The Old Testament (1962)

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This adventure-themed Biblical epic from director Gianfranco Parolini (with a misleading title - it only covers a small portion of the Old Testament) unfurls a century and a half prior to the birth of Christ. It finds the Jews ruled by the oppressive and tyrannical Syrians. The king of Damascus,… More This adventure-themed Biblical epic from director Gianfranco Parolini (with a misleading title - it only covers a small portion of the Old Testament) unfurls a century and a half prior to the birth of Christ. It finds the Jews ruled by the oppressive and tyrannical Syrians. The king of Damascus, Antiochus, shuttles governor Apollonius off to Jerusalem and demands the he instigate order among the resident Jews. Unfortunately, Apollonius's efforts backfire when he ill-advisedly places a statue of the pagan god Jove in the holy temple, drawing ire from nearly everyone; warrior Judas Maccabeus leads an uprising to protest this. After Judas is killed, he's promptly replaced by his less bellicose brother Simon, who then vows to lead the rebellion, taking on Apollonius and the other Syrians in his late sibling's stead. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi