Esther (1999 film)
Encyclopedia
Esther, also known as The Bible: Esther, is a 1999 American
television movie
directed by Raffaele Mertes
starring Louise Lombard
as Queen Esther, F. Murray Abraham
as Mordecai
, Jürgen Prochnow
as Haman
, Thomas Kretschmann
as King Ahasuerus and Ornella Muti
as Queen Vasthi
.
It aired in the United States
on November 5, 2000.
), a beautiful Jewish girl, lives with her cousin Mordecai (F. Murray Abraham
) in Susa
, the capital of Persia. After King Ahasuerus (Thomas Kretschmann
) deposed Queen Vashti
(Ornella Muti
) of her trone, he decrees an order to choose a new queen. Hadassah changes her name to Esther, meaning "star" and is chosen by the king.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
directed by Raffaele Mertes
Cinema of Italy
The history of Italian cinema began just a few months after the Lumière brothers had patented their Cinematographe, when Pope Leo XIII was filmed for a few seconds in the act of blessing the camera.-Early years:...
starring Louise Lombard
Louise Lombard
Louise Lombard is an English actress.-Early life and education:Lombard's parents left Dublin in the mid-1950s. Lombard was born in London, England, the fifth child of seven siblings to a family of Irish extraction.Lombard began taking drama lessons when she was eight...
as Queen Esther, F. Murray Abraham
F. Murray Abraham
Fahrid Murray Abraham is an American actor. He became known during the 1980s after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. He has appeared in many roles, both leading and supporting, in films such as All the President's Men and Scarface...
as Mordecai
Mordecai
Mordecai or Mordechai is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He was the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin.-Biblical account:...
, Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
as Haman
Haman (Bible)
Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who, according to Old Testament tradition, was a 5th Century BC noble and vizier of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, traditionally identified as Artaxerxes II...
, Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
as King Ahasuerus and Ornella Muti
Ornella Muti
Ornella Muti is an Italian actress. She was born in Rome as Francesca Romana Rivelli, to a Neapolitan father and Russian mother. Her maternal grandparents immigrated from Leningrad , Russia, to Estonia...
as Queen Vasthi
Vashti
Queen Vashti is the first wife of King Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, a book included in the Hebrew Bible and read on the Jewish holiday of Purim. She is banished for her refusal to appear at the king's banquet, and Esther is chosen to succeed her as queen. In the Midrash, Vashti is described...
.
It aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 5, 2000.
Plot
Hadassah (Louise LombardLouise Lombard
Louise Lombard is an English actress.-Early life and education:Lombard's parents left Dublin in the mid-1950s. Lombard was born in London, England, the fifth child of seven siblings to a family of Irish extraction.Lombard began taking drama lessons when she was eight...
), a beautiful Jewish girl, lives with her cousin Mordecai (F. Murray Abraham
F. Murray Abraham
Fahrid Murray Abraham is an American actor. He became known during the 1980s after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. He has appeared in many roles, both leading and supporting, in films such as All the President's Men and Scarface...
) in Susa
Susa
Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers....
, the capital of Persia. After King Ahasuerus (Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
) deposed Queen Vashti
Vashti
Queen Vashti is the first wife of King Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, a book included in the Hebrew Bible and read on the Jewish holiday of Purim. She is banished for her refusal to appear at the king's banquet, and Esther is chosen to succeed her as queen. In the Midrash, Vashti is described...
(Ornella Muti
Ornella Muti
Ornella Muti is an Italian actress. She was born in Rome as Francesca Romana Rivelli, to a Neapolitan father and Russian mother. Her maternal grandparents immigrated from Leningrad , Russia, to Estonia...
) of her trone, he decrees an order to choose a new queen. Hadassah changes her name to Esther, meaning "star" and is chosen by the king.
Cast
- Louise LombardLouise LombardLouise Lombard is an English actress.-Early life and education:Lombard's parents left Dublin in the mid-1950s. Lombard was born in London, England, the fifth child of seven siblings to a family of Irish extraction.Lombard began taking drama lessons when she was eight...
as Queen Esther - F. Murray AbrahamF. Murray AbrahamFahrid Murray Abraham is an American actor. He became known during the 1980s after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. He has appeared in many roles, both leading and supporting, in films such as All the President's Men and Scarface...
as MordecaiMordecaiMordecai or Mordechai is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He was the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin.-Biblical account:... - Jürgen ProchnowJürgen ProchnowJürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
as HamanHaman (Bible)Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who, according to Old Testament tradition, was a 5th Century BC noble and vizier of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, traditionally identified as Artaxerxes II... - Thomas KretschmannThomas KretschmannThomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
as King Ahasuerus - Ornella MutiOrnella MutiOrnella Muti is an Italian actress. She was born in Rome as Francesca Romana Rivelli, to a Neapolitan father and Russian mother. Her maternal grandparents immigrated from Leningrad , Russia, to Estonia...
as Queen VasthiVashtiQueen Vashti is the first wife of King Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, a book included in the Hebrew Bible and read on the Jewish holiday of Purim. She is banished for her refusal to appear at the king's banquet, and Esther is chosen to succeed her as queen. In the Midrash, Vashti is described... - Natasha WilliamsNatasha WilliamsNatasha Williams is an actress based in Britain.Williams is known for playing the role of PC Delia French in the long running ITV drama The Bill. She also played the role of a pharmacist in "Gridlock", an episode of Doctor Who that was broadcast on 14 April 2007, and appeared in Powers in 2004...
as Maimuna