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What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Jane Boursaw

Esther begins life as Hadassah, growing up in Susa, the capitol of Persia, under the watchful eye of her uncle, Mordecai (John Rhys-Davies), a scribe in the royal palace. Orphaned at a young age when her parents are murdered, Hadassah dreams of returning to Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people. When Haman the Agagite (James Callis), a descendant of one of the Jews' mortal enemies and the man responsible for Hadassah's parents' deaths, sets in motion the queen's banishment for her stance against a looming war with Greece, King Xerxes (Luke Goss) is desperate to avenge his father's battles. On the verge of departing for war, Xerxes' princes press upon him the importance of leaving a queen behind to keep the people together. Many young girls -- including Hadassah -- are rounded up and taken into the palace to prepare for their presentation to the king. Mordecai warns Hadassah to keep her Jewish identity a secret, so she changes her name to Esther and immediately makes an impression on Hagai (Tommy Lister), the king's aide assigned to oversee the girls. Instead of plotting and scheming to attract the king's attention, Esther stirs the king's passion by being herself -- a smart, savvy, independent girl. When a plot to poison the king is discovered, Esther quickly finds herself embroiled in the dangerous world of politics.

Is It Any Good?

4

It's easy to forget that the Bible is filled with intrigue, romance, and adventure. ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING reminds us of that by telling the story of Esther, the young Jewish orphan who started out as a lowly peasant but eventually became queen of Persia. Not too many bona-fide epics get made anymore, but this one definitely fits into that category. Shot on location in the exotic ancient Mogul palaces of Rajasthan, India, One Night With the King features beautiful cinematography and lavish costumes. Dupont is superb as Esther, holding her own among screen legends like Peter O'Toole (as Samuel the prophet) and Omar Sharif (as Prince Memucan).

Esther is a good example of what it means to be courageous and stand true to your beliefs, and the film is a beautiful, heart-wrenching love story intermixed with adventure, intrigue, and -- ultimately -- the bravery of a lone girl standing up against a tyrannical plot. At its core, One Night With the King explores hatred, racism, revenge, and courage -- things that, sadly, are still worldwide problem centuries later.

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