WE NEED YOUR HELP! We have started a Patreon page with the hopes that
some of our followers would be
willing to donate to keep DVDBeaver
alive. We are a small niche, so your
generosity is vital to our
existence. |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
directed by Cecil
B. DeMille
USA 1927
The King of Kings is the Greatest Story Ever Told as only Cecil B. DeMille could tell it. In 1927, working with the biggest budget in the history of Hollywood, DeMille spun the life and Passion of Christ into one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Featuring text drawn directly from the Bible, a cast of thousands, and a cinematic bag of tricks that could belong to none other than Hollywood’s greatest showman, The King of Kings is at once spectacular and deeply reverent—part Gospel, part Technicolor epic. Arguably one of the best-loved films ever made in a 112-minute general release version and the rarely seen 155-minute cut that premiered at the grand opening of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: April 19th, 1927- USA
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison
:Criterion (2-disc) - Region 0- NTSC vs. Lobster Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray
1) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT 2) Lobster Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT |
Box Cover |
|
|
Distribution | Criterion Collection - Spine # 266 - Region 0 - NTSC | Lobster Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 2:37:25 | 1:55:35.291 + 2:40:23.125 |
Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.20 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
Short version (1928): 1.33:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,749,480,916 bytesFeature: 19,538,313,216 bytes Video Bitrate: 17.98 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Long Version (1927) 1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 46,118,584,956 bytesFeature: 34,301,411,328 bytesVideo Bitrate: 2 5.02 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
Bitrate:
1927 |
|
|
Bitrate:
Blu-ray Short Version |
|
|
Bitrate: Blu-ray Long version |
|
|
Audio | Silent (Dolby Digital 1.0 mono) |
Short version (1928)
Hugo Riesenfeld: LPCM Audio 1536
kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Long Version (1927)
LPCM Audio 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps /
16-bit |
Subtitles | Intertitles are in original English | Intertitles are in original English |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details:
• New, restored digital transfers of both versions of The King of Kings:
DeMille’s 155-minute roadshow version and his subsequent 112-minute
general release |
Release Information: Studio: Lobster Films
Short version (1928): 1.33:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,749,480,916 bytesFeature: 19,538,313,216 bytes Video Bitrate: 17.98 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Long Version (1927) 1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 46,118,584,956 bytesFeature: 34,301,411,328 bytesVideo Bitrate: 2 5.02 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• Set Visit (7:46) 3 DVDs of the two presentations 32-page booklet (French)
Two Transparent (thick) Blu-ray cases inside cardboard box case Chapters 12 + 18 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. UPDATE: Lobster Films (January 2019): This Blu-ray package lives up to the numerous accolades it has received. The shorter 1928 version is on a single-layered disc and starts with the following: "The short version of THE KING OF KINGS is based on the 1928 sound version edit, the most commonly distributed around the world. The camera negatives of The King Of Kings have long decomposed. Beside the authentic titles, the images are taken from the 2017 digital restoration, mostly based on Cecil B. De Mille's personal silent nitrate tinted print, preserved in the George Eastman Museum (GEM) collections. It also includes an ensemble of Technicolor negatives and prints from the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the David Pierce film collection, and whatever survives of the black and white preservation elements struck by GEM in the 1950s and Modern Sound Pictures (Keith Smith) in the 1970s.4K scan performed in 2016 at Film
Preservation Services (GEM) and Lobster Films. Restoration work carried out in
Lobster Films laboratories in 2017. Original music recording of the Hugo
Riesenfeld score restored in 2017 at LE Diapason laboratory. " 4K scan performed in 2016 at Film Preservation Services (GEM) and Lobster Films. Restoration work carried out in Lobster Films laboratories in 2017." The scores (Hugo Riesenfeld or Christian Elliot) are lossless (linear PCM) for the short version as well as for the 2.0 channel LPCM channel track on the 1927 version with a lossy 5.1 option. There are optional French subtitles for the English language intertitles. These Blu-rays are Region FREE. Extras are all on the 1927 version disc and are mostly silent with a couple in French with optional English subtitles. There are lost of archival images and it they are very good in dealing with DeMille, the restoration, the color process etc. There are 2 DVDs of the two versions and a 30-page booklet in French with photos. Although majority sepia tints the lesser-seen longer version has the two color sequences. This is pure gold. If you are unfamiliar with Silent Era films - you can dive headfirst into this... beware: you may get obsessed! Gary Tooze
***
ON THE DVD: The 1927 version is presented here in an
excellent transfer despite some fairly significant damage to the original
elements. Black and White scenes show some impressive detail. On occasion whites
look a little blown out, but for the most part contrast is as perfect as a film
of this age is going to look. Colour scenes are heavily damaged and exhibit some
major flicker. These portions within the 1927 version still have much better
contrast than the 1928 version. The score sounds very good with a wide range of
fidelity (it should as it is a brand new recording). It is presented as a Dolby
Digital 2.0 track, not a DD 5.1 mix as stated on the Criterion website. Extras
on disc one are very informative, but are mostly text and image based, except
for the trailers. |
DVD Menus
1927 version - LEFT - 1928 version - RIGHT
Lobster Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Blu-ray 2
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
1) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Lobster Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
NOTE: some frames simply do not exist in the 1928 shorter version!
1) Criterion (1928 - short version) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Criterion (1927 - long version) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Lobster Films (1928 - short version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD 4) Lobster Films (1927 - long version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) Criterion (1928 - short version) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Criterion (1927 - long version) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Lobster Films (1928 - short version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD 4) Lobster Films (1927 - long version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1)
Criterion (1928 - short version) - Region 0 - NTSC -
TOP
2)
Criterion (1927 - long version) - Region 0 - NTSC -
SECOND
3)
Lobster Films (1928 - short version) - Region
FREE -
Blu-ray - THIRD
4) Lobster Films
(1927 - long version)
- Region FREE -
Blu-ray - BOTTOM
1) Criterion (1928 - short version) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Criterion (1927 - long version) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Lobster Films (1928 - short version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD 4) Lobster Films (1927 - long version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) Criterion (1928 - short version) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Criterion (1927 - long version) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Lobster Films (1927 - long version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) Lobster Films (1928 - short version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Lobster Films (1927 - long version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
|
1) Lobster Films (1928 - short version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Lobster Films (1927 - long version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
|
1) Lobster Films (1928 - short version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Lobster Films (1927 - long version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
|
1) Lobster Films (1928 - short version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Lobster Films (1927 - long version) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
|
Box Cover |
|
|
Distribution | Criterion Collection - Spine # 266 - Region 0 - NTSC | Lobster Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray |