Richard Harris is brilliant as Abraham, strong as well as tender, and with the ability to convey emotion so perfectly in his voice that it's a performance that can be enjoyed by just listening to it.
It covers Genesis 11:27 through Chapter 22:17, and stays fairly close to the scripture,
though there are a few omissions, and some additions to fill out the film; I especially like Abraham teaching Ishmael and Isaac, in separate scenes, the principles of the sacrificial rite. Christians will appreciate that Isaac was one of the "types" that run through the Old Testament pointing to Jesus.
Among the other changes/additions are the shifting of the meeting with Melchizedek (Ch. 14), to after God makes a covenant with Abraham to give him the land of the "ites" in Ch. 15 (Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, etc ); Lot offering himself as well as his daughters to the people of Sodom as a substitute for his guests, and also in this film Lot is the one that suggests he separate his family and flocks from Abraham's, instead of the other way around.
Abraham was 75 when he started his immense journey of faith, and there are scenes where he talks and listens to God that are wonderful.
This would not be a good film for children however, as it is not a colorful film, with the sets and costumes all in earth tones, and there are many animals that suffer a bad fate, either from the famine that takes place in the early part of the film, or the sacrifices.
The cast is splendid, with Barbara Hershey excellent as the beautiful Sarah, as is Carolina Rosi, who makes a stunning Hagar. John Gottfried plays Abraham's faithful steward Eliezar, and two venerable international actors have smaller roles, Vittorio Gassman as Terah, and Maximillian Schell as Pharaoh.
Filmed in Quarzazate, Morocco, it has lovely cinematography by Raffaele Mertes, score by Marco Frisina, and is a way above average TV production...and for Richard Harris fans, a performance not to be missed.
