Moses 

A retelling of the Bible story. Pharaoh Ramses II decrees the death of all Hebrew children, but Moses, placed in a basket in the Nile by his mother, is taken by a royal Princess and raised ... See full summary »

Stars:

Ben Kingsley, Frank Langella, Christopher Lee

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Ben Kingsley	...	Moses unknown episodes

Storyline

A retelling of the Bible story. Pharaoh Ramses II decrees the death of all Hebrew children, but Moses, placed in a basket in the Nile by his mother, is taken by a royal Princess and raised as the brother of the heir to the throne of Egypt, Mermefta. Moses is called by God to lead his people from Egypt to the promised land. A very reluctant prophet, feeling unworthy of the call, Moses accepts the task. After a series of plagues, Mermefta agrees to let the Hebrews go. With second thoughts, he pursues them to annihilation of his army in the parting of the Red Sea. Starvation is averted by manna from heaven, the ten commandments are given the people through Moses, they go astray with worship of the golden calf. Forty years of wandering in the wilderness, until finally they reach what will be their home (which Moses lives to see, but not to enter).

---

Plot Keywords:

tv mini series | character name as series title | moses character | ramses character | pharaoh | 

---

Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Crime | Drama | History

---

Details

Official Sites:

Five Mile River Films

Country:

Czech Republic Netherlands UK France Spain Italy Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Moses

Filming Locations:

Agadir, Morocco

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lube, Lux Vide, Beta Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

188 min 176 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Ben Kingsley and Frank Langella appeared in Dave (1993).

---

Quotes

Moses: We will leave this place when Egypt finally understands the power of the Lord.

---

Connections

Followed by The Apocalypse (2000)

---

Soundtracks

Background music
Organized by Enrico de Melis
Performed by Orchestra Sinfonica A. M. O. di R.
Conducted by Marco Frisina
Chorus - Accademia Polifonica de Roma
Directed by Fabrizio Barchi
Paola Cecchi - solo voice

User Reviews

The whole Moses story from his troublesome beginning to the end of his life.

This is probably the most beautiful of all the Moses films, and the poor colors of the film is rather an asset to its substance and character than a failure, like a sepia haze veiling the whole film in desert colors. Ben Kingsley makes a very different Moses from Burt Lancaster and Charlton Heston, much more human and sensitive, which could be nearer to the truth. His doubts and shortcomings are more convincing than Charlton Heston's icon and Burt Lancaster's authoritarian hardness. Like in "Moses the Lawgiver" with Burt Lancaster, Aaron is here given an important prominence and is impressively played by David Suchet, who almost transcends Ben Kingsley. Pharaoh is impressively played by Frank Langella and couldn't be more convincing, although, just like in "Moses the Lawgiver", he is entirely wrong. Ramses II was the Pharaoh at the time, Merenphtah ruled only for a short time after his death as an already old man, and Yul Brunner remains the best Pharaoh on film in "The Ten Commandments", which by general consent remains the best Moses film even after almost 60 years. Ennio Morricone succeeds even better in this film with the music than he did in the Burt Lancaster version, it guilds and caresses every scene in perfect moods and colors and adds to the very sensitive portrayal of the Moses complexities, which remain inexplicable to this day. This is perhaps the only Moses film to really love.