the film thirty minutes in. 

Unable to shake off his meeting with the man who is free of sin, Ryan heads to see him, but is informed by McKenna that her son has gone off into the desert to face his destiny. 

Amid this staggering scenery, you can just make out the white-cloaked Hunter left of center. 

Against a backdrop of punishing terrain and widely-varying temperatures, Hunter confronts himself as well as Satan before emerging to assemble a flock of disciples. 

He seeks out a fisherman named Simon, who he rechristens Peter in order that he might become a "fisher of men." At first we see Peter only from behind and shirtless. I got a similar shock to what Ryan had back at the river when it turned out to be...

...long time, relentlessly busy character actor Royal Dano! Dano would be one of the last people I would expect to see little more than a loincloth on screen...!

Draped with more grandeur are Hatfield and his friends. 

This being 1961, beehive hairstyles had not yet reached their zenith, but Lindfors is already off and running to get her coiffure as close to heaven as possible! 

Gam is in the running as well, though what she lacks in vertical thrust, she more than makes up for in accessories. Just look at the work that went into this stunning costume. 

It's an exquisite assemblage of red and gold and everything else.

Ryan has been outside spewing all sorts of insults and antagonizing remarks until he's finally brought in and arrested. Bazlen takes an especially strong interest in him, which seems to be a mix of attraction and revulsion. 

In the meantime, Hunter is out in the field performing miracles such as allowing this crippled and bedridden boy to walk again. All of these sorts of deeds are shown discreetly and tastefully. 

But I had to scream with laughter when these boys came in to witness the event and one of them had an utterly preposterous and obvious wig on (borrowed from Gina Lollobrigida?!) A vintage behind-the-scenes featurette noted that many of the local Spanish boys had adopted American crewcuts and so had to be wigged for their appearances in the movie.

Here we find a blind man having his vision restored. The shimmering contact lens on the actor prior to being healed was really striking. 

Just after this, while Torn is observing, we see a female come running down the street for her life. 

Having first seen The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), in which director William Wyler filled even the most minute roles with name-brand stars like Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters, Ed Wynn, Pat Boone (!) and John Wayne, I recall seeing her hoofing it down the road and saying, "Oh, it's Connie Francis!" 

It is in fact Carmen Sevilla, one of Spain's most prominent actresses. She plays Mary Magdalene (in this case sort of mashed-up with the adulterous woman who Jesus saved from a stoning.) 

Very soon, Sevilla has tossed aside her flashy clothing and jewelry and is breaking bread over at McKenna's place. (By the way, this scene was a re-shoot, added in after MGM decided that a significant scene was needed between these women.) 

Check out the mural in this room, where affluent ladies have all their beauty needs seen to. 

Directly around the corner (which seems a tad unlikely to me!), Lindfors' husband is entertaining a variety of leaders as Randell describes the actions of Hunter as he performs various miracles around the land. 

This swoop of hair across Lindfors' forehead seems much more a part of 1960 Hollywood than it does 33AD Judea, but perhaps it's just me. 

Ink lovers will appreciate this act, which serves as mealtime entertainment at Thring's palace. 

The ever-precocious Bazlen seems rather taken with them. (Please note that this movie predates Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra, by a couple of years and yet Bazlen sometimes resembles the more famous actress.) 

To Gam's intense dismay, Thring seems rather taken with Bazlen and can't quit staring at her. 

Everyone is done up to the nines, but - once again - Gam rises to the occasion, accessory-wise! Thring can't help himself anymore and finally offers Bazlen anything she wishes... if she'll dance for him. 

He finally gives in to her and she's soon gyrating around. 

Check out this birdcage depicted in the foreground as Bazlen is off to the races. 

The assemblage can't help but watch the young girl in her series of Terpischorean exercises. But it's what she asks for which really caps the evening off!

The Sermon on the Mount. Today, something like this would be CGI from hell. But in 1960 every one of these people had to be gathered, made up, costumed and arranged...! Amazing.

Before he addresses the crowd, Hunter reflects under this tree, which - as you'll soon see - has the precise shape with which to outline him when he stands up!

In an eerie bit of (unintentional?) foreshadowing, the slim branches and leaves briefly cast shade over his eyes and forehead, giving him a beaten and damaged appearance! 

Another example of arresting color contrast. 

This is a lengthy sequence and had to have been a nightmare to control and choreograph as Hunter eventually wends his way through the people. 

This is Lindfors' way of going deep undercover and assimilating with the masses in order to hear Hunter speak...! 

There was more than a little hubbub over the decision to use a blue-eyed Jesus. (This was the first time in contemporary film that his face was ever even shown. In Ben Hur, just one year prior, we only saw him from behind.) It may not be accurate, but Hunter's eyes were very striking and beautiful, which is what director Ray was looking for. 

Back in the steam room, Thring and Hatfield are informed of this latest speech of Hunter's. Even though it promoted love and peace, they remain alarmed over him. 

When it comes to scenes like this, I'm afraid it's hard to beat John Gavin (along with Laurence Olivier) in 1960's Spartacus. 

Things are beginning to come to a head. Hunter gathers his twelve disciples in this artfully-composed scene. 

Meanwhile Guardino is amassing weapons in an underground grotto for use in a physical attack against Thring and Pilate. I liked this oily silversmith who was on hand for the scene. 

The powers that be continue to wring their hands over escalating tensions...

...while Hunter enters Jerusalem surrounded by ardent followers. The whole thing comes to a head in a violent and deadly battle.

Director Ray deliberately avoided recreating famous depictions of various events. Thus, The Last Supper occurs at a table with three points versus the long one painted by da Vinci. 

With Hunter now under arrest, he is questioned at length by Hatfield, to no avail. Hunter remains silent, with his eyes closed, for most of the time. 

This is my favorite shot of Hunter in the film.

Having already been passed along by Guy Rolfe's Caiaphas as well as Hatfield, Hunter next is placed before Thring. They cannot seem to get him to say what they want him to say.

Before long, Hatfield opts to imprison, whip and ultimately crucify the purported messiah.

As much was made about Hunter's eyes, there was also outcry at an early screening over his (hairy!) armpits! So they had to be shaved, as his chest already had been, and certain moments re-shot accordingly.

Witnessing the torment Hunter is undergoing, and having been the one who betrayed him in the first place, Rip is Torn. 

Hunter is roughly freed of most of his garments and nailed to the cross. 

For this sequence, Ray mounted a camera onto the top of the cross, so that the shot could be tracked from the ground up to an overhead viewpoint of the ground below. It's a concept that Martin Scorcese would later adopt for his own film on the subject. 

By this point, Randell and Lindfors have come to the conclusion that this was, in fact, no ordinary man. 

Sevilla, who'd been sleeping outside Hunter's tomb, awakens to find the heavy stone rolled aside and the crypt empty! Chasing after a man to ask if he's seen anything...

...she's greeted by the resurrected Hunter, who informs her that he will speak one last time to his remaining disciples before departing this world to take his place in heaven.

Hunter instructs his disciples and then director Ray cleverly ends the film with Hunter's long shadow falling over his followers' outstretched fishing net, forming a cross. 

 

:::BONUS PICS:::

MGM had scored BIG with Ben-Hur in 1959 and hoped that Kings would go forth in a similar manner. To nudge it along, they made sure that the movie's poster echoed the earlier blockbuster. Initial press releases bandied names such as Richard Burton, John Gielgud, James Mason and Orson Welles about, though none would ultimately appear. (Welles eventually provided uncredited narration.) 

Kings was nowhere near as successful as Ben-Hur, though it did make money. Costing somewhere in the neighborhood of $8 million, it took in more than $13 million. One thing it lacked was widespread critical approval, though its reputation has grown stronger in the intervening years. I had to laugh when I read that Time magazine called it "the corniest, phoniest, ickiest and most monstrously vulgar of all the big Bible stories Hollywood has told in the last decade," which is patently untrue. I can only imagine what that critic thought about various things that have come afterwards.

Hunter underwent quite the makeover for his role. What isn't always readily apparent until you know it, is that a putty bridge was applied to the top of his nose. His own nose dipped slightly and had a gently bulbous tip, but that was rectified for this project. 

On the left, Carmen Sevilla, who was a considerable movie star and singer in Spain, occasionally appearing opposite stars like Ricardo Montalban, Richard Kiley and Charlton Heston. At right, Miss Connie Francis!

One of the targets of some critics' barbs was young Bazlen, who was just bursting onto the scene in the movies. She made The Honeymoon Machine (1961) with Steve McQueen after this, but it was actually put together and released first. Time has been kind to the "next Elizabeth Taylor" as she was sometimes referred and her devious, spunky performance holds up well. And... at 16 she was the right age for the part, unlike, say, a 35 year-old Rita Hayworth in Salome (1953.)

Chicago residents surely did get a shock when they saw her slinking around in Kings, for she has been The Blue Fairy on a popular local children's program. The show won a Peabody award and led to her working on a Joan Bennett sitcom called Too Young to Go Steady. After working in How the West Was Won (1962), Bazlen turned to TV, including daytime soaps, before exiting the biz to care for an ailing mother. Sadly, she died herself of cancer at only 44 years of age in 1989.

This is English leading man Richard Johnson. After appearing in Never So Few (1959), he was put under contract to MGM. (This actually led to him not being cast as James Bond in 1962's Dr. No!) As Kings was about to begin filming, MGM exec Sol Siegel decreed that Johnson be written into the existing screenplay as a fictional character named David, whose life interconnects with others in the story along the way. About forty minutes of scenes with Johnson were filmed, only to be completely cut prior to release....! Can you even begin to imagine that amount of sheer waste of time and money?!

One fleeting moment of his contribution remains in the picture. As Hunter enters Jerusalem and ascends some steps, one figure is standing there, not cheering or clapping or clamoring. Thus he stands out a bit. It is Johnson. And Hunter even stops and turns to him momentarily. In the finished film this makes no sense, but it is brief.

Though I am occasionally chided for it, I'll end on a personal note. (Where else but on my own blog would it be appropriate to do so!? LOL) Seen above is Caiaphas as played by Guy Rolfe. In 2005, I was cast in a stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar in that role. 

Turning to the 1973 movie to see what I was in for, I almost crapped! I didn't know which would give out first; my neck from the headgear or my alleged abs! Ha ha! Fortunately for the universe, the show was, as often occurs with this musical, given a different concept. It was a post-apocalyptic setting.  

I had to do the whole thing in platform heels and with cretinously evil makeup. 

Eleven years later, I was called upon to do the part again, this time with a somewhat more traditional take. I can't lie about it. I know that swathed in all those curtains (some of which were room-darkening, vinyl-backed, making the outfit into a personal sauna), I not only felt like Carol Burnett in her Gone with the Wind parody, but I also tossed in a lot of Frank Thring-ish body language, even though he'd been Herod, not Caiaphas! 

Finally, in one of my last stage performances, I got the chance to play a gladiator! I was the comic soldier Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Not every memory of my 25-year period on stage is a happy one, but I will always be grateful that I had the chance to play dress-up on many an occasion and bring with me little tidbits of the movie performances that I've adored all my life. Not everyone is so lucky.  

That is all...