In time for Easter - King of Kings and Charlton Heston Presents the Bible
by Phil Boatwright

Burbank, Calif., March 7, 2011 – On March 29, timed for the upcoming Easter holiday, Warner Home Video will release the critically acclaimed documentary Charlton Heston Presents The Bible along with the long-awaited Blu-ray version of the stirring epic, King of Kings. The films are being released in a year which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the King James Version, a classic Bible that still outsells many of the most contemporary translations. The titles will also be available On Demand and for permanent download through online digital retailers.

Charlton Heston Presents The Bible consists of four films featured on single DVDs: Genesis, The Story of Moses, Jesus of Nazareth and The Passion, all vividly narrated by the late Charlton Heston (Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments), and each with a 28-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. Available for $12.97 SRP each, these films will mesmerize the entire family at Easter and throughout the year.

Hosted by Academy Award®-winning actor Charlton Heston (Best Actor in a Leading Role, Ben-Hur, 1959) and filmed entirely on location in the Holy Land, from Beit She'an, Jericho, Jerusalem, the Negev Desert, the Red Sea to the Sea of Galilee, Charlton Heston Presents The Bible combines dramatic readings by Heston of passages from the Old and New Testaments with historical commentaries in the land where these stories took place. Famous for his epic roles in Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments, Heston said of the project, "I'm not a priest or a scholar. I’m a story teller. These are the greatest stories ever told."

Jeffrey Hunter, Rita Gam, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, and Robert Ryan star in King of Kings which is widely regarded as one of the finest cinematic retellings of the life of Jesus Christ and is now brought to life as never before on stunning Blu-ray Disc™ ($19.98 SRP). The film was directed by Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause) and produced by Samuel Bronston (El Cid) and tells of the life of Jesus Christ, from the Nativity to the Resurrection, and His sacrifice for humanity. The criminal figure of Barabbas is featured prominently and his violent struggle against the Romans is contrasted by Christ’s message of love.

ABOUT CHARLTON HESTON PRESENTS THE BIBLE

In the beginning, before there was a written language, the stories in the Bible were told to people sitting around a campfire in the dark, listening to the tales of what had happened and what was yet to come. Now Charlton Heston recaptures all the passion, the power, the drama, and the sheer beauty those first storytellers passed on to us with his own dazzling new exploration of the greatest stories ever told.

Shot entirely on location in the Holy Land, this incredible production is more than great literature come to life. It is a walk through history itself. Directed by Tony Westman, executive-produced by Fraser Heston and Philip Fehrle, the documentary first aired on A&E in the early 1990s.

ABOUT KING OF KINGS (1961)

“The life of Christ, intelligently told and beautifully filmed. Full of deeply moving moments.”- Leonard Maltin

The life of Jesus Christ is powerfully chronicled in this intelligent and gripping motion picture. The producer of El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire and the director of Rebel Without a Cause and 55 Days at Peking team for this powerful, moving tale of the life of Christ that’s rich in scale, set against the tumult of Roman occupation and filled with notable performances by Jeffrey Hunter (Jesus), Rip Torn (Judas), Harry Guardino (Barabbas) and others. From the Nazarene’s humble birth to his nomadic ministry, from the teachings to murderous conspiracies, from death on a cross to resurrection -- key events of 33 years that changed the world are here. An epic that both entertains and ennobles, King of Kings wears its crown with reverence and strength.

Special Features:
Vintage Featurette: The Camera's Window of the World
King of Kings - Impressive Premiere on Two Coasts
King of Kings: Egyptian Theater Premiere, Hollywood, CA
Trailer
Audio: English, French
Subtitles: English SDH, French, and Latin Spanish