One Night with the King (2006)

Director:

Michael O. Sajbel

Writers:

Stephan Blinn (screenplay)
Mark Andrew Olsen (novel)

Release Date:

13 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Feel The Touch Of Destiny

Plot:

"One Night With The King" chronicles the life of the young Jewish girl, Hadassah, who goes on to become the Biblical Esther...

Plot Keywords:

Persia | Queen | Esther | Reference To Proverbs 25 2 | Purim

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Tiffany Dupont	...	Hadassah / Esther
Luke Goss	...	King Xerxes
John Noble	...	Prince Admantha
Omar Sharif	...	Prince Memucan
John Rhys-Davies	...	Mordecai
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	Hegai, the Royal Eunuch
James Callis	...	Haman, the Agagite
Peter O'Toole	...	Samuel, the Prophet
Javen Campbell	...	Prince Tarshish
Jyoti Dogra	...	Queen Vashti
Neal Bhattacharya	...	Bigthan
Jonah Lotan	...	Jesse
Dilshad Patel	...	Hannah ) (as Dilshad (I)
Nimrat Kaur	...	Sarah
Takesh Singh	...	Harbona, the Eunuch

Also Known As:

One Night with the King: The Call of Destiny (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for violence, some sensuality and thematic elements.

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Gener8Xion Entertainment

Trivia:

It took 3 years for the film to reach theaters.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Esther is running to see the king to plead for the Jews the scene switches back and forth between Xerxes, indoors, and Esther, outdoors. Esther is running through pouring rain yet when Xerxes is shown sunlight can be seen shinning through the windows onto the floor and across the faces of those in the room.

Quotes:

King Xerxes: [quite amused, watching Misgath attempt to mount her horse] By the looks of it, I must be allowing the candidates to keep their jewelry.
Hagai: [cringing] Perhaps a horse ride is not the best idea, my lord.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 2007 Camie Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Kingdom of Love

Great story ruined by poor screenplay and some bad casting choices

The story of Esther has great potential, but this film limps along with mediocre acting (especially from Luke Goss as Xerxes) and a sub-par screenplay. Most actors employ bad British dialects. The dialogue can't decide if it's from the King James Bible (using the word "thou") or modern America (using the word "okay.") I know the story well, and I was often confused by pointless scenes about a Greek battle subplot. I know the Greek war is historical, but it isn't in Scripture and it doesn't serve the story. I didn't buy the love story.

On a positive note, John Rhys-Davies, Omar Sharif, and Peter O'Toole (on screen for about five seconds) are very good. Lovely Tiffany Dupont displays charm and fun as Esther, although the performance is uneven.

I'm a Christian, and I'm disappointed in most films that deal with faith. Let's hope "The Nativity" is better.