Here are a few photos from the King of Kings event at the Egyptian Theatre, in Hollywood, CA.

Ray gave a lovely talk about his part in writing the narration of the film, which was spoken by Orson Wells. I know I am prejudice but can honestly say that Mr. B’s words turned what could have been a dated movie into one for the ages. I will leave the analyzing of the movie to Doug Spaulding. Having not read the book the movie was based on and being familiar, only in passing, with the plot makes me wholly unqualified to comment any further on that aspect of the evening.

We had a gaggle of Ray’s friends in attendance. Alan Neal Hubbs, resident producer of Mr. B’s Pandemonium Theatre Company. Doug Spaulding. Greg Miller, long time friend of Ray and fellow author. Plus actors from Pandemonium and others.

quote:

Originally posted by jkt:
I will leave the analyzing of the movie to Doug Spaulding.

Mary Magdalene was not a harlot. She was, history suggests, the spouse of Yeshua.

She's been vilified by the church for centuries, so the film got that part wrong. But then, they all do (except for The DaVinci Code).

Please forgive my ignorance, but who was/is Yeshua?

Biplane, Yeshua is the English phoneticization of the Hebrew name that most of the English-speaking world knows as Jesus.

Doug's attempting tohijack another thread.

Here's something pertinent to Doug's inappropriate comment that Nard posted in the "Religion 101" thread:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DI3qCPE8pWE

The studio head of MGM, at the time, wanted to mess with the film, thinking one of the characters was too anti-Semite. Ray was asked to talk to him and convince him to keep the character in the movie.

Paraphrasing Mr. B: Forty-Thousand Baptists will see the movie. Sixty-thousand Catholics will see the movie. Two Unitarians will see the movie. As they are leaving the theatre on Sunday, you want them to ask why Judas Iscariot was missing from the movie. You want them to learn that Sol C. Siegel took one of the twelve disciples out of the story of Jesus.

Ray One. Studio head Zero.

One day, young Doug Spaulding is going to run into Colonel Quartermain. Then there will be trouble!

quote:

Originally posted by biplane1:
Please forgive my ignorance, but who was/is Yeshua?

You're kidding, right?

You're not kidding.

I prefer to address Jesus by his proper Hebraic name.

"Jesus," is of Greek origin, and in actuality derived from the pagan source of Isus.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Doug Spaulding,

quote:

Originally posted by Braling II:
Doug's attempting to hijack another thread.

I'm sorry - I don't see that at all.

quote:

...Doug's inappropriate comment...

I don't see that, either. I was only providing a theological analysis of the film. We already know its artistic merits.

quote:

Originally posted by jkt:
Paraphrasing Mr. B...

Yeah - that was a wonderful story. Afterwards, I leaned over to jkt and said that Ray and I must be the two Unitarians.

At the intermission, I told jkt that he must be the tax collector.

Mr B had another witticism: In 1961, the studio called to ask for his help, as they didn't have an ending to the film. He replied, "have you tried the bible?"

He also beautifully explained the ending he wrote for the film (a terrific ending, I might add), but said that they didn't use it (naturally). After the film, I told Mr B that his ending was better, at which he chuckled.

The stilted dialog of screenwriter Yordan could have been avoided had the studio hired Ray to write the screenplay as well as the narration.

When will they ever learn?

I think stilted dialogue was par for the course in those early 60s biblical epics. They could get away with it when they had a Heston or a Burton, but Jeffrey Hunter? (What were they thinking?)

Which gets ME thinking... who is your favourite screen Jesus? (Doug: who is your favourite screen Yeshua?)

I would vote for Robert Powell. Jesus of Nazareth, 1977:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075520/

(I don't do religious discussion, but movie discussion is another matter entirely.)

quote:

Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:

quote:

Originally posted by Braling II:
Doug's attempting to hijack another thread.

I'm sorry - I don't see that at all.

I too am sorry you don't see that.

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
I think stilted dialogue was par for the course in those early 60s biblical epics. They could get away with it when they had a Heston or a Burton, but Jeffrey Hunter? (What were they thinking?)

Which gets ME thinking... who is your favourite screen Yeshua?

Definitely par.

Jeffrey Hunter - the blue-eyed Jew! (one of the many) When will they ever learn? To quote Mr Braling, (*sign*)

My favourite? Hard to say, but probably either Victor Garber (Godspell), Enrique Irazoqui (Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo), or Willem Dafoe (The Last Temptation of Christ).

Matteo scores high marks based on the quality of the film, although the book The Gospel of Matthew is basically a paraphrase (with additions) of the first Gospel, Mark.

Of course, they haven't adapted Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff yet, so we have that to look forward to.

quote:

Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:

Paraphrasing Mr. B...
Afterwards, I leaned over to jkt and said that Ray and I must be the two Unitarians.?

Well, there you go. No wonder Bradbury speaks in ego-talk when referring to the resurrection of Christ. Or Doug Spaulding agrees and disagrees about the same things within the same hour: they are Unitarians!! Not Christian.

Unitarians believe about anything and nothing.

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Knox:
Unitarians believe about anything and nothing.

Perhaps that's better than believing what the church tells us to believe.