Customer Reviews

King of Kings

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Here, at last, is the legendary Miklos Rozsa's COMPLETE score to the 1961 biblical epic KING OF KINGS, beautifully restored and presented by the people at Turner and Rhino. Those of us who love this score were subjected to an LP in the 1960s that only contained a fraction of the score. When KING OF KINGS finally arrived on CD, there was more of the score available, but it all sounded dreadful. Now, the errors of the past have been rectified, and all the beauty and nuance of Rozsa's music is here, and thensome! There are cues included here that weren't even in the film itself (as released). This is a true treasure for anyone who loves great film music, with incredible sound (hard to believe this was recorded 40+ years ago) and a beautiful package that lovingly re-creates the original souvenir program that accompanied the old roadshow presentations of this epic masterpiece. Grab this one, and you won't be able to stop playing it!

I think was probably one of the last people to purchase the original deluxe edition of this disc in vinyl before MGM stopped making it. I paid about as much for it as I did for this wonderful new release.I even had the souvenier program that came with it. Only problem with the one in the new set is the very small print. Anyway, the newly remastered disc is a true masterpiece. I didnt realize how much music had been eliminated from the original recording,even though I purchased the video several years ago. I particularly liked some of the background information,which pretty much summed up my feelings about the movie being underappreciated for years. The same can certainly be said for this wonderous CD!
Bravo!

This is simply one of the most beautiful scores ever written! You can even hear that todays composers, like John Williams, are influenced by Miklos Rozsa's music. A fitting soundtrack to one of the best Bible adaptations for the big screen. This is a MUST for every collector!

...To paraphrase Lucius the Centurion. I actually wasn't that enthused about the idea of a new KOK. I thought I'd heard all the music through the previous Sony CD. I ordered this set mainly out of a sense of duty as a dedicated Rozsaphile---but boy am I glad I did. Not only is the sound vastly superior to the Sony, and without the latter's distortion, but there is so much more music here, and better sequenced, plus of course all the outtakes. This is just a brilliant set. Rozsa was a total genius, and this is music of stunning quality, all written for a film he freely admitted was not his favourite (though I personally feel it's vastly underrated). Just imagine how good the music might have been if he'd liked the film! But no, the truth is Rozsa simply gave his all to these historical projects because he loved history and wrote, when he felt the films were lacking, a score to the historical events of his imagination. Here I believe he created a worthy companion to Ben-Hur, something admirably different but worthy to stand alongside that magnum opus. Anyone who knows his film music will not rest until he has this set in his collection.

There isn't much to be said that hasn't been said in the reviews below. Rozsa is one of those composers who could define the film with his score instead of the other way around, and this music does just that. There are themes abound, plenty of great brass writing, lovely wordless choir, and certainly lots of fast-paces action music to be found, all in great sound (though not quite as good as Ben Hur).

If there's any complaint, it's the price. But really, it's probably better to spend money on great music like this, than music for a movie that noone will remember in two years.

Miklos Rozsa was the last of the Master Composers from Hollywood's "Golden Age". This score was written just 2 years after his masterpiece, Ben-Hur (possibly the best movie score ever composed.) It was an amazing achievement to come up with such original music considering he was revisiting the same genre with similar material so soon.

This double CD set contains ALL the music Miklos wrote for this movie. Although the movie was quite long and a little drawn out in places, this CD set is pure joy. The textures Miklos wrote are lush and exhilarating, the melodies gorgeous and the harmonies have his typical stirring dominant bass line. The restored sound is breathtaking - it beats all other issues of this music.

If you're a fan of the immortal Miklos Rozsa, then throw away all previous recordings of this score and buy this set. You definately wont regret it. It is an amazing music time-trip back to the ancient world via Hollywood.

Miklos Rozsa was one of the grand masters of epic film music. "King of Kings" ranks high as the best of his scores, a film score that is awesome, inspiring, and powerfully moving. I think "Ben-Hur," is his best score, possibly the best film score ever written for an epic film, but "King of Kings" is also superb. Rozsa, born in Hungary, weaves his narrative themes of the birth of Christ and the music powerfully drives this famous tale. The emotional force of the music is overwhelming, with brutal Roman Marches, choral music and themes, and tender loving themes of Mary and Jesus. Again, this score was out in just excerpts but now the entire score can be listened to and enjoyed for all the power its composer infused into it. Miklos Rozsa was for decades, the high standard bearer for epic film scores. Many musical themes in "King of Kings" echo "Ben-Hur" and this is understandable as they deal with similar stories.Fans of great film music will enjoy this double CD for its religious themes, tonal beauties and great power.Rozsa takes us back into ancient history and brings that history alive. Very few composers have equaled what Rozsa accomplished. Highly recommended and also buy "Ben-Hur" and "El Cid" to listen to Miklos Rozsa at the top of his art of composing film music.

KING OF KINGS boasts one of the most magnificent scores ever composed - too glorious for words. I've actually always preferred it to BEN HUR. It's astonishing that Rozsa could in 1960 revisit this same cultural/musical ground so soon after BEN HUR and produce a work so different and of such power and beauty. 1960 was a very strong year for films scores (THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, THE APARTMENT, THE ALAMO, PSYCHO and EXODUS among them), but how is it that KING OF KINGS didn't get an Oscar nomination?

This is a tremendous release. Over 135 minutes of big, brilliant sound - everything Rozsa recorded for the film. Also, the insert booklet represents an honest effort to adapt the beautiful book which accompanied the original "deluxe edition" LP, SAMUEL BRONSTON PRESENTS KING OF KINGS. All the text is preserved and most of the photography.

Film score releases just do not get better than this. Good job!

I have always felt that for the majority of movies - especially epics - the music is what can either make or break it - just as much as the actual story and script. I have seen many movies that I have liked and dreaded the musical soundtrack - whether being the result of the wrong theme; wrong composer and style; edited in at the wrong place at the wrong time.

King Of Kings was not a movie I loved - and I love biblical period movies and regardless - poor or not will usually watch and buy them. But!!! This film had one of the greatest and moving scores - typical of such a fine and talented composer as Miklos Rozsa. Though 'King of Kings' the story might have lost something in the story to me, the wonderful music has kept it one of my library classics and will make me watch it and get caught up in it right from the overture.

The soundtrack is brilliant and this two disc edition is such that I would love to play it in a large hall all to myself and get lost in it. As he did with Ben Hur and countless other great films, Miklos Rozsa captures the essence of the story - just in the music. I can play the soundtrack and remember every scene.

This is a wonderful remaster with lots of previously unissued themes - however brief and remains forever one of my cherished movie soundtracks. I will say it again and again... they don't make music like this anymore - perhaps such music was suited only to the era. There have been a few recent soundtracks of modern movies recreating that grand epic style but there is only one Miklos Rozsa.

This soundtrack comes and goes and this set is the best edition, so if you are a lover of these epic films and the music that supported the experience then get them before once more they vanish from the shelves.

The soundtrack - along with an accompanying booklet - is a superb example of the dramatic and inspiring creativity of Miklos Rosza. The range of themes and quality within the soundtrack is never disappointing. I highly recommend "King of Kings."