Moses the Lawgiver

This 2 hour version cuts out a lot of the interplay and character development of the mini-series that helps move the story along, and gives credence to the whole thing. If you can see the mini-series, do so.

The best thing about both the short and mini-series versions is the score by Ennio Morricone. He has composed one cue that I, personally, believe is the finest single cue he has ever written, and that is saying a lot, what with OVER 400 scores to his name. And Morricone, himself, called this one of his most difficult works at the time, having to compose, thru modern means, a score that depicts an ancient time and place. The score is magnificent, heart-wrenching, and haunting.

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.

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.

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.

To be fair to this biopic of the man who led the Jews from Pharaonic rule in Egypt to the land of Milk and Honey, there has been some serious effort put into the writing. It is less archaic than much of the original biblical text, but it does still manage to convey something of the gravitas of that tome - especially when delivered by Burt Lancaster in the title role. Now true, at times he does over-egg it on the earnestness front, especially towards the end, but for the most part he holds this together remarkably well. He is helped along by the equally rousing oratory of Sir Anthony Quayle who takes on the role of high priest Aaron and by a solid effort from Ingrid Thulin as Miriam. Sadly, though, these three cannot really compensate for the sluggish pace of the whole thing, nor the really pretty lacklustre supporting cast. That's probably best exemplified by Laurent Terzieff's weak performance as the Pharoah, but Mariangela Melato doesn't fare so very much better as Moses's adopted mother Bithia. It doesn't compare at all well with DeMille's "Ten Commandments" (1956) on the lavishness front, but I think it might outdo it on the authenticity front when they travel through the desert eking out an existence from the scraps they can find amongst the brush. It also goes some way to illustrating that all was not always sweetness and light amongst the tribes; that temptation was never far from many a mind and that, as many people may have found from reading the book of Exodus, their lord God wasn't always the easiest deity to keep sweet! This simply hadn't the budget nor Gianfranco De Bosio the imagination or vision to create something compelling to watch. It does have it's moments - thought the parting of the Red Sea maybe isn't one of them - but it needed a more robust and characterful cast to support the leads and much more succinct and focussed direction.