Great Film: Joseph
An Accurate and Enriching Bible Film
It's no secret of Hollywood that if you hire a group of talented actors
and actresses, stress high quality storytelling over special effects,
and choose diverse but realistic settings, then you're likely to create
a great film.
This is not Webber's "Technicolor" musical or the Dreamworks animated
version of Joseph. Nor is it an epic-scaled romance such as DeMille's
"The Ten Commandments". Its accuracy pays homage to the text of Genesis
and it is full of drama, bitterness, provocative character, and
spiritual development. This is the "Joseph" movie that an older
audience can enjoy and appreciate while youngsters may learn something
new. (Parents may still want to omit the seduction scene for their
children.) The film is long enough to flesh out the complexities of
Joseph's background without taking away from the protagonist's ongoing
journey. There is underlying tension and rivalry felt in Jacob's family
of four wives and 12 sons. As told by Joseph through flashbacks,
cataclysmic events began when his sister was raped in Shechem.
Vengeance becomes a powerful motif in the film when Simeon and Levi
wipe out Shechem as punishment. Other examples follow. The brothers
despise Joseph's superior piety and sell him. Potiphar's wife seeks to
destroy Joseph after he refuses to lie with her. Joseph contemplates
punishing his brothers when they come to Egypt. It is vengeance that
tests humanity in "Joseph" until the final scene.
Since my high school class covered the story of Joseph in depth with
the assistance of Torah commentaries, I appreciate the remarkable
precision in the film from a Jewish perspective. Some lesser-known
actions and events include Joseph's meeting with a "man", his title as
"Tzapaneth Paneah", the brothers return to Egypt with gifts, Benjamin's
name change upon his mother's deathbed, and Judah's scandal with his
daughter-in-law.
The parallelism between Joseph and Judah's stories in the second half
of the film is interesting. Both men have been separated from their
family and fallen from grace: Joseph is wrongly imprisoned in Egypt
while Judah has left his father's encampment. Judah's difficult story
with Tamar is a notable act of honesty. Watching him confess his erred
judgment to her before crying to himself is an echo of Joseph's
anguished cry to G-d in jail. Whereas Reuben, Simeon, and Levi have
lost their father's approval, Judah takes responsibility for his
actions and redeems himself as the leader of 10 brothers.
The casting is well-credited with Ben Kingsley (superb as ever) as
Potiphar. Paul Mercurio has removed the shoes of an eccentric lively
dancer in "Strictly Ballroom" and transformed himself into a striking
impression of Joseph. One can see the strained torment on his face when
he is sold to Potiphar and must endure the tauntings of the foreman and
resist the temptations of Potiphar's nefarious wife. Mercurio carries
his role throughout the film with grace and determination. I almost
laughed aloud at Pharaoh's mannerisms in the courtroom. The most
powerful ruler in Egypt is really pompous, arrogant, superstitious, and
perhaps more than just a little scared of this G-d-fearing Semite.
Last of all, the stirring music is suited to the mood of every
different scene and the Moroccan landscape is beautiful on screen. All
of these admirable qualities are what makes "Joseph" such a
praiseworthy film. It is an underestimated masterpiece of one of the
Bible's most well known and unforgettable stories. Whether others are
watching this film for educational, spiritual, or personal reasons, I
hope they enjoy it as much as I did.
Cast
- Potiphar played by Ben Kingsley
- Pharaoh's Wife played by Monica Bellucci
- Potiphar's Wife played by Lesley Ann Warren
- Joseph played by Paul Mercurio
- Jacob played by Martin Landau
- Rachel played by Alice Krige
- Leah played by Dominique Sanda
