''One Night with the King'' is a 2006 American religious epic film produced by Matt Crouch and Laurie Crouch of

Gener8Xion Entertainment Gener8Xion Entertainment, Inc. is a Christian independent film production company based in Hollywood, California. The company is a spin off from Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). The company was led by Matt Crouch (TBN) until mid-2010. Fil ...

, directed by Michael O. Sajbel, and starring

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...

Tiffany Dupont Tiffany Dupont (born March 22, 1981) is an American actress, known for playing the lead character, Hadassah, a Jewish girl who will become the Biblical Esther, Queen of Persia, in the Hollywood film ''One Night with the King''. From 2007 to 2009 ...

, John Rhys-Davies and

Luke Goss Luke Damon Goss (born 29 September 1968) is an English actor, and drummer of the 1980s band Bros. He has appeared in numerous films including ''Blade II'' (2002) as Jared Nomak, ''One Night with the King'' (2006) as King Xerxes, '' Hellboy II ...

. The screenplay by Stephan Blinn is based on Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen's novel '' Hadassah: One Night with the King''. ''One Night with the King'' is a dramatization of the

Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

story of Esther, who risked her life by approaching the King of Persia to request that he save the Jewish people. Despite being a critical and commercial failure, it received a 2007 CAMIE Award for Goss' portrayal of King Xerxes.

Plot

The film is set in

Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

(modern-day

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

) King Xerxes holds a great feast for all the people to attend. An orphaned Jewish woman, Hadassah, longs to go to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

to see the Holy Land and prepares to leave with the caravan along with her friend, Jesse. They stop by the king's feast before he goes marching to war to avenge his father's death. Hadassah and Jesse witness the king summoning

Queen Vashti Vashti ( he, , translit=Vaštī; ; ) was a queen of Achaemenid Empire, Persia and the first wife of Persian king Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, a book included within the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh and the Old Testament which is read on the Jewish h ...

. Queen Vashti was opposed to the war, desiring king Xerxes to enhance his kingdom instead. She holds her own feast in protest against the war. When the king summons her to his feast, she refuses to come, stating, "I am queen and I will not lower my dignity. Or shame my crown by wearing it before your drunk and thinly veiled war council". Because of this, king Xerxes is advised to banish her and select a more worthy queen. All beautiful unmarried women in the city of Susa are brought to Xerxes. Under the command of her overprotective cousin, Mordecai (who was one of the king's scribes and worked in the palace) Hadassah does not reveal her nationality or family and changes her name to "Esther" (after the Babylonian goddess Ishtar) she is taken in with the rest of the selected women and given cosmetics, perfumes and treatments under the care of

Hegai Hegai is a character from the Book of Esther, chapter 2, verses 8 & 15. He is a eunuch placed in charge of Ahasuerus's harem. See Also *Haggai Haggai (; he, חַגַּי – ''Ḥaggay''; Koine Greek: Ἀγγαῖος; la, Aggaeus) was a ...

, the king's royal eunuch. Through her quick wit, intelligence and integrity, she becomes Hegai's favorite. On their night with the king, each female candidate is allowed to bring along whatever she wishes from the harem. She goes in the evening and returns in the morning to a second harem. She will not be able to return to the king unless she pleases him and he summons her by name. During their preparation, Hegai discovers that Esther can read and listens to her reading to the other contenders. He admires her bravery. Late into the night, he brings her to king Xerxes to read to him. She starts reading from the assigned scroll and then begins telling the love story of

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...

and Rachel (from the Old Testament) he is amused and intrigued and dismisses her, saying that she shall read to him again. Esther falls in love with the king. When it is Esther's turn for her "one night with the king", she only wears what Hegai advises. She wins the king's favor by revealing her heart to him. He chooses her and crowns her queen. Meanwhile, Haman the Agagite is promoted to the highest-ranking official. He has all the king's servants at the royal gate to kneel before him. Mordecai refuses, declaring that he will only kneel before god and the king. He announces himself before Haman to be a son of Abraham, a Jew. Haman, filled with vengeance and hatred, seeks to destroy Mordecai and all his people because generations earlier; Jews persecuted his forefathers. Esther discovers the plot and breaks protocol by going before the king unsummoned, risking her life to plead for her people. The king spares her life out of his love for her. She invites the king and Haman to a banquet and there reveals her nationality and Haman's plot to kill the Jews. The king, overwhelmed by her revelation, leaves the banquet. Haman then attacks Esther. The king saves her and commands Haman be hanged on the gallows he had erected to hang Mordecai. After Haman is taken away for his execution, the king goes to Esther's side. Esther asks, "what made you come back"?. And the king responds with, "i saw the stars". Then King Xerxes kisses Esther. Mordecai is made a prince of Persia and issues a royal decree in his own name, with flashbacks of Esther being made queen and the crowd of Jews cheering in the streets. Mordecai proclaims, "i order this decree sent out under the great seal of Mordecai, Prince of Persia, a Jew".

Modification

The film generally adheres to the main plot of the Biblical version. However, the film adds stylistic elements not present in the Biblical story, as well as depicting several non-Biblical minor characters.

Production and sales

The movie's Premiere Night took place at Mann Bruins Theater in Los Angeles, California. The movie, filmed entirely in the state of Rajasthan, India, was released in theaters on October 13, 2006. During its opening weekend, it earned $4,120,497 in theaters. By the end of its theatrical run, the film had earned $13,395,961 domestically, and $13,728,450 worldwide.

Cast

as Hadassah/Esther, the main protagonist. The orphaned future queen and cousin of Mordecai. Esther's parents died; prior to the start of the film. *

as King Xerxes I of Persia, Esther's husband; who is insecure in his new position as king. * John Rhys-Davies as

Mordecai Mordecai (; also Mordechai; , IPA: ) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is described as being the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was promoted to Vizier after Haman was killed. Biblical acco ...

, Esther's overprotective cousin and father-figure. Esther's nickname for Mordecai is Uncle Mordecai. Moredcai took Esther in after her parents died. *

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...

as Prince

Memucan According to the biblical book of Esther (Esther 1:14, 1:16-21), Memucan () was one of the seven vice-regents of the Persian King Ahasuerus. Biblical account When ''Queen Vashti'', Ahasuerus' consort, refused his order to display herself at the ki ...

, one of the few truly loyal Princes of Persia. * Tommy Lister, Jr. as

, the Royal

Eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

, the harem's bodyguard. * Jonah Lotan as Jesse, Esther's close friend who becomes a Eunuch in the Persian palace. *

John Noble John Noble (born 20 August 1948) is an Australian actor. He is known for his roles as Denethor in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Dr. Walter Bishop on the science fiction series ''Fringe'', Henry Parrish on the action-horror series '' ...

as Prince Admatha, a scheming prince who plots to become king himself. *

James Callis James Nicholas Callis (born 4 June 1971) is a British actor. He is known for playing Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' miniseries and television series, and Bridget Jones's best friend Tom in ''Bridget Jones's Diar ...

Haman Haman ( ; also known as Haman the Agagite or Haman the evil) is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who according to the Hebrew Bible was an official in the court of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, commonly identified as Xerxes I ...

, the Agagite, the film's main antagonist, Haman tries to use his position to kill the Jewish inhabitants of Persia. Scenes including Haman and his followers in the film make use of imagery associated with Nazism, including swastika-like symbols and torchlit nighttime rallies. *

as Prophet

Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

* Denzil Smith as Prince Carshena *Jyoti Dogra as Queen of Persia

Vashti Vashti ( he, , translit=Vaštī; ; ) was a queen of Persia and the first wife of Persian king Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, a book included within the Tanakh and the Old Testament which is read on the Jewish holiday of Purim. She was either e ...

* Tom Alter as King

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

*Aditya Bal as

Amalek Amalek (; he, עֲמָלֵק, , ar, عماليق ) was a nation described in the Hebrew Bible as a staunch enemy of the Israelites. The name "Amalek" can refer to the nation's founder, a grandson of Esau; his descendants, the Amalekites; or the ...

ite King Agag *Dilshad Patel as Hannah *

Nimrat Kaur Nimrat Kaur (born 13 March 1982) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films and on American television. She began her career as a print model and went on to act in theater. After brief appearances in a few films, Kaur starred in Anurag Ka ...

as Sarah * Asif Basra as Cameo Role

Production

The movie was filmed entirely in the state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

, India. Jeannie Tenney wrote and sang "One Night with the King", which can be heard during the final credits. She was a co-author with her husband, Tommy Tenney (also a producer of the film), of the book upon which the film is based.

Promotion

The Genius Club ''The Genius Club'' is an American 2006 Christian-themed dramatic thriller film written and directed by Tim Chey. It was released on 27 October 2006 via Cinemark Theatres. The film tells the story of seven geniuses who try to solve the world ...

'' from writer/director Tim Chey was also released theatrically in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

. The film's trailers showed before ''One Night With The King''.

Reception

Box office

''One Night with the King'' was released to theaters on October 13, 2006. During its opening weekend, it earned $4,120,497 in theaters. By the end of its theatrical run, the film had received $13,395,961 domestically, with $13,728,450 worldwide. Subsequent DVD sales were strong at $20,688,299, more than making up for production costs.

Critical response

''One Night with the King'' received a generally negative reception, garnering a 19% positive rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, based on 26 reviews, with an average of 4.4 out of 10. V.A. Musetto of the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'', noting that, "The cinematography and sets look great, but the script is a bummer. It's overlong, overwrought and overblown." The film received better views from the Christian community. The film was awarded four Doves by the Dove Foundation and received the Dove ''Family-Approved'' Seal.

MovieGuide Millard Robert E. Theodore Baehr (born 1946) is an American media critic and chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a division of Good News Communications, Inc. He is publisher and editor-in-chief of ''Movieguide'', a website ...

has also reviewed the film fairly favourably, giving it 3 out of 4 stars, saying that "despite some minor flaws, tbrings back the biblical epic in an entertaining, inspiring way." The movie has also been endorsed by the

American Bible Society American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...

Classification

The

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

granted this motion picture a PG certificate, noting that it contained "images of moderate battle violence". In the US, ''One Night With The King'' is also rated PG by the

MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...

for violence, some sensuality and thematic elements.

References

External links

* * * * * *{{AllRovi movie, 342307, One Night with the King
Grace-Centered Magazine Christian Movie Review
2006 films Films set in ancient Persia Religious epic films American independent films Cultural depictions of Esther Cultural depictions of Xerxes I Films based on the Book of Esther Films about Jews and Judaism Films about antisemitism Films set in the 5th century BC Films shot in Rajasthan Films based on American novels Films based on adaptations Films shot in India Films scored by J. A. C. Redford 2000s English-language films 2000s American films