Esther (1999 film)

*Esther*
Esther
	DVD release cover
Genre	Biblical drama
Based on	Book of Esther
Screenplay by	Sandy Niemand
Directed by	Raffaele Mertes
Starring	Louise Lombard ; F. Murray Abraham ; Jürgen Prochnow ; Thomas Kretschmann ; Ornella Muti ; Natasha Williams
Theme music composer	Ennio Morricone
Country of origin	United States; Italy; Germany
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Roberta Cadringher; Lorenzo Minoli
Cinematography	Giovanni Galasso
Editor	Alessandro Lucidi
Running time	90 minutes
Production companies	Five Mile River Films; Lux Vide ; Beta Film; Quinta
Original release
Release	December 5, 2000

Last updated December 07, 2024

Esther, also known as The Bible: Esther, is a 1999 American-Italian-German television film based on the Book of Esther, directed by Raffaele Mertes and starring Louise Lombard as Queen Esther, F. Murray Abraham as Mordechai, Jürgen Prochnow as Haman, Thomas Kretschmann as King Achashverosh and Ornella Muti as Vashti.

Plot

Hadassah, a beautiful Jewish girl, lives with her cousin (and legal guardian) Mordechai in Shushan, the capital of Persia. After King Ahasuerus deposes Queen Vashti for her refusal to obey him, he is advised to choose a new queen. Guards then search the entire kingdom for worthy candidates, taking them from their homes by force to the palace. Mordecai attempts to hide Hadassah but she is captured by the guards. For her protection and at the insistence of Mordechai, Hadassah changes her name to Esther, meaning "hidden". Esther and the rest of the young women are taken to the first harem, where they are placed under the custody of Haggai, a royal eunuch and chief custodian of the harem. Meanwhile, Haman, another royal advisor rises to power and the favor of the king. Memuchan, a trusted chamberlain of the king, is wary of Haman's ambition. Mordechai also makes an enemy of Haman, due to Mordechai's refusal to bow to Haman as others do. Haman plots revenge on Mordechai.

After a time of purification, it is time for Esther and the other women to present themselves to the king for one night each. After spending the night with Esther, the King falls in love with her and crowns her queen. Sometime later, Mordecai overhears a plot by two of the king's guards, Bigthan and Teresh, against the king and reports this to Esther. Esther exposes the plot to the king, and the men are sentenced to death.

The king's chamberlain Memuchan dies and King Ahasuerus mourns his loss. Esther requests to be received, but the king takes no heed. Haman comes and tells the king to govern once again, but the king takes no heed again. Esther leaves and believes she has lost the king's favor. The king then appoints Haman as lord chamberlain. The next day, Esther calls Haggai to her chambers and asks him what she should do to win back the king's favor. Haggai answers that she must be patient. Meanwhile, Mordechai once again refuses to bow to Haman. Haman's wife Zeresh, family and servants tell him that Mordecai does not respect him. This further angers Haman, and they suggest he builds a gallows 50 cubits high to hang Mordecai upon. Haman then goes to the king and tells him a certain race of people wish to overthrow the king. The king, concerned, gives Haman his signet ring which gives him the right to decree a law that even the king cannot change. Haman sends a decree to all provinces that they should kill all Jews within their borders. On hearing this decree, Mordecai dresses himself in sackcloth and ashes and mourns outside the palace gates for several days and nights. Upon hearing this, Esther orders her servant, Hatach, to give Mordecai clothes. Mordecai refuses them and gives the letter of the decree to Esther, telling Esther to petition the king, although it is forbidden to go before the king without being called. Esther is reminded that if the king holds out his golden scepter, her life will be spared. Esther tells Mordecai to gather all the Jews and fast for three days on her behalf. After three days, she dresses in the royal robes of state and goes before the king. The king holds out his scepter, asks her petition, and promises her that it shall be granted. Esther invites Haman and the king to attend a banquet she has prepared in her quarters. At the banquet, the king again asks Esther her petition and request. Esther promises the king that she will tell him her petition if they return to the banquet once again the following day.

That night, King Ahasuerus wakes up after having a nightmare, and not able to sleep, asks the royal eunuchs to read the chronicle. They discover that Mordecai was never rewarded for revealing the plot of Bigthan and Teresh. Haman comes to ask permission for the gallows, but the king asks what to do for a man the king wishes to honor. Haman believes that to refer to himself, and describes an ornate ceremonial parade through the city. He is then told to perform this in honor of Mordechai. The ceremony is completed, and Haman then returns to his house in shame and anger.

At Esther's second banquet, the king asks once again what she desires, and she asks him to spare her life and the lives of her people. The king asks her who would do dare raise a hand against her, and she reveals the plots of Haman, including the plot to kill her own cousin, Mordecai. The king, enraged, tells his guards to hang Haman on his own gallows. The king appoints Mordecai as his new lord chamberlain. Esther asks the king to revoke the law made by Haman, but as it is not possible to revoke a law made by the king, he tells her she must find another solution. With the help of Mordecai, she asks the king to create the law that for one day, the Jews can defend themselves against any that are persecuting them, and the king grants her request. After the fighting is over, Esther then passes a law that the Jews must celebrate the day that changed their fate, the celebration of Purim.

In the final scene, some of the Jews are shown returning home to Jerusalem, led by Ezra.

Cast

Louise Lombard as Hadassah / Queen Esther of Persia
F. Murray Abraham as Mordechai
Jürgen Prochnow as Haman
Thomas Kretschmann as King Ahasuerus of Persia
Ornella Muti as Vashti
Natasha Williams as Mimouna
Frank Baker as Ezra
John Hollis as Charbonah
Umberto Orsini as Memucan
Phil Davies as Chagai
Peter Halliday as Karshenah
Cristopher Ettridge as Hatach
Darren Branstord as Nehemiah
Renato Scarpa as an eunuch

Related Research Articles

The Book of Esther, also known in Hebrew as "the Scroll", is a book in the third section of the Hebrew Bible. It is one of the Five Scrolls in the Hebrew Bible and later became part of the Christian Old Testament. The book relates the story of a Jewish woman in Persia, born as Hadassah but known as Esther, who becomes queen of Persia and thwarts a genocide of her people.

Esther, originally Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical narrative, which is set in the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus falls in love with Esther and marries her. His grand vizier Haman is offended by Esther's cousin and guardian Mordecai because of his refusal to bow before him; bowing in front of another person was a prominent gesture of respect in Persian society, but deemed unacceptable by Mordecai, who believes that a Jew should only express submissiveness to God. Consequently, Haman plots to have all of Persia's Jews killed, and eventually convinces Ahasuerus to permit him to do so. However, Esther foils the plan by revealing and decrying Haman's plans to Ahasuerus, who then has Haman executed and grants permission to the Jews to take up arms against their enemies; Esther is hailed for her courage and for working to save the Jewish nation from eradication.

Mordecai is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is described in Tanna Devei Eliyahu as being the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin and member of the Sanhedrin. Mordecai was also the cousin and guardian of Esther, who became queen of Persia under the reign of Ahasuerus. Mordecai's loyalty and bravery are highlighted in the story as he helps Esther foil the plot of Haman, the king's vizier, to exterminate the Jewish people. His story is celebrated in the Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates his victory.

Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from annihilation at the hands of an official of the Achaemenid Empire named Haman, as it is recounted in the Book of Esther.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vashti</span> Character in the Book of Esther; queen of Persia

Vashti was a queen of Persia and the first wife of Persian king Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, a book included within the Tanakh and the Old Testament which is read on the Jewish holiday of Purim. She was either executed or banished for her refusal to appear at the king's banquet to show her beauty as Ahasuerus wished, and was succeeded as queen by Esther, a Jew. That refusal might be better understood via the Jewish tradition that she was ordered to appear naked. In the Midrash, Vashti is described as wicked and vain; she is viewed as an independent-minded heroine in feminist theological interpretations of the Purim story.

Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who according to the Hebrew Bible was an official in the court of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, commonly identified as Xerxes I but traditionally equated with Artaxerxes I or Artaxerxes II. As his epithet Agagite indicates, Haman was a descendant of Agag, the king of the Amalekites. Some commentators interpret this descent to be symbolic, due to his similar personality.

Esther is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. It is generally acknowledged to be the first English oratorio. Handel set a libretto after the Old Testament drama by Jean Racine. The work was originally composed in 1718, but was heavily revised into a full oratorio in 1732.

Hegai is a character from the Book of Esther, chapter 2, verses 3, 8, 9, and 15. The Masoretic Text also spells his name Hege. He is a eunuch placed in charge of Ahasuerus's harem. Chapters 9 and 15 state that Hegai treats Esther favorably; by acting on Hegai's advice, Esther makes a good impression when she is presented to Ahasuerus.

And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; ... So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king's house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.....Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.

Esther was the chief character in the Book of Esther. She is counted among the prophetesses of Israel. Allusions in rabbinic literature to the Biblical story of Esther contain various expansions, elaborations and inferences beyond the text presented in the book of the Bible.

Zeresh was the wife of Haman the Agagite who is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Esther.

Esther is an American opera in 3 acts composed by Hugo Weisgall, with a libretto by Charles Kondek. Esther was premiered by the New York City Opera in October 1993. The opera is about Esther's struggle as she becomes the queen of Persia, and her heroic triumph over the evil Prime Minister Haman and his plot of exterminating the Jews.

Bigthanand Teresh were two eunuchs in service of the Persian king Ahasuerus, according to the chapter 2 of the Book of Esther. According to the deuterocanonical/apocryphal additions to the Book of Esther available in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Bible, they were known as Gabatha and Tharra. Bigthan's name is also spelled "Bigtan" or "Bigthana". It is a Persian name which means "Gift of God".

<i>One Night with the King</i> 2006 American film

One Night with the King is a 2006 American religious epic film produced by Matt Crouch and Laurie Crouch of Gener8Xion Entertainment, directed by Michael O. Sajbel, and starring Peter O'Toole, Tiffany Dupont, John Rhys-Davies, and Luke Goss.

<i>The Book of Esther</i> (film) 2013 American TV series or program

The Book of Esther is a 2013 American biblical-drama film directed by David A. R. White and starring Jen Lilley as Esther. The film portrays a Jewish girl, Esther, who is chosen as the new queen consort to King Xerxes I of Persia and her efforts to stop evil Lord Haman's plot to exterminate the Jews. The film is loosely based on the biblical tale of the Book of Esther. It was released on June 11, 2013, in the United States as a direct-to-TV special.

Esther 2 is the second chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 1 and 2 form the exposition of the book. This chapter introduces Mordecai and his adoptive daughter, Esther, whose beauty won the approval of the king Ahasuerus, and she was crowned the queen of Persia. Given information from Mordecai, Esther warned the king of an assassination plan, so that the would-be assassins were executed on the gallows, and the king owed Mordecai his life.

Esther 5 is the fifth chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 3 to 8 contain the nine scenes that form the complication in the book. This chapter records that Esther's risky behavior to appear uninvited before the king Ahasuerus is richly rewarded, because the king generously offers to give her whatever she wants, 'even to the half of my kingdom', but Esther cleverly asks for nothing more than an opportunity to entertain her husband and his chief officer, Haman. Both men were pleased at her hospitality, but when the king again offers her half the empire, this time she requests only a second banquet. While Haman was happy to have been entertained by the queen, he became intensely distressed when Mordecai once more refused to bow down before him. Haman's wife, Zeresh, advised him to erect a monumental gallows intended for Mordecai, and only then Haman felt happy again to look forward to Esther's second banquet.

Esther 6 is the sixth chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 3 to 8 contain the nine scenes that form the complication in the book. This chapter relates how a sleepless Ahasuerus had his court annals read aloud and discovered that he had failed to reward Mordecai for passing on the information about the assassination plot. The episode leads to 'a marvellously ironic scene', as the narrative 'moves inexorably to its ultimate reversal', starting with Haman leading a king's horse carrying Mordecai, clothed in royal garb through the streets of Susa, and proclaiming the king's favor for Mordecai. Haman went home exhibiting mourning behavior and his wife predicted that Haman's intent to destroy Mordecai would end up with the opposite result.

Esther 7 is the seventh chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 3 to 8 contain the nine scenes that form the complication in the book. This chapter records the second banquet of Esther. The king Ahasuerus was then determined to grant her any request, so Esther spoke out about the death threat on her people and identifies Haman as the perpetrator of the projected genocide. The king went out to his garden in a rage, but shortly came back to see Haman seemingly threatening Esther on her recliner couch. This caused the king to command the hanging of Haman on the very gallows Haman intended for Mordecai.

Esther 8 is the eighth chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 3 to 8 contain the nine scenes that form the complication in the book. This chapter contains the effort to deal with the irreversible decree against the Jews now that Haman is dead and Mordecai is elevated to the position of prime minister.

Das Buch Esther is a German silent historical film from 1919, set in the time of biblical antiquity. The direction and script are by Uwe Jens Krafft and Ernst Reicher. Reicher and Stella Harf, who played the main roles, were married at the time.

References

↑ "Release dates for Esther (1999)". IMDb . Retrieved 18 August 2012.

External links

Esther at IMDb

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[imdb-1] "Release dates for Esther (1999)". IMDb . Retrieved 18 August 2012.

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