Customer Reviews

Bible Series Set

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Overall these are very accurate. I would like to point out, that many biblical scholars believe that Solomon did in fact marry the queen of Sheba. This is based on the history of the nation of Sheba (aka Ethiopia) and although the Bible dosen't explicitly say that they were married, there is nothing in Scripture that would contradict it. In fact the people of the Ethiopian nation were followers of the Jewish faith, that is why the Ethiopian enuch in Acts is reading from the Old Testament. According to the history of that country Solomon and the queen had a son and he sent priests and Levites to train him in the faith. This isn't somthing that the films makers made up.

Esther and Jeremiah are also very accurate, but I thought that Genesis was a little slow. It is mainly narative. After the story of the Creation it could have been acted out.

A romanticized but quite accurate account of what is written in I Kings and II Chronicles, this made-for-television film is exceptional and boasts a brilliant international cast and fabulous settings.
Filmed in Quarzazate, Morocco, the landscapes are wonderful, and the buildings and set decoration, in warm amber shades, are a visual delight, enhanced by the cinematography of Raffaele Mertes. The terrific score by Patrick Williams also adds much to the atmosphere.

The section devoted to the Queen of Sheba has been embelished, but Viveca A. Fox is ravishing as the queen, and it makes for great drama.
The emphasis on this part is to show Solomon's destructive tendencies; women were his weakness, and the rationalizations for his behavior his undoing. From Adam to modern history, it's a common story, but in the case of Solomon, what he gave up for his weakness was God's mighty blessing, and the inheritance he would leave his heirs.

Ben Cross ("Chariots of Fire") as this complex character is marvelous, and he is surrounded by a superb supporting cast. Though it's hard to take the nordic air from Max von Sydow (who in 1965 played Jesus in "The Greatest Story Ever Told"), he is nevertheless an aging giant of a man as King David, and France's great Anouk Aimee plays Solomon's mother Bathsheba with vigor, as she holds on to the reins of power with tenacity.
Other notable performances come from David Suchet (who was so good in the 1998 "The Perfect Murder") as Joab, Ivan Kaye as Solomon's half-brother Adonijah, and Richard Dillane as the laborer who ultimately rules ten of the twelve tribes, Jeroboam. Even the smallest parts are believable, which reflects on the excellent direction by Roger Young.
This is a Bible epic well worth owning for repeated viewing; some of it is poetic, some of it action-packed, often inspiring and thought provoking, and always fascinating.

Three out of these four DVDs are excellent! This is probably the nicest series of Bible stories available. The photography is beautiful, as well as the costumes, props and sets; the acting of the main characters is superb, likeable and believable; and the scripts usually stay very close to the actual Bible verses.

Genesis is the only stinker in this set. It is nothing like the other 3. The Genesis DVD has nice photography, but it does NOT act out the Bible scenes like the other three movies do! Genesis just narrates a reading of the book of Genesis, while showing contemporary desert people going about their daily lives.

If you are undecided about buying the whole set, then I would suggest buying at least one of these separately. "Jeremiah" is my favorite, and it really captures the attitude of a humble prophet being persecuted by the wayward Israelites. "Esther" is probably the most accurately told of these three good movies. It is a pretty clear storytelling, where the other movies sometimes change the order of events (but still portray the overall message accurately). "Solomon" covers the biggest chunk of Scripture, retelling many scenes of the life of Solomon and what Solomon wrote in the Bible.

I would rate the Genesis movie with 1 star, for being so misleading as to its content. But the other 3 films, Esther, Solomon, and Jeremiah are all 5 star movies! Even with the useless Genesis, the price of this DVD set is still a bit cheaper to buy the three good movies here, at one price, than to buy them one at a time.

This movie is very similar in style to King David. In fact, it would make a lot of sense to watch them in order.

I might be mistaken but the prophet Nathan looked like the same actor in both movies. Nathan took the place of Samuel after his death. Samuel means named of God. Samuel was the high priest, judge and prophet of Israel who annointed Saul and King David. (See 1 Kings 15,16)

I've also seen the movie Jeremiah and it too is a wonderful movie to include to your archives. The books of Jeremiah and Lamentations come to life as Israel is carried away captive into Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. (See Daniel 1)

I have read these books from the holy bible many times but these movies do further justice into bringing to life the vision and word of God to futher our understanding of the creator of heaven and earth into our memory.

I too reccommend the movie Joseph starring Ben Kingsley and the movie In the Beginning starring Martin Landau as Abraham.

Shalom, Peace
Agape, Love

If you love these Biblical characters & the Bible, you'll really enjoy these two movies.
I am now also purchasing them for friends, because I love them much. I haven't seen the other two, in the set, but buying the set for a friend as a gift.
The movies are a keepsake item & worth their value. I'm collecting the others outside this set, as well, & hope they continue to make more in the future.

We bought this for our own use as well as for Video Sunday School use. Very good for us but a little to mich for younger ages in Sunday School.

This is another of the Bible series from Trimark Home Video. This one precedes "Jeremiah" and "Esther." King David's naming Solomon his successor, as well as David's death, begins the film, while the death of Solomon and succession of Rehoboam finishes.

The focus of the film is more on the human part of the Bible rather than divinity. God is present, but the producers are showing us how we allow our human nature to stray from Him. At first, this was a little off-putting. It seemed the film was more concerned with political intrigue and lust. In retrospect, I see that we are to learn something about our own nature.

I would recommend this movie.

This was very well acted and written. Well worth your money. It seems strange to me that a person would actually write a review saying Solomon never married the Queen of Sheba. That would change "Song of Solomon" in the bible from the affectionate, loving and passionate words between a husband and wife, into a very adulterous and vulgar affair. Your opinion would cheapen the entire bible if a book was allowed into the bible about an affair with a married king that went into such steamy detail! Do you know how many wives this man had? Why wouldn't he marry this beautiful Queen? Many things in the bible require a little logic to piece together. Isn't it possible this rather sensual book was allowed into the bible because it was about intimacy and passion between a husband and wife not just on a physical level but on an emotional and spiritual level as well?

I just recently purchased this movie from Amazon.com, and they flashed up a message that the NTSC format may not be playable in Australia. Well, it is playable! All modern VCR's sold in Australia can play (and some can record) NTSC tapes. I have found this very useful as 'Solomon' and the other movies in this series have never been released in Australia.
'Solomon' is a solid, well acted drama (what do you expect, with Ben Cross taking the leading part). I found the first part of the movie quite entertaining, with plenty of action, as old King David's reign comes to an end and two brothers compete for the throne.
With the sequences dealing with the building of the Temple, I felt that little respect was paid to the holiness of the dwelling place of God, or of the Ark of the Covenant. Solomon treated the Holy of Holies with triviality. The inside of the temple walls were covered with gold, so the makers of the set should have paid more attention to detail.
Overall, the movie is well done, with a bit of laid back humour, especially when Solomon greets all his children after a hard day at the 'office'. If you like Biblical dramas, this is worth getting, provided you allow for a bit of 'licence'.

Question: Why is it that there are always non-Jewish actors playing the title roles in movies about the Bible? Max von Sydow would be more believable playing Raoul Wallenberg or somebody.