Joseph (The Bible Collection)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Lesley Ann Warren, Martin Landau, Paul Mercurio, Sir Ben KingsleyBrand: TURNER HM ENTERTAINM
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 4.0; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 4.0; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 185 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Movie Reviews of Joseph (The Bible Collection)
Movie Review: Talented Bible Storytelling at Its Best
Summary: 5 Stars
If you hire a group of talented actors and actresses, stress high quality storytelling over special effects, and choose diverse but realistic settings, then you're likely to create a great film.
This is not Webber's "Technicolor" musical or the Dreamworks animated version of Joseph. Nor is it an epic-scaled romance such as DeMille's "The Ten Commandments". Its accuracy pays homage to the text of Genesis and it is full of drama, bitterness, provocative character, and spiritual development. This is the "Joseph" movie that an older audience can enjoy and appreciate while youngsters may learn something new. (Parents may still want to omit the seduction scene for their children.)
The film is long enough to flesh out the complexities of Joseph's background without taking away from the protagonist's ongoing journey. There is underlying tension and rivalry felt in Jacob's family of four wives and 12 sons. Joseph's jealous brothers sell him into slavery but other forms of vengance continue to test humanity e.g. the brothers wipe out Shechem for raping their sister, Potiphar's wife seeks to destroy Joseph, and Joseph himself contemplates punishing his brothers when they come to Egypt.
Since my high school class covered the story of Joseph in depth with the assistance of Torah commentaries, I appreciate the remarkable precision in the film from a Jewish perspective. Some lesser-known actions and events include Joseph's meeting with a "man", his title as "Tzafenath Paneah", the brothers return to Egypt with gifts, Benjamin's name change upon his mother's deathbed, and Judah's concern with his daughter-in-law.
The parallelism between Joseph and Judah's stories in the second half of the film is interesting. Both men have fallen from grace after being seperated from their families and are tried with scandals. Joseph refuses to succumb to his master's wife and is wrongly imprisoned. Judah must confess his actions with Tamar or watch her die. Both brothers redeem themselves through selfless actions--a hopeful reminder that virtue is not lost from Jacob's sons.
The casting is well-credited with Ben Kingsley (superb as ever) as Potiphar. Paul Mercurio has removed the shoes of an eccentric lively dancer in "Strictly Ballroom" and transformed himself into a striking impression of Joseph. One can see the strained torment on his face when he is sold to Potiphar and must endure the tauntings of the foreman and resist the temptations of Potiphar's nefarious wife. Mercurio carries his role throughout the film with grace and determination. I almost laughed aloud at Pharaoh's mannerisms in the courtroom. The most powerful ruler in Egypt is really pompous, arrogant, superstitious, and perhaps more than just a little scared of this G-d-fearing Semite.
Last of all, the stirring music is suited to the mood of every different scene and the Moroccan landscape is beautiful on screen. All of these admirable qualities are what makes "Joseph" such a praiseworthy film. It is an underestimated masterpiece of one of the Bible's most well known and unforgettable stories. Whether others are watching this film for educational, spiritual, or personal reasons, I hope they enjoy it as much as I did.
Summary of Joseph (The Bible Collection)
THE STORY OF A YOUNG MAN'S AMAZING JOURNEY FROM A SLAVE PRISONTO THE VERY INNER SANCTUM OF EGYPT'S PHARAOH.Similar DVD Movies
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