Ester y el rey

What do you get when you put middle-range American stars in the leading roles in a peplum film? Pretty good peplum, that's what. Contrary to what one might expect, "Esther and the King" is not a lavish Hollywood historical spectacle in the mode of DeMille, but is an Italian production using Joan Collins and Richard Egan to play the eponymous characters. For this reason the film is often characterized as a bargain-basement epic, whereas it is actually a peplum with a slightly higher than average budget. Appealing performances by the leads, a delightfully schlocky musical score, a good story, and atmospheric sets and cinematography makes this an enjoyable sword-&-sandal effort.

I've always thought that the story of Esther And The King in the Bible is a fascinating account of palace intrigue. Maybe one of the earliest ones we have though the Old Testament gives a nice account of all the power plays in the Saul, David and Solomon monarchies of Israel as well.

Joan Collins in her salad days plays Esther who has a relative in high places, that being Mordecai one of the Persian King Ahaseurus's chief councilors. His rival is Haman who is one serpentine rival, a reckless intriguer, but he's also Persian so he has that advantage with the king who is played with proper noble bearing by Richard Egan. All that Denis O'Dea as Mordecai has going for him is the sound advice he gives. But it illustrates a line that George Peppard spoke in the war film Tobruk about Jews always being guests in someone else's country.

Haman is played by Italian actor Sergio Fantoni who American fans probably best know as the sympathetic Italian lieutenant in Von Ryan's Express. This guy loves intrigue for its own sake, for the rush it gives him. Eventually that's what does him in.

The reason that Egan has to take a new wife is that the old wife Queen Vashti was doing a lot of catting around while he was at war. She's played by Daniele Rocca and it's a shame that lady didn't become better known. She was quite the looker.

Esther And The King gets the usual revisions DeMille style for biblical epics. I saw it over 50 years ago in the theater and it holds up very well. And it's a chance to see Joan Collins play a virgin.

This is a good looking movie, too bad it is so mediocre. Joan Collins is beautiful and her acting is okay, but it can't save this movie. The other actors were okay too. This movie was hampered by the campy dialogue and a mediocre script. I was unhappy that partway through the movie, the story veers away from the traditional bible story of Queen Esther. I heard that this movie is one of Joan Collins' least favorite movies, and I understand why now. Somehow, if the writer of this movie had gone the traditional route of Queen Esther accusing Haman at the banquet, there would be the much needed drama and excitement.

However, if anyone has a hankering to see a real campy film filled with pretty people, pretty clothes and silly dialogue, this is it!

I give this movie a "D".

Much like another feminist and contemporaneous Biblical epic i.e Henry Koster's THE STORY OF RUTH (1960), this turns out to be more enjoyable and even compelling than one expects it to be. Actually, although I was aware of Mario Bava's engagement as a cinematographer here, it had not occurred to me that he was also a co-director (which prompted this unforeseen revisit from yours truly – a few weeks after Good Friday which would have been the ideal time for it). As was often the case with such U.S./Italian co-productions, a Hollywood veteran 'supervised' the production actually helmed by an Italian craftsman; in Bava's case, he had already collaborated with Jacques Tourneur on THE GIANT OF MARATHON (1959) and would do so again with Henry Levin on THE WONDERS OF ALADDIN (1961; see my review above). However, when it comes to ESTHER AND THE KING, it seems that Raoul Walsh's involvement was much more hands on since, atypically for him at the twilight of his impressive career, he was also the producer and co-screenwriter of the film! Joan Collins and Richard Egan ably portray the titular roles of the Hebrew maiden and the Persian King and the cast list is peppered with recognizable faces that add appeal to the alternately solemn and campy proceedings: Denis O'Dea (in his last screen appearance as Collins' uncle and Egan's trusted counselor), Rik Battaglia (as Collins' embittered fiancé and Egan's former friend), Sergio Fantoni (clearly enjoying himself a great deal as the film's leering villain), Daniela Rocca (as Egan's nymphomaniac wife – the dance sequence ending with her topless has to be seen to be believed), Rosalba Neri (as Fantoni's ambitious but ill-fated mistress), Gabriele Tinti (as Battaglia's pal) and Folco Lulli (regrettably wasted in a throwaway cameo towards the end of the film). While the few scattered fight sequences are not particularly vivid or exciting, another element I enjoyed was the equally rousing and lovely music score that is here credited to Angelo Francesco Lavagnino (a peplum veteran) and Roberto Nicolosi (a Bava regular).

They say it's more Mario Bava's work than Raoul Walsh's whose métier was not really the biblical epic .The cinematography ,often dark,recalls some of the Italian director's horror movies,particularly Haman's henchman's murders.And I think that Joan Collins was better at playing a Villainess as she did in Hawks' "land of the pharaohs" .

The part of Simon-played by Ric(k) Battaglia ,a specialist of the cheap Italian sword and sandal ,who played such figures as Orlando(Roland) or Vercingetorix- was made from start to finish by the screenwriters ,to create a dilemma for the heroine.The Bible,anyway,is given a rough ride :nothing is told ,for example ,about the fact that Mordecai -not Esther's uncle ,but actually her cousin,which does not make a big difference anyway- did not want to make a deep bow to Haman.

Richard Egan ,on the other hand, is a good king ,he has style ,and he is as convincing a monarch as he is the good doctor,Pollyanna's friend ,the same year.