One Night With the King

Hey guys, I get to go to the World Premiere of "One Night With the King" tonight. If you trust me, I'll give a review tomorrow morning.

More on the movie here:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/interviews/tiffanydupont.html

 

Go see this film!

One Night With the King played last night in Branson, MO at the IMAX Entertainment Complex. It was a sold-out show (over 530 seats) and people were lined up several hours before the show started. Honestly, I was keeping reservations about the film, simply because it was bankrolled largely by TBN and the Crouches. Because this was the premiere, TBN had all the big-wigs there for interviews and to see the film. Dino and his wife Cheryl, and even Jim Bakker was present. I began to really think I had sit on the outside, ready to leave.

Then the movie started. John Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones films, Lord of the Rings) as Mordecai, Omar Sharif (Hidalgo, The 13th Warrior) as Prince Memucan, John Noble (Lord of the Rings, Fracture), Tiffany Dupont (Cheaper by the Dozen, The Work and the Glory), and with an appearance by Peter O'Toole (Troy, Man of La Mancha) as Samuel, the prophet.

"One Night With The King" chronicles the life of the young Jewish girl, Hadassah, who goes on to become the Biblical Esther, the Queen of Persia, and saves the Jewish nation from annihilation at the hands of its arch enemy while winning the heart of the fiercely handsome King Xerxes.

OK, here goes.

Was the movie Biblically accurate? As far as I can tell, some things were condensed, others were embellished (as is normal for "hollywood") to make it longer. Also, Haman builds a 75-foot impaling pole to kill Mordecai in the story, but in the movie it's a gallows to hang him. As far as I can tell, that is the only major "change" in the story.

Was it entertaining? For the most part, yes. While it's not SpiderMan or an action film of your choosing, it is gripping. I especially love the effort of the writers to bring in other Biblical stories as evidence of the oral tradition of history from the Jews. All the performances were well done, especially Haman and Mordecai.

Would I recommend it to others? Yes! The story of how God places us where we need to be to effect His purposes here is quite evident in the story. Even unbelievers would enjoy this movie, although I would be amazed if they could glean as much from it as I did as a believer.

I give it 5 Persian rugs out of 5. :thumbs: :thumbs:

ADDENDUM: In Hollywood, the opening weekend says alot about what viewers want to see. Therefore, alot of weight is placed on the first weekend that a film is open (i.e. if it does well, producers/directors/actors see that and decide to make more films like it). Many of us bemoan the fact that movie studios don't bring us better family films or stories with a Christian worldview. Put your money where your mouth is, and go see this film THIS WEEKEND if possible.

 

On the Top 10 List at the Box Office this past weekend (10/13 - 10/15), One Night with the King was #9. It grossed over $4,000,000, while only playing on 900 or so screens. Good message guys... thanks for the support of Christian films. If you haven't seen the movie, I encourage you to go!