Unexpected news from The Guardian:
The last time they met on screen, Omar Sharif was a small dot riding out of a desert mirage to join Peter O’Toole, the dashing and rebellious British army office TE Lawrence. Now, 42 years after the release of Lawrence of Arabia, widely hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, the two veteran actors have teamed up for a second time to make another historical epic.
One Night with the King tells the story of the Biblical figure Esther, who became the queen of Persia, and, according to myth and movie, saved the Jewish nation from annihilation…One Night with the King features former Bros star Luke Goss as King Xerxes and Tiffany Dupont as Esther. It also features Lord of the Rings stars John Rhys-Davis and Noble, and Indian actor Aditya Bal. The script is based on a novel by Tommy Tenney, and the director is Michael Schaeben [This seems to be a garbled version of “Michael Sajbel”].
I only just about managed to get past 80s British pop-singer “Luke Goss as King Xerxes”. But, of all people, Tommy Tenney? That’s the neo-Pentecostal evangelist, although the Guardian writer doesn’t seem to know it. Bethany House explains further:
Both a palace thriller and a Jewish woman’s memoir, Hadassah brings the age-old story of Esther to life. This historically accurate novel layered with fresh insights provides a fascinating twist on a pivotal time in religious history, and readers will find it bursting with page-turning drama.
During in-depth research on the life of Esther and its setting in ancient Persia–contemporary Iraq and Iran–Tenney discovered a compelling, heart-stopping tale lying at its core. He uses here his skilled storytelling gifts to capture the power and beauty of the peasant girl who became queen.
But the book is co-authored:
Tommy Tenney is a highly acclaimed speaker and a bestselling author with three million books sold…Mark Andrew Olson is a full-time writer and novelist who has written The Assignment, in addition to co-authoring Hadassah. He grew up in France, the son of missionaries, and is a Professional Writing graduate of Baylor University. He and his family make their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Assignment, which came out in July, looks like a Christian version of The Da Vinci Code. So, is this in fact a Tim LaHaye/Jerry Jenkins formula, where an evangelist provides the brand name and someone else does the actual work? One suspects so.
More details on the movie are provided by PRNewswire (which got there a couple of weeks ago):
Adapted for film by screenwriter Stephan Blinn and directed by Michael Sajbel, “One Night With The King” is scheduled for theatrical release on March 25, a date that coincides with the Christian Good Friday and Esther’s Jewish Feast of Purim.
This film is produced in collaboration with TBN Film, 8X Entertainment and Tommy Tenney.
As The Guardian reminds us, 8X Entertainment (alas, website down) also brought us The Omega Code. TBN has brought us a giant wig. Would it be unkind to suggest that an Easter turkey is on the way?
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Just found your blog. Had you covered the fact that Plantard and Escrevia were both fascists? Plantard, the guy who invented the Priory of Sion, was a regular letter-writer to Petain. He explained to Petain, among other things, how the Jews started WWII.
Josemaria was a big Franco supporter.
I think the “christian right” has latched onto the idea that movies make a difference. From $ciCo’s “Battlefield Earth” to Opus Dei’s “Passion” now this.
While I was on an archaeological dig this summer in “the Unholy Land” I heard that a rumor is that “El” was a guy. That the Dead Sea Scrolls help indicate this. That the “Elohim” were his 70 sons. The person who told me was getting his Master’s in archaeology and had a DSS scholar as one of his Professors (Hebrew University? I forget).
Hi.
Cheers for that. Where was the dig? And do you remember the DSS scholar, by any chance?
The dig I was on was near the intersection of the Jordan and Yarmuk rivers. It was the cheapest dig to volunteer on this summer ($225/wk). We were 50 meters from Jordan and not far from Syria.
I’m actually quite anti-Israeli, which made me pretty unique on the dig. The conversations were almost exclusively carried on in reasoned tones.
I didn’t have the student write it down, but it sounded like he said Professor “Saul” (that would be his last name).
Short Yarmuk peice: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early%20History%20-%20Archaeology/Shaar%20Hagolan%20-%20A%20Neolithic%20Village
Map: http://www.jewishmag.com/24MAG/SHAAR/map.jpg