The discussion of the film “King of Kings” has its repercussion in France. The picture is being shown at the Champs Elysees theatre.
The “Univers Israelite,” French Jewish weekly, criticizes the film and adds:
“It is difficult for a modern Jew living in a civilization saturated with Christian atmosphere not to make any allowances for Jesus. The cinema forms a king of publicity and visual obsession from which it is difficult to escape. There have been several films presenting the figure of Jesus. There were ‘Christus’, ‘Ben Hur’, and now we have the ‘King of Kings’, the presentation of which at the Champs Elysees Theatre has caused a sensation. This American film has been very much discussed by the Jewish press in the United States, England and Germany. The objection is made that the Jewish characters, Caiphas and Judas, are odious characters and it is feared that the presentation may foster religious hatred. It is curious that the producer of ‘King of Kings’ is said to have Jewish blood in his veins and that the actors who play Caiphas and Judas are both Jews, Rudolph Schildkraut and his son.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
