Starring:
Year of Release: 1995
Rated: Not Rated
Director: Roger Young
Approx. Running Time: 185 minutes
Format(s): DVD
My Rating: 3 stars (Out of 5)
From Back Cover (of VHS):
Ben Kingsley (star of 1993's Best Picture, Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and 1982 Academy Award-winner Best Actor, Ghandi), Paul Mercurio (Strictly Ballroom), Martin Landau (1994 Academy Award-winner Best Supporting Actor, Ed Wood), and Lesley Ann Warren (Victor Victoria) star in this epic adventure of passion and power.
In one of the greatest dramas of all time, Joseph (Mercurio) is the favorite son of Jacob (Landau) - and the enemy of his jealous brothers who carry out what is very nearly his death. But Joseph survives and is sold to a powerful Egyptian landowner (Kingsley)... only to face unbearable tests of cruelty and pain. Cunningly, he uses his wiles to carve a place of honour and plot his freedom. But suddenly, Joseph's master's wife (Warren) accuses him of treachery and rape, unknowingly sealing Joseph's fate.
What starts as a tragedy ends in the greatest triumph of all in this powerful religious epic filled with stunning scenery and heart-rending romance.
My Comments:
Yes, this is a movie version of the Biblical story of Joseph (the very same story that was the basis for the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). Yes, I am still agnostic - I just like the story. Maybe it's that bondage fetish I've got going.
The acting is decent enough - though at times a bit campy, the pacing is good - though it is a little overly long, and (I've read that) it stays pretty true to the original story.
One note of warning if you choose to borrow the DVD, I tried to save some money by purchasing it from eBay - as a result the copy I got of it is Korean (I think). All of the text on the cover - except the title - is in Korean characters and, if you don't adjust the languages in the menu, the movie plays with Korean subtitles, though the dialogue is in English. If I recall correctly, the DVD menu is in English and it isn't difficult to turn off the subtitles.
Go Back:
J
Not Rated (MPAA)
3 Stars
1995
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