Moses the Lawgiver (1974– )

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quayle, Ingrid Thulin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Lancaster	...	Moses
Anthony Quayle	...	Aaron
Ingrid Thulin	...	Miriam
Irene Papas	...	Zipporah
Aharon Ipalé	...	Joshua
Joseph Shiloach	...	Dathan
Marina Berti	...	Eliseba
Shmuel Rodensky	...	Jethro
Mariangela Melato	...	Princess Bithia
Laurent Terzieff	...	Pharaoh Mernefta
Bill Lancaster	...	Young Moses (as William Lancaster)
Jacques Herlin	...	Magician
Galia Kohn
Mario Ferrari	...	Pharaoh Ramses II
Simonetta Stefanelli	...	Cotbi

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

whipping post | chest whipping | desert | migration | biblical | 

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Taglines:

Announcing the Most Magnificent Human Spectacle Ever Filmed!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Moses

Filming Locations:

Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated Television (ATV), Incorporated Television Company (ITC), Radiotelevisione Italiana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

360 min 141 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Just as Charlton Heston's son Fraser played the infant Moses in The Ten Commandments, Burt Lancaster's son Bill (as William) plays Moses as a young man.

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Quotes

Moses: [as he forces a searing punishment - melted gold from the calf - on the idolaters at Mount Herob] ... What you took unto the spirit, you must now take unto the flesh. What you kissed, you must now eat and drink.

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Connections

Version of The Ten Commandments (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Moses Theme"
Composed by Ennio Morricone
Performed by Gianna Spagnolo & Coro e Orchestra dell'Unione Musicisti Romani
(Main Titles)

User Reviews

Gianfranco De Bosio's Moses

Despite a great performance by Burt Lancaster, this umpteenth

telling of Moses' story suffers from a lack of direction on the film

makers' part.

In case you have not seen the superior "The Ten Commandments" or "The Prince of Egypt," here goes (in a

nutshell): The Egyptian pharaoh decides to quash the Israelites by

killing all of the male children. Baby Moses is put in a basket in the

Nile by his sister, and he floats down to the pharaoh's palace, and

is raised by the royal family. He leaves after seeing the injustices

the Egyptians have put on the Israelites, and becomes a

shepherd. He is picked by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to

the Promised Land, and brings God's word and wrath to the

people of Egypt and his former "cousin," now the new pharaoh.

After many plagues and curses, all done in a mediocre way by

special effects guy Mario Bava, Moses leads his people into the

desert, where they promptly start complaining more than a line of

disgruntled consumers at the Wal-Mart return desk the morning

after Christmas. Moses' faith is never shaken, despite the actions

of his people, and God shows Moses the Promised Land, and

deals with the complainers. In the end, Moses dies, after giving us

the Ten Commandments and an overlong film.

If you want the real story of Moses, read a book called The Holy

Bible, it explains things much better than I can. But about the film:

Burt Lancaster plays the younger brother of Anthony Quayle

(Aaron). The problem is Lancaster is younger than Quayle by only

one month. Lancaster is just way too old to be in this part. He

looks sixty when he is supposed to be in his thirties, and he looks

sixty when he is supposed to be above one hundred. Lancaster is

good in the role, however, delivering his lines with passion and

never coming across as some good actor doing his duty in

appearing in a Biblical epic. Anthony Quayle, and his British

accent, is also good as Aaron. Irene Papas, as Moses' wife, has

maybe two lines, despite being third billed. The rest of the cast is

made up of mostly Italians, as this was filmed in Rome and Israel.

The film suffers from trying not to be compared to better Hollywood

films on the subject, but it is hard not to do. There are scenes here

that run twice as long as they should. The film is an amazing 144

minutes long, and in desperate need of editing. Scenes are cut

short, in characters' midsentence, or overlong. The film is also very

cheap, substituting stock footage for locust swarms and sand

storms. Mario Bava did the special effects? I fell out of my chair at

that end credit.

There are some very effective scenes, mostly dealing with the

pharaoh's wrath, but there is not enough emotion here to make

this compelling viewing. Despite the (G) rating on the video copy I

rented, this is not meant for young children, either, especially the

scenes of Israelite boys being tossed into the Nile.

This plays like an extended episode of my arch nemesis: "The

Greatest Heroes of the Bible" series, and that is unfortunate.

Despite a game cast and some dramatic scenes, "Moses" does

not deliver on its promise. I cannot recommend it.

Although rated (G), or (PG), this contains strong physical violence,

gore, and adult situations.