 |
|
Promo Code:
|
|
|
|
From The Manger To The Cross
|
| Synopsis |
Since the earliest days of the medium, religious themes have maintained a position of considerable significance in world cinema. Biblically-themed efforts were often undertaken as an attempt by film manufacturers to ennoble what was perceived as a rather tawdry entertainment form. Usually these films -- such as The Horitz Passion Play (1897), Gaumont's La Vie du Christ (1907) and The Kiss of Judas (1909) -- were even more stagey and artificial than the routine cinematic output of the day.
Sidney Olcott's From the Manger to the Cross (1912), however, was a notable exception in that it was actually filmed on location in the Holy Land instead of against painted backdrops. Its ambitious five-reel length allowed the Passion play to be enacted in rich detail, whether exhibited as a series of chapters, or as a single 70 minute feature.
The film's genesis began when a small crew was sent by the New York-based Kalem Company to the Middle East to produce a quick series of Arabian potboilers. Olcott and screenwriter/actress Gene Gauntier (who portrays the Virgin Mary) decided to add a feature-length story of Christ to their itinerary before being overwhelmed by the awesome surroundings (the image of Mary and Joseph in repose alongside the Sphinx was a spectacular indulgence they couldn't resist, however anachronistic it was).
When it debuted on October 3, 1912, From the Manger to the Cross was met with near-universal acclaim, inciting many critics to scriptural rhapsody. ("Because of its sublime work it will be easier than it was before to 'go forth and teach all nations,'" expounded Motion Picture World, for example.) The only complainants seem to have been the more pious clergy and reformists, who questioned whether such a divine work of art should be allowed to unspool in such halls of degradation as the common movie house.
Kino on Video's special presentation of From the Manger to the Cross comes from a mint-condition archival print (from the Warner Bros./Vitagraph 1917 re-release), featuring the original color tints and a mesmerizing pipe organ score performed by Timothy Howard. |
|
