Product Description

One Night with the King is a sweeping epic about Hadassah, the young Jewish girl who becomes the Biblical Esther, Queen of Persia.

Despite her position, Hadassah's life is in danger, as the state has decreed that all Jews will be put to death. Defying warnings to remain silent, however, Hadassah struggles to save her people, evens as she seeks to win the heart of the king, in this exciting and inspiring story about destiny.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #687 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .5 pounds
• Running time: 123 minutes

Amazon.com
The moving biblical tale of Esther--a humble Jewish girl who saved her people from annihilation and won the heart of the handsome Persian king Xerxes--is the subject of One Night with the King, a lush ode to one of the Old Testament's most inspiring women. Esther, played with spark and confidence by Tiffany Dupont, could perhaps be said to be the first career woman to "have it all"--while also serving her people, and God. The film, shot on location in India, has the feel of the great epics of the '60s--a sensation underscored by the appearance, in small but pivotal roles, of both Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole. (Even Raiders of the Lost Ark's John Rhys-Davies--"Bad dates!"--echoes earlier desert adventures.) But the film belongs to the willful Esther, who navigates among war, bloodlust, persecution, and terror with the strength of knowing she's serving the Lord, and her people. If the film has a few anachronisms--including the young Esther's suitor, who has blonde streaks and a surfer-dude delivery ("The market was rilly busy today")--its heart and its focus never waver. Fans of biblical tales and well-made drama for the entire family shouldn't miss it. --A.T. Hurley

Customer Reviews

A Wonderful Love Story
Before anything else, I must say that I've read the Biblical book of Esther but NOT the book "Haddassah" by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen on which this film is based. With that said, I'll treat this film as just another love story and not an interpretation of the Biblical story of Esther, which does vary from this film quite a bit.

The story revolves around Haddassah (Tiffany Dupont), the lovely, wholesome Jewish daughter of Mordecai (the always wonderful John Rhys-Davies), a scribe for King Xerxes (Luke Goss). Early in the film, Xerxes "removes" his queen from power through the meddling of Prince Admantha (John Noble) and Haman (wickedly fun James Callis), both of which have their own delusions of grandeur in mind. Soon after, Xerxes goes on a quest to find a new queen to replace is "removed" one. Women throughout all the kingdom are taken to the king's palace and treated to all the wonders and niceties one would expect from the King of Persia. Eventually Xerxes falls for Haddassah (who's changed her name to the less Jewish-sounding Esther, for protection). While the two are falling for each other, Admantha and Haman are both putting their own plans for taking the kingdom into motion. One of those plans involves the destruction of all Jews in the kingdom. With both men attempting to convince Xerxes of their own plans, Esther has to stop the destruction of her people. If you're familiar with the Bible's version of "Esther," you already know how this tale ends.

Were liberties taken with the story? Yes, many in fact. Does it destroy the story of Esther? Absolutely not. This is a very good film with a wonderful cast. Unlike others, I failed to see the poor acting of the performers in this movie. Dupont did an excellent job of portraying Esther as a kindhearted and very loving person. John Rhys-Davies was fun as Mordecai, both proud and protective. Callis was probably my favorite of the bunch, portraying the double-crossing and vengeful Haman with vigor. Tommy "Tiny" Lister played Hegai, the Royal Eunuch in a loving manner. I feel that he loved Esther like a sister as much as Xerxes loved her as a wife.

I found no problem with the sound quality. I understood every word very clearly. Secondly, the visuals, especially the CGI created palace, were wonderful. The colors in this film hearkened back to the days of the old technicolor bright, popping colors that have long faded from many memories.

Overall, I highly recommend this film as a wonderful love story. Are there better films out there that are Biblically based? You bet. But as far as love stories go, this is one of the best in the last ten years.

Read the book of Esther 1st -- you will be glad you did!

The first time I went to see this movie, I enjoyed it (despite the obvious production flaws), but I was thoroughly overwhelmed by all the history & all the strange names & all the multiple/twisty-turny plotlines & so I walked out of the theater feeling like I didn't really grasp everything that happened ...

So then I went home & read the entire book of Esther (it doesn't take very long -- it's a small book) & then went BACK to the theater & watched the movie AGAIN ...

BIG DIFFERENCE!

At that point, I was also able to identify all the "poetic license" that was taken with the book of Esther, but I do NOT think that it detracted from the overall message & profound truth of the Biblical story -- rather, I think that it ENHANCED it.

And now, after watching "One Night With The King," the book of Esther is very REAL to me -- like it NEVER has been before.

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NOTE: IF YOU FOUND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL, THEN PLEASE GO & GIVE MY "THE LAST MIMZY" REVIEW A VOTE, BECAUSE IT IS CURRENTLY BEING SLAMMED BY FOLKS WHO THINK IT IS WRONG TO WRITE A MOVIE REVIEW FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE. AND, IF YOU'RE REALLY FEELING GENEROUS, THEN PLEASE ALSO VOTE FOR MY "DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS," "UNACCOMPANIED MINORS," "APOCALYPTO" & "WE ARE MARSHALL" REVIEWS. (THINK OF IT AS A "RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS" ;) THANK YOU! & LOTS OF HUGS & BLESSINGS TO ALL MY BROTHERS & SISTERS IN CHRIST <><

"Interesting, reverent, but somewhat flawed..."

This will not be an in-depth review. There are plenty of those already. Let me just offer a brief opinion from the perspective of a bible teacher and secular historian.

First of all, this film is a cut above the typical 'Christian' attempt at Hollywood quality. The scenery of ancient Persia looks more Indian than Persian, but the computer effects are quite acceptable and remind one (remotely) of the Lord of the Rings genre. (Made no less obvious by the casting of two of the stars from those films.)

Having said that, the film is not up to the quality of 'Joseph', Moses', or other such movies done on a Hollywood budget. The sound quality is not top-notch, and many lines are inaudible. The acting is better than expected, including a worthy effort by Tiffany Dupont as Esther. The King Xerxes character seemed somewhat strained and lacking at times, and Peter O'Toole makes only a brief cameo.

The weakest aspect of the film is the anachronistic and too often silly reliance on the star of David theme which reduced the historical accuracy (and believability) of the movie. Also disappointing was the deflating conclusion of a story which gleans much of its suspense from the hanging of Haman. This movie deserved a much better ending.

As a historian, I enjoyed the references to Greek democracy, Gilgamesh of Sumer, and the imminent downfall of King Xerxes at the hands of the Greeks. As a Christian, I appreciated what the directors attempted to do--make a modern, interesting retelling of the Esther story. Understanding the limitations mentioned, and accepting the liberties taken with adding 'flesh' to the bones of the story, most Christians will be at least mildly pleased with this effort.