Religious Film Epics of the 1920s

Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments and The King of Kings

Nov 12, 2008

Hollywood in the 1920s discovered a gold mine in religious epic style movies. Helping to lead the way was Cecil B. DeMille who blended biblical stories with sex.

Morality tales and stories with biblical settings were a significant part of movies in the early days of filmmaking. Such movies as the Italian epic Quo Vadis? (1912), and D. W. Griffith’s Judith of Bethulia (1914) and Intolerance (1918) were critically acclaimed and helped pave the way for a golden age of biblical spectaculars in the 1920s. Two of the most spectacular were The Ten Commandments and The King of Kings, directed by Cecil B. DeMille.

DeMille began his Hollywood career in 1914 with The Squaw Man and his early films concentrated on westerns, morality tales, and, for their day, risqué comedies. By the time his career ended fifty-four years later he had created a legend as one of the biggest showmen in the movie industry. Much of this legend was based upon his trademark of making films that often combined spectacles with religion and sex.

Influenced by Griffith’s Intolerance, this film has two separate story lines that are linked. The first is the well known story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage and his receiving of the Ten Commandments. The second is a rather mundane modern story of two brothers -- one trying to live by the Commandments while the other breaks them. It is the forty-five minute Moses prologue for which the movie is best remembered.

The prologue is a high budgeted affair, filled with large, meticulously researched sets, a cast that included 2500 extras, intensely dramatic performances by the lead actors, and effective use of tinting and primitive two-strip Technicolor for some scenes. Memorable scenes include Israelite slaves pulling a sphinx across the desert, the decadence of Egypt, the flight to the Promised Land, the parting of the Red Sea, and the worshipping of the Golden Calf with its strong sexual overtones.

The special effects used in the movie are clever and quite good. An example would be the parting of the Red Sea. In the days long before CGIs, it was accomplished by filming melting gelatin and then running the film backward. The method was primitive, but the result was effective.

Four years after his success with The Ten Commandments, DeMille made The King of Kings, the most watched, and, arguably, finest religious film ever made. Regardless of one’s religious viewpoints, or lack thereof, The King of Kings is a monumental technical achievement. The Wall of Jerusalem set was one of the most expensive ever created and the earthquake sequence at the end features great special effects that were stunning for that time period.

But, the film’s biggest strengths lies in its cinematography and judicious use of two-strip Technicolor. One scene of particular note is when Christ is first seen through the eyes of a boy he has just cured of blindness. The boy/camera at first sees only a blur, but gradually the body of the miracle worker comes into focus. DeMille also effectively shows Christ surrounded by an almost supernatural light surrounding him that in the hands of a less skilled director and cinematographer would have been pretentious.

The story basically follows the Gospels from the introduction of Mary Magdalene through the crucifixion and resurrection, with most of the title cards being quotes from the Bible rather than original dialogue. DeMille also made sure that the movie could not be called anti-Semitic by making clear who was to blame for Christ’s death. Thus, he avoided much of the criticism that greeted Mel Gibson with his The Passion of the Christ (2004).

The King of Kings does have its flaws. DeMille, early on, has his obligatory orgy scene where he portrays a scantily clad Mary Magdalene as a courtesan and mistress of Judas Iscariot! Also, H. B. Warner who was 52 at the time of the film is at least two decades older than Jesus. Fortunately, he makes up for this with a fine performance.

A modestly successful remake, directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Tab Hunter, was filmed in 1961. A trailer for the 1927 version can be seen here.

The copyright of the article Religious Film Epics of the 1920s in Classic Films is owned by John K. Davis. Permission to republish Religious Film Epics of the 1920s in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.