La Bible : Moise

While Ben Kingsley is a great actor his adaptation of Moses is not one of his better roles. He simply is not believable as the great Hebrew leader. Regardless of this fact the movie is definitely worth watching.

This is probably the most beautiful of all the Moses films, and the poor colors of the film is rather an asset to its substance and character than a failure, like a sepia haze veiling the whole film in desert colors. Ben Kingsley makes a very different Moses from Burt Lancaster and Charlton Heston, much more human and sensitive, which could be nearer to the truth. His doubts and shortcomings are more convincing than Charlton Heston's icon and Burt Lancaster's authoritarian hardness. Like in "Moses the Lawgiver" with Burt Lancaster, Aaron is here given an important prominence and is impressively played by David Suchet, who almost transcends Ben Kingsley. Pharaoh is impressively played by Frank Langella and couldn't be more convincing, although, just like in "Moses the Lawgiver", he is entirely wrong. Ramses II was the Pharaoh at the time, Merenphtah ruled only for a short time after his death as an already old man, and Yul Brunner remains the best Pharaoh on film in "The Ten Commandments", which by general consent remains the best Moses film even after almost 60 years. Ennio Morricone succeeds even better in this film with the music than he did in the Burt Lancaster version, it guilds and caresses every scene in perfect moods and colors and adds to the very sensitive portrayal of the Moses complexities, which remain inexplicable to this day. This is perhaps the only Moses film to really love.

We have seen almost every interpretation of Moses and the Exodus. Film, Made for T.V. Movie even the Animated effort(s) and the question remains why did they bother?! There is only one (1) version worth watching and it is shown every year around Easter/Passover on the ABC Network. Cecil B. DeMille's THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, Paramount (1956). Better yet, buy it on DVD and get both his versions.

Yes, we know all the faults of the film. A presentation suitable for a early 20th Century Stage melodrama. SFX that could/should have been tighten up. Plus some over the top acting, but that ignores the positives. Egypt looked like a powerful EMPIRE, which it was. Not some back-water mono-chromatic third world state. When GOD struck down with its POWER, you knew IT meant business. Rameses was a Rat, Nefretiri a over sexed nymphomaniac and Moses true to the Lord, without the second guessing introspective.

What you get in MOSES is a wimp, who whines about doing the Almighty's will. Weasly Hebrews who are not worth saving and SFX which would have been better done in the 1935, let alone in 1995! Plus a musical score which is not forgettable, but not even noticed. It takes more then a strong cast to make a great film. It takes a Director/Producer that loves the subject matter. There is no doubt that DeMille filled the bill in both matters.

April 1, My husband and I watched this movie Easter Sunday and it seemed appropriate. We both agreed that it was very well depicted,and fairly accurate in it's portrayal of Moses and the events he was involved in. His compassion and frustration for his fellow Israelites was very moving. Ben Kingsley is a very good actor. And yes, we did find the exceptionally white teeth of some of the actors disarmingly distracting. What toothpaste do they use?????? :-) "No Christ,No Peace......Know Christ,Know Peace!."

Just finished watching Moses (1995) for the first time ever and for a TV Mini Series version of this story, it was great.

Positives for Moses (1995): Ben Kingsley does a great job as Moses and it's very different from Charlton Heston which I appreciate a lot. I can also say the same for Frank Langella as Merneptah and Christopher Lee as the Pharaoh. There are some great shots of the desert landscape. And finally, I enjoyed the journey our characters go on in the desert.

Negatives for Moses (1995): This Mini Series lacks the grand and larger-than-life scape and atmosphere of the two Ten Commandments movies. Also, I did get a little bored with the journey in the desert. And finally, some of the effects don't stand out a lot despite being decent.

Overall, Moses (1995) is a great TV Mini Series about the story of Moses and I would recommend it.