Esther poster & wallpaper

Louise Lombard, F Murray Abraham, Jurgen Prochnow

Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), King of the Persians, whose empire now extends from India to Egypt after the defeat of the Babylonians, is holding a celebratory banquet for his people in the citadel of Susa to ...( read more  read more... )display his wealth and splendor. When he summons his attractive wife Vashti, to show off her beauty to the guests, the proud queen refuses to come. The king promptly bans her from ever entering his presence again, and gives orders for the most beautiful young virgins in the land to be brought to him. The young Jewess Esther, adopted daughter of her uncle Mordecai, is among the girls selected; they are told to beautify themselves in the royal harem and prepare to spend the night with the king. Esther succeeds in enchanting the king with her extraordinary beauty and charm, and he makes her his queen. The king promotes his loyal subject Haman - whose family is notably anti-Jewish - to the post of first minister of the kingdom. When the Jew Mordecai fails to kneel down before Haman like all the others, Haman's irritation with him is transformed into a deep hatred of the Jewish people. He manages to get the king to pass a law allowing the Jews of all countries to be persecuted and killed on a certain day. In his desperation, Mordecai seeks help from Esther. She places her life at risk by visiting the king without his consent, and then invites him and Haman to dine with her that evening. By revealing her Jewish origins Esther now succeeds in exposing Haman's evil plan to kill the Jews, and in obtaining the king's pardon for her people. Haman is duly hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. Since the royal decree is irreversible, Ahasuerus passes another one allowing the Jews to defend themselves against their enemies, whom they end up by vanquishing. Many Jews now return to the Holy City and begin rebuilding Jerusalem.

Flixster Users

89% liked it

502 ratings

Unrated, 90 min.

Directed by: Raffaele Mertes

Release Date: March 29, 1999

Invite friends to see

Stats: 41 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites
report incorrect info

Photos

None yet... Got one?

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (41)

  • Rhinna007
    December 27, 2008
    Rhinna007
    This was one of the most pro founding movies that I have ever watched. The most recent version has to be the best.
  • mark8199
    November 16, 2007
    mark8199
    A nice version of the story.
  • kayinpa
    October 17, 2007
    kayinpa
    A very good movie about Esther from the Bible. I prefer it to "One Night with the King"
  • princesschildmalinda
    September 8, 2007
    princesschildmalinda
    would see i t over and over agin loveed the movie,
  • merilynug
    August 28, 2007
    merilynug
    love the fairy tale bible story
  • manahayes
    July 24, 2007
    manahayes
    Really gorgeous to watch. A great story, and I liked that any dialogue from the bible was actually verbatim. Nice touch.
  • michael7xianz
    July 5, 2007
    michael7xianz
    the faith of a single woman who saved her people from death
  • meganleen
    June 25, 2007
    meganleen
    The heart of a queen.
  • mgmtesp
    April 9, 2007
    mgmtesp
    A beautiful portrayal of Ester.

View All Esther Reviews

Critic Reviews

No recent reviews.

Comments

This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "Esther" !

Post A Comment | View All Comments

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Samson and Delilah
    Samson and Delilah (100%)
  • One Night With the King
    One Night With the King (100%)
  • David
    David (100%)
  • Esther and the King
    Esther and the King (100%)

More Movies like Esther

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Esther : Watch Free on TV

Esther Trivia

  • who was the resturant owner in the movie cleopatra jones  Answer »
  • Which of the following movies did NOT star Esther Williams?  Answer »
  • Esther Williams, the MGM star of the 40's known as "America's Mermaid", was in fact a swimming champion in her youth, and was slated to go to the Olympics in 1940 before they were cancelled.   Answer »
  • What was Esther Williams nick name in the 50.s ?   Answer »
More Esther Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Esther. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Esther to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?