The Magdalene Review

Tonight I watched Cecile B. DeMille’s silent classic, The King of Kings, starring Jaqueline Logan as a courtesan Mary Magdalene. It was difficult to take this film seriously, given as it was to fanciful imaginings about not only Mary Magdalene but Jesus and the rest of the characters as well. If we are to believe DeMille’s vision of the story, all Jesus’ mother ever did was play with little doves, smile, and nod knowingly. The bright spot of this film for me, as expected, was the scene in which Jesus healed Mary Magdalene of her demons. To my knowledge, this is the only feature film that has depicted this scene.*

Highly entertaining was Mary Magdalene’s pre-Jesus life. We meet her during a banquet feast with several of her suitors. Bejeweled and scantily clad, she reclines on a lavish couch while the ogling men sit around her in a half-circle. A servant releases her pet leopard, which runs to her for affection. One of her admirers wonders why she’ll kiss a beast but not him, but when he moves closer to sit in the empty chair nearest her couch, she shoves him away. Apparently this was Judas’ chair, her lover, and she misses his presence. When she learns that Judas has been spending his time with a poor carpenter magician rather than in the arms of another woman, she summons her zebra-drawn chariot (seriously!), and sets off to teach them all a lesson. No one can steal a man from Mary Magdalene!

When she arrives at her destination, she marches up to Jesus, presumably to give him what-for, only to be mysteriously spellbound when he looks at her. After he tells her to “be clean,” the seven deadly sins appear to rise from her, ghostly apparitions of herself contorted by vice. “I am pride,” says one, “and because of me you have made slaves of kings!” Eve-like, she becomes suddenly aware of her nakedness after the demons have left, and draws her mantle around her body. Thereafter she is dressed modestly, her long dark hair unadorned and unbound.

As expected, Mary Magdalene makes an appearance at the foot of the cross, and meets Jesus at the tomb for the “Noli Me Tangere” scene from John. She also shows up in the mob before Pilate, arguing against the rest of the crowd for Jesus’ release. This was interesting to me given that she tends to appear in this scene in other movies as well; Jesus of Nazareth as well as The Passion of the Christ both include her there.

Overall, with so much distance in time from the making of the movie, it’s more of an oddity today than anything. It is, however, a good reminder of how Mary Magdalene was popularly viewed before we remembered her as the apostle of the apostles. Mary Magdalene, the great harlot; a bit player and novel character in the male gospel story.

*If anyone knows of another, I’d love to hear about it!