Two decades before she would gain fame and some fortune as Alexis Carrington on Dynasty (1981), Dame Joan Collins starred as Esther in this melodramatic, routine Biblical story. The setting is Persia in the fourth century B.C., as Esther comes to the attention of the recently widowed King Ahasuerus. The King has been trying to stifle and defeat the campaign of hatred fomented against the Jews by his evil minister Haman (Sergio Fantoni). Before the King can pair off with Esther and defeat the villainous Haman, there are several intervening adventures and an additional, attractive woman who competes for attention.
Archives: Movies
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Noah’s Ark (1928)
The Biblical story of Noah and the Great Flood, with a parallel story of soldiers in the First World War. Noah’s Ark is a 1928 American epic romantic melodramatic disaster film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Dolores Costello and George O’Brien. The story is by Darryl F. Zanuck. The film was released by the Warner Bros. studio. It is representative of the transition from silent movies to “talkies”, although it is essentially a hybrid film known as a part-talkie, which used the new Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. Most scenes are silent with a synchronized music score and sound effects, in particular the biblical ones, while some scenes have dialogue.
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David and Goliath
Orson Welles – This ia a film adaptation of the Biblical story of the Israelite shepherd David, who became a hero and later king by his defeat of Goliath, the champion of the Philistines. It also deals with David’s relation with the first king of Israel, Saul.
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Martin Luther (1953)
In 1505, Martin Luther (Niall MacGinnis) abandons his law studies to become a monk. After being ordained a priest, Luther grows increasingly troubled by the Catholic Church’s practices, including using Latin during services and offering absolution — known as “indulgences” — for sinners. In 1517, Pope Leo X (Philip Leaver) tries to bring the church much-needed money by selling indulgences. Outraged, Luther writes down his famous 95 Theses, publicly challenging church dogma. -
Hook Line and Sinker
Two fast-talking insurance salesmen meet Mary, who is running away from her wealthy mother, and they agree to help her run a hotel that she owns. When they find out that the hotel is run down and nearly abandoned, they launch a phony PR campaign that presents the hotel as a resort favored by the rich. Their advertising succeeds too well, and many complications soon arise.
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Holy Ghost People (1967)
This documentary explores the individual experiences of Pentecostal Christians at the Scrabble Creek Holiness Church, in Scrabble Creek, West Virginia. The documentary includes faith healing, snake handling, speaking in tongues and singing. Margaret Mead was quoted as having called it “one of the best ethnographic films ever made”. Directed and narrated by Peter Adair.
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The Snows of Kilimanjaro
The story centers on the memories of a writer (Gregory Peck) who is taking a safari in Africa. He develops a dangerous wound from a thorn prick, and lies awaiting his slow death. The loss of physical capability causes him to look inside himself – at his memories of the past years, and how little he has actually accomplished in his writing.
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Mr. Robinson Crusoe (1932)
While cruising the South Seas with friends aboard a sailing yacht, it is wagered that Steve can not survive on a desert isle without the accouterments of civilization. After accepting the wager, Steve and his dog swim ashore and begin to recreate their Park Avenue world by way of various Rube Goldberg type contraptions constructed from local materials. Meanwhile, on a nearby island, a young maiden flees her arranged wedding.
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Santa Fe Trail (1940)
The year is 1854. Robert E. Lee is Superintendent of West Point, where J.E.B. Stuart (Errol Flynn) and George A. Custer (Ronald Reagan) are classmates. In the dormitory, one of the cadets (Van Heflin) reads aloud the secession-promoting pamphlets of abolitionist John Brown. At graduation, the address is given by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. J.E.B. Stuart and Custer are assigned to the 2nd Cavalry in the Kansas territory, where they have to deal with John Brown.
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The Little Princess (1939)
A little girl is left by her father in an exclusive seminary for girls, due to her father having to go to South Africa to fight in the Second Boer War. Shirley Temple