King of Kings (1961)

(In French, On Cable TV, March 2021) I’m not sure there’s anything really interesting to say about King of Kings. One of the last big epics of the wave that began in the 1950s, it tackles perhaps the biggest story in the Western canon—The Passion of the Christ—and gives it the maximalist treatment that blockbuster films went for at the time. It’s melodramatic, unsubtle, garishly dependent on Technicolor and almost exactly what we can imagine from hearing “The Passion of the Christ as filmed in 1960.”  I’m almost sure I watched the film a few times while attending Catholic grade school, and as a result I’m almost disarmed as a reviewer in trying to find anything else to add about the film. It’s an Easter Weekend film staple for a reason — despite relying on acclaimed director Nicholas Ray, it’s one of the most basic takes on its topic, and by the same token one of the most innocuous. I’ll take Jesus Christ Superstar over King of Kings most days of the week, but I can’t deny that it’s one straightforward take on an incredibly familiar story.