What's new

HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: King of Kings (1 Viewer)

Lee-c

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 2, 2000
Messages
509
A great film with a superb transfer! The picture quality is incredible, such excellent clarity and detail in the image, this powerful event is even more present and tangible with such an image, just wonderful. You’ve got to love 70mm film, I was wish all great movies were shot on it. One of the very best looking Blu-ray disks you’ll ever see. Highly recommended.

Continue reading...
 
Last edited by a moderator:

benbess

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2009
Messages
5,650
Real Name
Ben
Good film. Great PQ.
My favorite element, however, is that wonderful score by the great MR...
 

Keith Cobby

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Messages
4,510
Location
Kent "The Garden of England", UK
Real Name
Keith Cobby
A great film with a superb transfer! The picture quality is incredible, such excellent clarity and detail in the image, this powerful event is even more present and tangible with such an image, just wonderful. You've got to love 70mm film, I was wish all great movies were shot on it. One of the very best looking Blu-ray disks you'll ever see. Highly recommended.

No hat required - it's a keeper! Although generally not a fan of religious epics, i really enjoyed watching this film. I vaguely recall seeing it on television ages ago but this is the first time viewing the blu ray. Everything is good, the casting, the music, the location filming (unlike most of these studio set epics).

I can't understand why there are so few comments about the film and blu ray when, to me, lesser films have hundreds of comments. As Lee says, the blu ray (as a large format) is absolutely superb, simply one of the very best to be released. I did notice that a couple of interior scenes seemed momentarily slightly out of focus in the first hour (have to go back and have another look in case it is my equipment), but otherwise this is a reference blu ray, and one to demonstrate to your friends.

I look forward to the 4k disc.
 

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,599
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
I don't know why it wasn't discussed in this thread. It appears that our review thread got placed in the Black Hole when we probably switched to different software as one of our reviewers did a review of this movie when it came out on Blu-ray back in March, 2011. However, it was discussed in other threads. A personal favorite film of mine from my youth.

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/posts/3692579/

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/co...se-king-of-kings-blu-ray.300687/#post-3651811
 

OliverK

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2000
Messages
5,732
This release simply looks magnificent and Warner released it so quietly that one could have thought they were ashamed of it.

The score imo is at least as good as the score for Ben-Hur if not better and the detail, colors and scenery just pop off the screen, it is an audiovisual marvel. I can remember one particular scene that was out of focus but I seem to remember that this was the way it was shot - reshoots were not always possible when such problems were noticed several days if not weeks after the scene in question had been shot.

Overall I consider this to be the best looking Blu-ray of a biblical epic that I have seen up until now and the second best Blu-ray of a (Super) Technirama release that is only surpassed by Spartacus.
 

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,599
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
This release simply looks magnificent and Warner released it so quietly that one could have thought they were ashamed of it.

The score imo is at least as good as the score for Ben-Hur if not better and the detail, colors and scenery just pop off the screen, it is an audiovisual marvel. I can remember one particular scene that was out of focus but I seem to remember that this was the way it was shot - reshoots were not always possible when such problems were noticed several days if not weeks after the scene in question had been shot.

Overall I consider this to be the best looking Blu-ray of a biblical epic that I have seen up until now and the second best Blu-ray of a (Super) Technirama release that is only surpassed by Spartacus.
It came out on Blu-ray when Warner was the distributor of Paramount titles. It was released on the same day as "The Ten Commandments" on March 29, 2011. So it was overshadowed by that film, even though, it's a better film in my opinion, but, it less known.
 

Charles Smith

Extremely Talented Member
Supporter
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
5,984
Location
Nor'east
Real Name
Charles Smith
No hat required - it's a keeper! Although generally not a fan of religious epics....

For someone who isn't generally a fan of religious epics, you sure did buy a lot of them! :)

Definitely one of my favorites. I think that's because it might be the only one I went to on its first run, and I paid several repeat visits. It was also my introduction to Miklos Rozsa, and I know I wore out my first copy of the soundtrack LP in short order. I haven't watched the Blu-ray in several years, but I thought it looked fantastic.
 

OliverK

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2000
Messages
5,732
It came out on Blu-ray when Warner was the distributor of Paramount titles. It was released on the same day as "The Ten Commandments" on March 29, 2011. So it was overshadowed by that film, even though, it's a better film in my opinion, but, it less known.

I also prefer King of Kings. On a technical level The Ten Commandments also was an excellent Blu-ray but I do not like it as much as a movie and I also think that King of Kings just looks and sounds better despite it being a less costly production.
 

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,599
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
I also prefer King of Kings. On a technical level The Ten Commandments also was an excellent Blu-ray but I do not like it as much as a movie and I also think that King of Kings just looks and sounds better despite it being a less costly production.
The Ten Commandments has been shown on network TV for many, many years which has kept it relevant to the general public here in the States.
 

haineshisway

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
5,561
Location
Los Angeles
Real Name
Bruce
I love King of Kings - saw it six or seven times in its first run engagement at the Egyptian back in the day - spectacular. The Ten Commandments is a gorgeous Blu-ray of a stagy, plodding film that always gave me the giggles from the first time I saw it to now. I have a vivid memory of seeing it at my local neighborhood theater in a reissue around 1959 and howling through it.
 

Keith Cobby

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Messages
4,510
Location
Kent "The Garden of England", UK
Real Name
Keith Cobby
I watched Pride & Prejudice & Zombies recently (good film) and there is certainly scope for a religious/zombie picture (resurrection etc).

Jeffrey Hunter was very good in what must have been a difficult part to cast. Good mix of well known and lesser known actors instead of lots of star cameos.
 

RolandL

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Messages
6,623
Location
Florida
Real Name
Roland Lataille
The only thing wrong with the BD is the cover image of Jeffrey Hunter as a zombie! :)

912KFe5rErL._SL1500_.jpg
 

OliverK

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2000
Messages
5,732
I watched Pride & Prejudice & Zombies recently (good film) and there is certainly scope for a religious/zombie picture (resurrection etc).

Jeffrey Hunter was very good in what must have been a difficult part to cast. Good mix of well known and lesser known actors instead of lots of star cameos.

Not sure it is good to give Hollywood any ideas about zombie movies but then I have a hard time imagining any kind of religious epics being made today like they used to, they did not even get the colors right in the last three religious themed movies I watched.

I thought Jeffrey Hunter was very good. It may have helped that before King of Kings I only knew him from The Searchers.
 

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,599
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
There is a favorite scene in "King of Kings" between
Jesus and John the Baptist
that Mel Gibson would use in a similar fashion in "The Passion of the Christ" involving
Jesus and God
. Both scenes are extremely moving to me.
 

RICK BOND

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 28, 2017
Messages
1,650
Location
New Jersey
Real Name
RICK
The only thing wrong with the BD is the cover image of Jeffrey Hunter as a zombie! :)
I know ! That's why I used the DVD cover for my Bluray. That is why I print custom covers for all the Terrible covers that companies release. All Bluray releases should use the Original Poster artwork on their covers. KL,WBArchive, and Shout all release Great poster artwork on their covers !
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,810
Messages
5,123,580
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
1
Top