Esther (1999)

Keeping in mind the fact that this film was made in 1999 when technology was much more limited than it is today, this film is very good. It stays faithful to the book of Esther, but brings in other characters of the Bible, such as Ezra and Nehemiah. I'm not sure how historically accurate the timing is, but it was an interesting addition that helped keep the story in perspective.I also enjoyed the brilliant acting on the part of the main characters. On this note, the king seemed a bit too childish for a king, but in a way it does seem possible for a pampered palace brat to remain so even when grown. Still, he gets really mature and romantic when it really counts, so all is forgiven. :) The setting was alright, but I'm looking forward to a more recent version with a larger budget that will show Persia in all its glory.

The accuracy of the movie is pretty high. Even the dialog has quoted large chunks of the Bible and in many parts, they have attempted to extract and paraphrased many verses. It is quite biblical. I am inspired.Here are the parts which are most inspiring:1) Mordecai wailing in the streets, crying and praying. It depicted a man without any inhibition when it comes to expressing his emotions to God. It was recorded in the Bible and the movie depicted it accurately.2) The emphasis on the 3 days and nights fasting with praying was clearly depicted and was again very inspiring. Many verses from other parts of the Old Testament were quoted in their prayers. It relates fasting with a national catastrophe. 3) In the end, the wooing of the king by Esther was again accurately presented. Through her gutsy courage to appear before the court uninvited and throwing the two banquets for the king and Haman, the final climax was accurately depicted again.The movie, in short, was done to inspire and uplift the viewer spiritually. Well done and God bless!

This was the second version of the story of Esther that I have watched (third if you count the VeggieTales version), and it was much better than the other I'd watched. As far as I can remember the other Esther I watched--"One Night With the King"--had poor acting, and I was not pleased with it's adaptation of the Bible story. I was concerned that I'd find the same problems with this version; however, I was pleasantly surprised. "Esther" follows the Biblical account very well (which is one of the most romantic and exciting Bible stories--it has its own book of the Bible); in fact it brought some aspects of the story to light that I'd never noticed before. The actress playing Esther was perfect for the role (in fact, all the casting was well done). There was beautiful romance, but it did not "cross the lines" (in other words, minimal skin showed), and my mother and I fully enjoyed watching it together.

Obviously, as all movies based on The Bible this is only a good place to start one's introduction to The Bible....but this one is a very good intro in my opinion. As a student of The Bible for many years I found myself comparing the movie with the biblical text and found myself learning some interesting gems. For instance, this guy Ahasuerus really loved Esther deeply...which is brought out in the movie "and the scriptures" for those who care to note...why else would Ahasuerus offer Esther half the kingdom when she entered upon risk of her life and then he turns around later and offers to grant her request with "no limitations." There are other gems in this movie for those who care to see.