The King of Kings (1927)

In 1927 Cecil B. De Mille made the groundbreaking King of Kings, considered by many as the first real ‘Hollywood’ treatment of the Jesus story. Not only did this movie break all box office records up to that point it also set the standard for film makers of the day. During an interview around the time of its release De Mille more than hinted that the movie was produced primarily with a focus to making money by “playing to the susceptibility of the religious viewing public.” (1) Not only was the film was a huge boxoffice hit over the next few years King of Kings came to be used by ministers and missionaries much like the 1979 Jesus Film. It was shown all over the world from US churches to the jungles of Africa for many years, as a tool for evangelism outreach. So successful was this film both at the box office and as an evangelistic tool, that De Mille called it one of his finest works. CSJ
(1)K. Thomas, Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood (Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2004), 284

From the Criterion DVD release:
""The most impressive of all motion pictures."-The New York Times
The King Of Kings is the Greatest Story Ever Told as only Cecil B. DeMille could tell it. In 1927, working with the biggest budget in the history of Hollywood, DeMille spun the life and Passion of Christ into one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Featuring text drawn directly from the Bible, a cast of thousands, and a cinematic bag of tricks that could belong to none other than Hollywood's greatest showman, The King Of Kings is at once spectacular and deeply reverent-part Gospel, part Technicolor epic. Criterion is proud to present one of the best-loved films ever made in a two-disc edition featuring both the 112 minute general release version and the rarely seen 155 minute cut that premiered at the grand opening of Grauman's Chinese Theatre."