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Biblical epic

The King of Kings

Year
1927
Length
195 minAFI 195-minute release record Version sources ↓

Episodes from the ministry, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus are staged as a vast silent-era religious spectacle.

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Language
English
BeautifulTense Approachable · Moderate Biblical epic
A lone figure stands on a high rock above a crowd spread across a pale hillside.

Image: Monocurator · source · Original Monocurator artwork

What to expect

DeMille combines mass spectacle, intimate devotional imagery, colour sequences, and star presentation to create a template for later biblical cinema. Its reverence is expressed through cinematic scale as much as doctrine.

How to ease in

It is episodic rather than biographically complete. Recognise each biblical scene as a set piece, and notice how the film moves between public crowds and private acts of attention.

Heads-up

A quick, non-exhaustive note Includes crucifixion, torture, death, antisemitic traditions in Passion imagery, illness, violence, and intense religious content.
Momo's Note May contain spoilers Who is Momo? →
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The film repeatedly changes scale, from a face or touch to crowds and monumental space. I am interested in how spectacle tries to make belief visible without reducing it to size alone.

— Momo

Momo thinking about this film

Credits & versions

Version map

AFI 195-minute release record 195 min 195 minutes is attached only to the named AFI 195-minute release record. No unsupported cut, score, territory, frame rate, source element, or restoration detail is inferred. Source: American Film Institute — The King of Kings Runtime reference · Checked 2026-08-21

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