History Film / KingOfKings

* AdaptationalHeroism: The film portrays Caiaphas as an AntiVillain. Biblically TheFundamentalist, the Chief priest's conflict with Jesus over ideology and tradition is omitted from the film. Here, Caiaphas opposes Jesus because he fears the man will stir insurrection that would motivate Pilate and the Romans to increase persecution of the Jews. Although he understands Jesus is a man of peace, he will convict him as a NecessarilyEvil for the protection of his people. It is when Judas frames Jesus as working with Barabbas that he finally acts to arrest him. At the same time his contempt for Jesus's association with tax-collectors and prostitutes is still present.

** Several incidents from Jesus' career such as the wedding at Cana and the healing of Peter's mother in law.

** Herod the Great's successor Herod Archelaus is skipped to go straight to Herod Antipas.
** Pontius Pilate is stated to be UsefulNotes/{{Tiberius}}'s son-in-law. Historically Tiberius had no daughters.

* DefensiveFeintTrap: Barabbas' rebel army attacks the Roman Fortress. Killing a few soldiers in the area, they make a makeshift-battering ram and break through the gates to storm the interior space. Things going swell...until they find the interior is heavily guarded and defended. The Romans entrap and crush the rebels.

* DirtyOldMan: Herod Antipas is "way" too interested in his stepdaughter Salome to the point Herodias call him on it.

* NoodleIncident: Caiphas mentions meeting Jesus and John the Baptist offscreen.

** A subverted moment because it was not awesome: Pilate's Public Trial of Jesus ("Behold The Man!", "Give Us, Barabbas!" and "Crucify Him!") is also offscreen.

* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: Barabbas views Jesus and Judas as this. He initially agrees to Judas' idea to handle the Passover his way (Judas wants a peaceful but symbolically strong assembly to crown Jesus their King), but behind his back, Barabbas declares Judas a dreamer and a fool.
* SwordAndSandal: Through the battle scenes, not mentioned in the Gospels.

* AdaptationalHeroism: The film portrays Caiaphas as an AntiVillain. Biblically TheFundamentalist, the Chief priest's conflict with Jesus over ideology and tradition is omitted from the film. Here, Caiaphas opposes Jesus because he fears the man will stir insurrection that would motivate Pilate and the Romans to increase persecution of the Jews. Although he understands Jesus is a man of peace, he will convict him as a NecessarilyEvil for the protection of his people. It is when Judas frames Jesus as working with Barabbas that he finally acts to arrest him.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Herod the Great's successor Herod Archelaus is skipped to go straight to Herod Antipas.

* AdaptationalHeroism: The film portrays Caiaphas as an AntiVillain. Biblically TheFundamentalist, the Chief priest's conflict with Jesus over ideology and tradition is omitted from the film. Here, Caiaphas opposes Jesus because he fears the man will stir insurrection that would motivate Pilate and the Romans to increase persecution on the Jews. Although he understands Jesus is a man of peace, he will convict him as a NecessarilyEvil for the protection of his people. It is when Judas frames Jesus as working with Barabbas that he finally acts to arrest him.

* AdaptationalHeroism: The film portrays Caiaphas as an AntiVillain. Biblically TheFundamentalist, the Chief priest's conflict with Jesus over ideology and tradition is omitted from the film. Here, Caiaphas opposes Jesus because he fears the man will stir insurrection that would motivate Pilate and the Romans to increase persecution on the Jews. Although he understands Jesus is a man of peace, he will convict him as a NecessaryEvil for the protection of his people. It is when Judas frames Jesus as working with Barabbas that he finally acts to arrest him.

* IllPretendIDidntHearThat: Visiting the family in Nazareth for Tax registration, Lucius discovers the boy Jesus was born in Bethelehem at the time of the Infant Massacre he executed 12 years ago. He decides to ignore this survivor.

* GraciousLoser: Although he cries out in anger over his crushed revolt, Barabbas surrenders by dropping his sword to Lucius.

** Judas believed Barabbas would follow his plan to stand by Jesus at Passover as a symbolic display of power against the Romans. Barabbas instead starts a revolt to the Roman Fortress that gets his followers massacred. Further, Judas betrays Jesus on the belief that the threatened Messiah will then use his powers to destroy the Romans. Jesus allows himself to be arrested, tortured, and crucified.

-->'''Jesus:''' ''[knowing the time to go to Jerusalem (and his fate) is now, hides the truth from his mother]'' The chair will have to wait.

* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: Barabbas views himself as a freedom fighter but the Romans view him as a dangerous outlaw.

** {{Satan}} is heard, but not seen, tempting Jesus in the wilderness. Voiced (according to Website/{{IMDb}}) by an uncredited Creator/RayMilland.

[[quoteright:299:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_of_kings_jesus_3830.jpg]]
''King of Kings'' is a 1961 [[Literature/TheBible Biblical]] epic about UsefulNotes/JesusChrist and his times, directed by Creator/NicholasRay and distributed by Creator/{{MGM}}.

It stars Creator/JeffreyHunter as Jesus -- and Creator/RipTorn as Judas Iscariot, whose role is somewhat beefed up. It was one of the first Hollywood films since the silent era to avert depicting Jesus as TheFaceless or TheGhost out of piety. The narration was written by an uncredited Creator/RayBradbury and spoken by an uncredited Creator/OrsonWelles. The score was composed by Miklós Rózsa.

* AdaptationalVillainy: The film portrays Caiaphas as an AntiVillain. Biblically TheFundamentalist, the Chief priest's conflict with Jesus over ideology and tradition is omitted from the film. Here, Caiaphas opposes Jesus because he fears the man will stir insurrection that would motivate Pilate and the Romans to increase persecution on the Jews. Although he understands Jesus is a man of peace, he will convict him as a NecessaryEvil for the protection of his people. It is when Judas frames Jesus as working with Barabbas that he finally acts to arrest him.

* VillainousBreakdown: This appears to be what happens to Salome in her final scene. Feisty and uninhibited in her previous scenes, she is finally portrayed as demure and child-like, gazing at a birdcage with little interest in Herod's confrontation with Jesus (except for her attention to Herod breaking a clay vase, which is temporary). It appears something traumatic happened to her in the time between her dance and her present appearance, probably something to do with John's execution.

* Didn'tThinkThisThrough: