another "Night with the King'

One of the DVD releases tomorrow is One Night with the King. I encouraged everyone to go see it upon its November theater release and it was not disappointing. It was also shown on TBN this New Year's Eve past. It was historical, romantic, uplifting, endearing, and dramatic with wonderful cinematography and costume. You'd think I was talking about an oscar nomination. But truly this was a heartwarming and enjoyable family film (a few scenes are realistically very graphic). It stars an international cast the likes of:

• the once again ever engaging Omar Sharif who was born in Egypt. Did you know that his 'films were banned in his native Egypt because he made love to a Jewish woman onscreen' in Funny Girl? He's also rather well known for his enthusiasm for playing bridge.
• Tommy 'Tiny' Lister who launched his acting career from that of a wrestler with the likes of Hulk Hogan; you may remember (not so) Tiny in Posse or maybe as the President in The Fifth Element. He is in a movie in post production now called Ascension Day. The brother was born in my native Compton.
  
• the Irish Peter O'Toole who is no stranger at all to epic movies.
• the affable John Rhys-Davies of Wales and the foreboding Australian John Noble both of whom I remember from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Rhys-Davies, who plays the key character Mordecai, I also remember among other films from the Indiana Jones films of which a fourth is in pre-production.
• the relatively unknown Georgian leading actress Tiffany Dupont is excellent as Esther.
  
• the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) is played undauntingly by the British twin Luke Goss. He has a list of credits to his name, most of which I have not seen, and has four in post-production now.
• the irrepressible Haman, the Amelekite, was excellently played by British James Callis who himself is Jewish. I know him best as Dr. Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica - one of the television series I'm addicted to. He's also done a pattern of films like Arabian Nights, Helen of Troy, Jason and the Argonauts.

The historic hand of God told in this epic is celebrated to this day in the Biblical Feast of Purim. I highly recommend you feast upon the story unfolded (so touchingly told you ladies you may need kleenex as did I) and enter the world of Esther through One Night with the King. It's a keeper.