"One Night With the King" has all the trappings of a biblical epic with resplendent Mogul palaces of Rajasthan, India, standing in for fifth century B.C. Persia and sumptuous costumes and design elements re-creating the Persian empire in breathtaking splendor. Yet the heart of the matter, the story of Esther, an orphaned Jewish girl who becomes a queen and saves her people from annihilation, is inert.
Director Michael O. Sajbel never gets a handle on a way to make the story come alive for modern audiences. Scenes jammed with beautifully costumed extras, exotic animals and impressive vistas of the city of Jodhpur quicken one's pulse. Yet whenever the camera moves inside those palaces for intrigues associated with empire building and bloody revenge, the movie devolves into a talky, static affair featuring a cast with wildly varying accents and acting abilities.
The unfortunate upshot is that "One Night" has little chance to cross over to audiences outside its Christian demographic even when Fox Home Entertainment takes over the DVD release in the spring after its national rollout today. The film's biggest potential hook -- the reteaming of Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif in their first movie since "Lawrence of Arabia" -- disappears in less than a minute. O'Toole appears fleetingly in a prologue, then vanishes, sharing nary a scene with Sharif.
The screenplay by writer Stephan Blinn (basing his script on the novel "Hadassah: One Night With the King" by Tommy Tenney & Mark Andrew Olsen) is filled with plots and schemes but little real action. Not that good filmmakers can't make a banquet out of palace intrigue. But all this movie can manage is meatloaf: Actors stand in awkward-looking poses to declaim dialogue often lifted directly from the Bible. The spark of genuine drama is everywhere missing.
Another problem is casting. As Esther, young American actress Tiffany Dupont's line readings are self-conscious and modern-sounding. Nor does she understand how to use her physical presence to claim scenes that should belong to her. English-born Luke Goss as King Xerxes is competent enough -- once one gets past his ill-defined accent -- but the story confronts him with a character who is more indecisive than Hamlet.
Xerxes wants to rule over a rich culture of enlightenment and tolerance. Yet his princes successfully pressure him into military adventurism. The villain, Haman (a one-note James Callis), bribes Xerxes into issuing a decree to slaughter all Jews within the kingdom. At this juncture, neither man realizes that the king's new wife, Esther, is Jewish. The key point of the story is how Esther, persuaded by her uncle Mordecai (John Rhys-Davies) that she must intervene, goes against all protocols to sway her husband's mind. And he changes his mind in a flash.
Distinguished work is turned in by the veteran Davies and by Tiny Lister Jr., who uses his deep, gravely voice and imposing physique as the royal eunuch to powerful effect. Israeli actor Jonah Lotan is effective as Esther's childhood friend, while Sharif is persuasive as a father figure to the waffling king.
The real heroes, though, are designer Aradhana Seth, costume designer Neeta Lula and cinematographer Steven Bernstein, who furnish a perfect setting for the tale. Jac Redford's generic background music, on the other hand, won't shut up.
Director Michael O. Sajbel never gets a handle on a way to make the story come alive for modern audiences. Scenes jammed with beautifully costumed extras, exotic animals and impressive vistas of the city of Jodhpur quicken one's pulse. Yet whenever the camera moves inside those palaces for intrigues associated with empire building and bloody revenge, the movie devolves into a talky, static affair featuring a cast with wildly varying accents and acting abilities.
The unfortunate upshot is that "One Night" has little chance to cross over to audiences outside its Christian demographic even when Fox Home Entertainment takes over the DVD release in the spring after its national rollout today. The film's biggest potential hook -- the reteaming of Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif in their first movie since "Lawrence of Arabia" -- disappears in less than a minute. O'Toole appears fleetingly in a prologue, then vanishes, sharing nary a scene with Sharif.
The screenplay by writer Stephan Blinn (basing his script on the novel "Hadassah: One Night With the King" by Tommy Tenney & Mark Andrew Olsen) is filled with plots and schemes but little real action. Not that good filmmakers can't make a banquet out of palace intrigue. But all this movie can manage is meatloaf: Actors stand in awkward-looking poses to declaim dialogue often lifted directly from the Bible. The spark of genuine drama is everywhere missing.
Another problem is casting. As Esther, young American actress Tiffany Dupont's line readings are self-conscious and modern-sounding. Nor does she understand how to use her physical presence to claim scenes that should belong to her. English-born Luke Goss as King Xerxes is competent enough -- once one gets past his ill-defined accent -- but the story confronts him with a character who is more indecisive than Hamlet.
Xerxes wants to rule over a rich culture of enlightenment and tolerance. Yet his princes successfully pressure him into military adventurism. The villain, Haman (a one-note James Callis), bribes Xerxes into issuing a decree to slaughter all Jews within the kingdom. At this juncture, neither man realizes that the king's new wife, Esther, is Jewish. The key point of the story is how Esther, persuaded by her uncle Mordecai (John Rhys-Davies) that she must intervene, goes against all protocols to sway her husband's mind. And he changes his mind in a flash.
Distinguished work is turned in by the veteran Davies and by Tiny Lister Jr., who uses his deep, gravely voice and imposing physique as the royal eunuch to powerful effect. Israeli actor Jonah Lotan is effective as Esther's childhood friend, while Sharif is persuasive as a father figure to the waffling king.
The real heroes, though, are designer Aradhana Seth, costume designer Neeta Lula and cinematographer Steven Bernstein, who furnish a perfect setting for the tale. Jac Redford's generic background music, on the other hand, won't shut up.
- 10/14/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One Night With the King has all the trappings of a biblical epic with resplendent Mogul palaces of Rajasthan, India, standing in for fifth century B.C. Persia and sumptuous costumes and design elements re-creating the Persian empire in breathtaking splendor. Yet the heart of the matter, the story of Esther, an orphaned Jewish girl who becomes a queen and saves her people from annihilation, is inert.
Director Michael O. Sajbel never gets a handle on a way to make the story come alive for modern audiences. Scenes jammed with beautifully costumed extras, exotic animals and impressive vistas of the city of Jodhpur quicken one's pulse. Yet whenever the camera moves inside those palaces for intrigues associated with empire building and bloody revenge, the movie devolves into a talky, static affair featuring a cast with wildly varying accents and acting abilities.
The unfortunate upshot is that One Night has little chance to cross over to audiences outside its Christian demographic even when Fox Home Entertainment takes over the DVD release in the spring after its national rollout today. The film's biggest potential hook -- the reteaming of Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif in their first movie since Lawrence of Arabia -- disappears in less than a minute. O'Toole appears fleetingly in a prologue, then vanishes, sharing nary a scene with Sharif.
The screenplay by writer Stephan Blinn (basing his script on the novel "Hadassah: One Night With the King" by Tommy Tenney & Mark Andrew Olsen) is filled with plots and schemes but little real action. Not that good filmmakers can't make a banquet out of palace intrigue. But all this movie can manage is meatloaf: Actors stand in awkward-looking poses to declaim dialogue often lifted directly from the Bible. The spark of genuine drama is everywhere missing.
Another problem is casting. As Esther, young American actress Tiffany Dupont's line readings are self-conscious and modern-sounding. Nor does she understand how to use her physical presence to claim scenes that should belong to her. English-born Luke Goss as King Xerxes is competent enough -- once one gets past his ill-defined accent -- but the story confronts him with a character who is more indecisive than Hamlet.
Xerxes wants to rule over a rich culture of enlightenment and tolerance. Yet his princes successfully pressure him into military adventurism. The villain, Haman (a one-note James Callis), bribes Xerxes into issuing a decree to slaughter all Jews within the kingdom. At this juncture, neither man realizes that the king's new wife, Esther, is Jewish. The key point of the story is how Esther, persuaded by her uncle Mordecai (John Rhys-Davies) that she must intervene, goes against all protocols to sway her husband's mind. And he changes his mind in a flash.
Distinguished work is turned in by the veteran Davies and by Tiny Lister Jr., who uses his deep, gravely voice and imposing physique as the royal eunuch to powerful effect. Israeli actor Jonah Lotan is effective as Esther's childhood friend, while Sharif is persuasive as a father figure to the waffling king.
The real heroes, though, are designer Aradhana Seth, costume designer Neeta Lula and cinematographer Steven Bernstein, who furnish a perfect setting for the tale. Jac Redford's generic background music, on the other hand, won't shut up.
ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING
Gener8Xion Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Michael O. Sajbel
Screenwriter: Stephan Blinn
Based on the novel by: Tommy Tenney, Mark Andrew Olsen
Producers: Matthew Crouch, Laurie Crouch, Richard J. Cook, Stephen Blinn, Lawrence Mortorff
Director of photography: Steven Bernstein
Production designer: Aradhana Seth
Music: Jac Redford
Costume designer: Neeta Lula
Editors: Gabriella Cristiani, Stephan Blinn
Cast:
Hadassah/Esther: Tiffany Dupont
Xerxes: Luke Goss
Mordecai: John Rhys-Davies
Prince Admantha: John Noble
Hagai: Tommy Tiny Lister Jr.
Haman: James Callis
Jesse: Jonah Lotan
Prince Memucan: Omar Sharif
Samuel: Peter O'Toole
Running time -- 124 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Director Michael O. Sajbel never gets a handle on a way to make the story come alive for modern audiences. Scenes jammed with beautifully costumed extras, exotic animals and impressive vistas of the city of Jodhpur quicken one's pulse. Yet whenever the camera moves inside those palaces for intrigues associated with empire building and bloody revenge, the movie devolves into a talky, static affair featuring a cast with wildly varying accents and acting abilities.
The unfortunate upshot is that One Night has little chance to cross over to audiences outside its Christian demographic even when Fox Home Entertainment takes over the DVD release in the spring after its national rollout today. The film's biggest potential hook -- the reteaming of Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif in their first movie since Lawrence of Arabia -- disappears in less than a minute. O'Toole appears fleetingly in a prologue, then vanishes, sharing nary a scene with Sharif.
The screenplay by writer Stephan Blinn (basing his script on the novel "Hadassah: One Night With the King" by Tommy Tenney & Mark Andrew Olsen) is filled with plots and schemes but little real action. Not that good filmmakers can't make a banquet out of palace intrigue. But all this movie can manage is meatloaf: Actors stand in awkward-looking poses to declaim dialogue often lifted directly from the Bible. The spark of genuine drama is everywhere missing.
Another problem is casting. As Esther, young American actress Tiffany Dupont's line readings are self-conscious and modern-sounding. Nor does she understand how to use her physical presence to claim scenes that should belong to her. English-born Luke Goss as King Xerxes is competent enough -- once one gets past his ill-defined accent -- but the story confronts him with a character who is more indecisive than Hamlet.
Xerxes wants to rule over a rich culture of enlightenment and tolerance. Yet his princes successfully pressure him into military adventurism. The villain, Haman (a one-note James Callis), bribes Xerxes into issuing a decree to slaughter all Jews within the kingdom. At this juncture, neither man realizes that the king's new wife, Esther, is Jewish. The key point of the story is how Esther, persuaded by her uncle Mordecai (John Rhys-Davies) that she must intervene, goes against all protocols to sway her husband's mind. And he changes his mind in a flash.
Distinguished work is turned in by the veteran Davies and by Tiny Lister Jr., who uses his deep, gravely voice and imposing physique as the royal eunuch to powerful effect. Israeli actor Jonah Lotan is effective as Esther's childhood friend, while Sharif is persuasive as a father figure to the waffling king.
The real heroes, though, are designer Aradhana Seth, costume designer Neeta Lula and cinematographer Steven Bernstein, who furnish a perfect setting for the tale. Jac Redford's generic background music, on the other hand, won't shut up.
ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING
Gener8Xion Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Michael O. Sajbel
Screenwriter: Stephan Blinn
Based on the novel by: Tommy Tenney, Mark Andrew Olsen
Producers: Matthew Crouch, Laurie Crouch, Richard J. Cook, Stephen Blinn, Lawrence Mortorff
Director of photography: Steven Bernstein
Production designer: Aradhana Seth
Music: Jac Redford
Costume designer: Neeta Lula
Editors: Gabriella Cristiani, Stephan Blinn
Cast:
Hadassah/Esther: Tiffany Dupont
Xerxes: Luke Goss
Mordecai: John Rhys-Davies
Prince Admantha: John Noble
Hagai: Tommy Tiny Lister Jr.
Haman: James Callis
Jesse: Jonah Lotan
Prince Memucan: Omar Sharif
Samuel: Peter O'Toole
Running time -- 124 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 10/13/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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