Joseph 

The Biblical story of Joseph, who was sold to slavery by his brothers who were jealous of his prophetic abilities to analyze dreams and of his being their fathers' favorite.

Stars:

Ben Kingsley, Paul Mercurio, Martin Landau

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Ben Kingsley	...	Potiphar 2 episodes, 1995
Paul Mercurio	...	Joseph 2 episodes, 1995
Martin Landau	...	Jacob 2 episodes, 1995
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Potiphar's Wife 2 episodes, 1995
Alice Krige	...	Rachel 2 episodes, 1995
Dominique Sanda	...	Leah 2 episodes, 1995
Warren Clarke	...	Ednan 2 episodes, 1995
Stefano Dionisi	...	Pharaoh 2 episodes, 1995

Storyline

The story begins in Egypt, in the marketplace of Avaris where Joseph is sold as a slave to Potiphar, the Pharaoh's Chief Steward. Joseph, the favored son of the patriarch Jacob, was given into captivity by his own envious brothers. A tireless and highly productive worker, Joseph wins his master's trust and is named steward of Potiphar's household. However, Joseph also unwittingly arouses the lust of Potiphar's wife. Luring him into her room one day, she orders Joseph to give her pleasure. But Joseph prefers punishment, even death, to betraying his master. As he flees from the room, the desperate woman tears off Joseph's garment and brandishes it as proof of her violation. As Potiphar questions him, Joseph begins to narrate the story of his past, a tale of suffering and hardship. We flash back to the time when Jacob and his family settled near the town of Schechem. It is a brief and unhappy stay, for when Jacob's daughter Dinah is ravished by the young prince of Schechem, Jacob's sons ...

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Plot Keywords:

tv mini series | brother | pharaoh | egypt | dream | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Details

Country:

Italy Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Joseph

Filming Locations:

Ouarzazate, Morocco

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beta Film, Lube, Lux Vide

Technical Specs

Runtime:

178 min (miniseries) 185 min (miniseries)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Mercurio is the son of Australian movie legend Gus Mercurio.

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Quotes

Judah: You will live to have your child and raise him as a mother should. Living in your own tent with respect and love.
[kisses Tamar]

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Connections

Featured in Word Pictures: Proving the Bible Through Archaeology (2000)

User Reviews

"Gripping, powerful, and faithful to Scripture!"

As a teacher of ancient history with an earned doctorate in Biblical theology, I must compliment the producers of 'Joseph' for doing the impossible: staying faithfully true to Biblical text, and holding the attention of young and old alike for three hours.

'Joseph' captures the power, pathos, and splendor of the greatest of Bible characterizations--Joseph, the hated brother, becomes not only lord over his entire family, but the second most powerful man in the ancient world. Ben Kingsley, as he did in 'Moses', and Martin Landau (as Jacob) steal the show, but Paul Mercurio does an admirable job as the main character. Vincenzo Nicoli is outstanding as the vengeful brother Simeon, and, as the last to confront the powerful Joseph--now his savior, Nicoli does nothing less than reduce us to tears.

The film is also true to the many nuances of Egyptian and Hebrew history, which most audiences would neither notice, nor care to notice; yet, such nuances prove highly effective! To note the Egyptians' penchant for cleanliness, and to depict Joseph's famous coat as not necessarily 'many colored' shows the expert research which went into this film.

Although some explicit (though historically accurate) sexual scenes must be screened from the very young, this film captures not only the drama and climactic ascension to a powerful emotional conclusion, but also the characterization of moral goodness so extant in Joseph. I watched 'Joseph' with my middle school students, and as they busily synthesized their thirty or so 'characteristics of a role model' into an essay, one of them asked why there were no such heroes today. The question at once revealed not only the impression this film made, but also the perceptive dearth of role-models in our modern society.

Though including a few anachronistic liberties (such as Joseph's "My God, my God..." paraphrase of Christ's cry from the cross, 'Joseph' is a winner! It is THE best of the TNT series, of which only 'Jacob' was a flop. Kudos for the direction, musical score, and casting directors; they are well-deserving of the awards which this film has earned. To quote Potifer: "...what matters most is the truth", and 'Joseph' delivers it with Biblical reverance and Hollywood expertise. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!