The Message (1977)

Handsomely-mounted historical epic concerns the birth of the Islamic faith and the story of the prophet Mohammed -- who... See full synopsis »

Director:

Moustapha Akkad

Writers:

H.A.L. Craig, Tewfik El-Hakim,

Stars:

Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Michael Ansara

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Quinn	...	Hamza
Irene Papas	...	Hind
Michael Ansara	...	Abu Sofyan
Johnny Sekka	...	Bilal
Michael Forest	...	Khalid
Garrick Hagon	...	Ammar
Damien Thomas	...	Zaid
André Morell	...	Abu-Talib
Martin Benson	...	Abu-Jahal
Robert Brown	...	Otba
Rosalie Crutchley	...	Somaya
Bruno Barnabe	...	Umaya
Neville Jason	...	Jaafar
John Bennett	...	Salool
Donald Burton	...	Amr

Storyline

Handsomely-mounted historical epic concerns the birth of the Islamic faith and the story of the prophet Mohammed -- who... See full synopsis »

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Plot Keywords:

people of the book | arab culture | prophet | great religion | christanity | 

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Taglines:

The story of Islam

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Lebanon Libya Kuwait Morocco UK

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

8 July 1977 (France)

Also Known As:

Mohammad: Messenger of God

Filming Locations:

Libya

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmco International Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

177 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Germany) Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It took 4 ½ months to build the ancient city of Mecca.

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Quotes

Bilal: There is no compulsion in religion. A man may take many years, or only need minutes. It is God who decides the time.

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Connections

Featured in The Making of an Epic: Mohammad Messenger of God (1976)

User Reviews

Generally forgotten in the USA -- with sad aspect.

I don't think this movie has been shown in the United States for about twenty years, it was shown in theaters, then on the limited cable systems of the time, and then poof, haven't heard much about it. I'd be curious if it is continued to be played in other parts of the world. As I recall, it was difficult to follow, though Quinn is almost always entertaining to watch. It seemed a minor epic, though taking on a tough topic.

The sad part about this movie is that some Islamic extremists engaged in some terror attacks in protest of the film -- protesting that one should never show the likeness of Mohammed, Islam's tenets deeming it blasphemous. They never bothered to find out that the film didn't show him at all.