Joseph

Bible in hand, we marveled to see that this story followed the actual biblical account with astounding accuracy almost never seen in biblical productions. Entirely enjoyable and a marvelously acted piece, my entire family loved this movie. We had been expecting another biblical mish mash eliciting merely yawns, but were startled to see such a wonderful movie.

Martin Landau (Jacob) gave a fantastic performance, as did Ben Kingsley(Potiphar), Paul Mercurio(Joseph) (which bumps STRICTLY BALLROOM out of #1 on my Paul Mercurio list of favorite performances), Leslie-Anne Down was good as Potiphar's wife, and the 11 brothers of Joseph were fabulous. The supporting cast was excellent.

The sensitive and well rounded way in which this story was handled was fresh, creative, yet took no liberties in veering from the original story. Although it is not as spectacular in production as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and other such movies, this movie was more like it "really" would have happened complete with humanity in all of its misery and magnificence.

I can not speak highly enough of this movie. What a pleasant surprise. We even got a chuckle out of it now and then!


A very entertaining Bible epic   September 27, 1998
strega2 (USA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

TNT has put together a surprisingly good account of the Biblical story of Joseph, betrayed into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers. Martin Landau as Jacob and Ben Kingsley as Potiphar give their usual first-rate performances, with the role of Joseph also well-acted. Leslie-Anne Down is the lustful wife of Potiphar, who unsuccessfully tries to seduce Joseph, and lands him in the Pharoah's prison. This film offers a very credible depiction of life in the ancient Near East, from the desert tents of the Hebrews, to the claustrophobic walled towns like Sichem, to the lushness of civilized Egypt and the Pharoah's court. The film is faithful to the Biblical account, and succeeds in making it come alive on the screen. A well-acted, well-scripted, and entertaining film. END


The Best way to see Joseph   November 17, 2003
*STAR* (Providence, RI United States)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I bought this film after seeing most of it on A&E. This film is by far the best way to see Joseph. The settings are beautiful and the entire look of the production are perfect in presenting the story. The casting choices could not have been better! Paul Mercurio is a perfect Joseph. Everyone of the cast was perfect for their parts. This film is the best Joseph movie to date.


Joseph (1995)   June 8, 2000
Leonard J. Gleeson (Bayswater, Victoria Australia)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

This excellent production is without doubt the best version of the Joseph story that I've ever seen, treating fully and thoughtfully every aspect of this greatest ever "rags to riches" tale. It shows very clearly why Joseph is a truly great hero figure : Firstly, he distinguished himself by service and respect, to God, to his human master, and to his people (in that fixed order), putting himself a poor fourth; this contrasts sharply to many other so-called great men of history who

distinguished themselves through conquest. Secondly, he overcame all of the serious setbacks in his troubled life, as opposed to most of us, who are overcome by our disasters.

The production is basically very faithful to the Biblical account, and even tries to explain the more puzzling aspects of the story, such as Potiphar's ambivalent judgement after the "rape", or why Joseph never sought out his father after he achieved greatness. It also tries to show the Egyptian/Hebrew language barrier at times. The final parts are somewhat paraphrased, to save running time, but are still faithful to the essence of the story.

The performances of Ben Kingsley (Potiphar) and Martin Landau (Jacob) are superb, and Paul Mercurio (Joseph), despite his necessary youth and therefore less experience, does a good job, although his "body language" often outdoes his spoken one.

There are however a few negatives, such as the below-par sets and costumes, indicating perhaps a somewhat spartan budget. Also, Joseph's meteoric rise to governor not only features a poorly type- cast actor for Pharoh, but would have been far more plausible if his achievements in organizing Potiphar's house and Pharoh's prison were cited. Also, the distinction between slave and servant / commoner is blurred throughout; and the chronology of the story, with all those periods of "7 years", is not always the most probable one.

But overall this is an excellent, well recommended telling of the story of Joseph the Patriach.


joseph   October 24, 2002
Joyce Katende (dallas, texas)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

My God, i have never seen the story of Joseph in this light. I had no idea how commited, humble and faithful Joseph was in the bible. What watching this movie did for me is to reevalute my life and it caused me togo higher in intergrity at work, school and everywhere in my life and in addition, it made me realise how much everything i did was mediocre and how much i needed to live a life of excellence in everything that i did. It showed me that God is always faithful and that he is a rewarder of those who deligently seek him. Joseph suffered for like 13 years, but he spent the rest of his 70 something years in complete abundance in God. This movie has really been a blessing and i encourage everyone to get a copy of it. Believe me your life will never be the same.