Moses the Lawgiver

The main thing that I liked about Moses The Lawgiver was that it dealt with a lot of what Cecil B. DeMille in his twice told tale failed to cover. A lot of things happened to the Israelites before they're allowed to cross the Jordan into Canaan. DeMille skipped over that whole part of the story. Of course it doesn't have the splashy spectacle that so typifies DeMille, but there's a lot to be said for this made for TV mini-series.

Burt Lancaster as Moses is not the commanding presence nor does he speak in arcane dialog as Charlton Heston did. He leads by persuasion and example and he has more than one reason to think those Hebrews are a 'stiff necked people'. The character of Aaron given short shrift by DeMille is more fully developed and played here by Anthony Quayle.

It was certainly a 20 year trial for Moses leading this bunch. These people did see this man come through for them many times in a crisis and still they carp and complain. Lancaster becomes irritable in a way Heston didn't and wouldn't. It's a more human Moses.

Bible scholars will praise this interpretation of the story, but the masses will still love their DeMille.

I remember watching this mini-series on TV with my family while I was on summer vacation from college. (Wow, over a quarter-century ago).

I really enjoyed it. The cast was first-rate, especially Burt Lancaster in the title role. I especially remember the sorrow that Moses felt when he had to pass a sentence of death upon a lawbreaker. He had no choice, but he still grieved that such a thing would be necessary. I also remember the resistance that Moses encountered at every turn from the non-believers and power-seekers. Highly recommended.

I had high hopes when I bought this. Who knows, Burt Lancaster is not just any actor. But oh, was I wrong. Even though you have to consider the time (1974) when there were no blue screen and visual effects departments like in these days, the editor did a bad job. Beside that there more flaws. Simple things like 2 different baby's Moses... and the biggest question: where did the director get the story from? You don't have to believe in the Bible to watch this movie, but even then, the whole movie is based on things that are pure imagination of the director but have nothing to do with any of the biblical stories, or even Jewish tradition. It was a huge disappointment, and I advise everyone if they want to see a good movie, and closer to reality, to watch the movie classic the Ten Commandments.

Conceived as mini-series this overlong picture has a valuable attributes, it was rather accurate according the old testament and was shot on location, however when I saw lavish The Ten Commandments of 1955 then there isn't any kind of collating such large gap of strength, thus unbeatable, whatever was the aspect, it's in another pattern.

Moses is plain and cheap as is easily be seen naturally along the picture, gross sets, poorest garments, scarce props, also the special effects done by the master Mario Bava is amiss, due the low budge and so on, in other hand a great foreigner supporting casting, Burt Lancaster portrays a great Moses, in historical background is untouchable and this way we shall be evaluate the movie itself and behold in this point of view.

Measure the great efforts to shot on location on a dry land with inappropriate sternly weather conditions at desert, sands, winds, in this specific point the assignment was fully accomplished, as a few numbers of votes this one is still unknown for the majority of IMDB's users, I saw it for the first time in early 1992 and now on DVD without any restoration, maybe never will be, sadly!!!

Resume:

First watch: 1992 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 6.5.

This earthy and realistic film is an excellent piece of Biblical History. It is true to the story in the Bible and is very engaging. Anyone that loves the Bible or just a historical piece will appreciate the effort that went into this. Burt Lancaster's son Bill plays the young Moses and does a brilliant job! Burt, of course, picks up where his son leaves off and gives a great performance. When you watch the actors in the scenes of the desert you can feel the heat and sweat. The earthy tones in the film give it a distinct character. The narrator does an excellent job while not interfering with the story itself. The lavish scenery gives the viewer a feast to behold.