Esther and the King (1960)

What does it say about a movie when Joan Collins is one of the best things its got going for it., 26 February 2006

Esther and the King may appear unusual if you take a look at the usual things I write about. But because Mario Bava was so heavily involved with the film, I just had to give it a go. While the visuals may not be as vivid and exaggerated as some of the films he had more control over, you can see his influences if you look closely. There are several scenes that demonstrate Bava's use of color. One very brief scene early in the film shows the palace guards turning a wheel to close the gates. This scene that lasts less than 10 seconds is lit in very dramatic style with a wash of green and red. It's trademark Bava.

As for the film, I really didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Oh, it's not great by any stretch of the imagination. Esther and the King was part of the flood of Biblical epics that were made in the late 50s to early 60s. Actually, Esther and the King should be called a mini-epic. It's not as sprawling or grand as the big budgeted Hollywood epics. The sets look cheap in comparison and there are no great action sequences. The first half of the film drags by at a snails pace. The final thirty minutes do provide a little suspense and save Esther and the King from becoming a total waste of time. I'm not even going to discuss how well the film follows the Biblical story as that's a topic best covered elsewhere.

I've never cared for Joan Collins, but here she's quite good. I found myself believing in her character and rooting her on. Another standout to me is Sergio Fantoni as the evil Haman. The man plays a bad guy to perfection. The rest of the cast is serviceable but not spectacular.

5/10