Superstar?

As I did with Halloween, I thought it would be fun to write about the various Biblical epics that I grew up with.  Some are amazing works of cinema, whilst others are somewhat snarky.  And I would like to write about Old Testament films, as well as the ones of New Testament interpretation.
Being that it is Good Friday, I'd like to start with MGM's King of Kings.  Produced by Samuel Bronston and directed by Nicholas Ray.  The stars were an eclectic and alternative mix of knowns and unknowns.  Jeffrey Hunter was cast as Jesus- blue eyes and a reddish mane.  His voice was powerful enough to convey the message of "peace, love and the brotherhood of man."  Siobahn McKenna, Mary the mother of Jesus, was a tad too mature for the role, yet her delivery was not too matronly.  Carmen Sevilla, an A-lister in her native Spain, is a gorgeous Magdalene.  But her voice is dubbed and I think it is noticeable.  Other of note- Hurd Hatfield as Pilate, Ron Randell as Lucius, Frank Thring as Herod and in her film debut, 16 year old Brigid Bazlen as Salome.  Seasoned veterans that I know, Robert Ryan and Harry Guardino, portrayed John the Baptist and Barabbas, respectively.
The film was shot in Spain because the countryside resembled with the production team imagined the middle east to look like two thousand years ago.  Some of the countryside is spectacular, especially for the Sermon on the Mount scene, with a literal cast of thousands.  This scene is considered a textbook example for difficult filming.  Jesus is walking through the crowd at difficult angles and inclines, so the poor camera people had to navigate and plan carefully.  Watch it for the technical aspect alone!  The costumes and hair styles,  especially for Herodias (Rita Gam) and Claudia (Vivieca Lindfors) are too contemporary, but nonetheless fun to look at.  The grand musical score is by Miklos Rosza.  It is one of my favorite scores.  You will note that the music runs through out the film.  I'd say 85% is underscoring.
The story, though, is a tad different in some ways.  The Gospel narrative is there; not much emphasis on the miracles.  It is more of a human story.  One of the sub-plots is Barabbas's fight to liberate Judea from the Roman.  In fact, during the Palm Sunday sequence, Barabbas leads a group of "patriots" on a raid of the fortress Antonia.  Obviously not in the Gospel, but it was the action scene needed to attract the segment of movie goers who found religious movies to be boring.
I was introduced to this film in 1967, when the local ABC affiliate, KGO channel 7, had movies before prime time.  It was shown on two days; part one ended with the beheading of John the Baptist.  The dialogue was made a bit contemporary as well. (Father, into your hands I commend my soul.)
It is a classic and if you are a fan of the genre, regardless of your faith, this is a film to check out.  And if you can, focus on the music!!