Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

Having promised my "Understanding the Bible" students extra credit if they decided to go see "One Night with the King", the movie based on the book of Esther (or sort of -- mostly it's based on a novel called Hadassah, apparently), and having discovered that it's still playing at the multiplex closest to my house, I figured I'd better go see it this afternoon, while I had the chance, just so I'd be able to respond somewhat knowledgeably to any extra credit papers turned in.

Plus, I wanted to see what James Callis (Gaius Baltar on BSG) looked like when he wasn't playing a neurotic anti-hero with Cylon girlfriends on the brain.

In "One Night With the King" Callis plays Haman, the undisputed villain of the biblical book of Esther -- though aside from Esther and Mordecai, it'd be hard to identify any actually heroic persons in that bible book, where the 'romantic lead' King Ahasuerus (a.k.a. Xerxes in most history books) seems to be a drunken wimp with no ideas of his own and the attention span of a rodent on crack.

My verdict on Callis as Haman? Very watchable, and doing his best to be un-Baltar-like by deepening his voice to a menacing growl most of the time and looking hot and exquisitely groomed (very nice in a thick, silky black beard and mustache) at all times, while running the emotional gamut from icy cold rage to passionate hatred.

( some plot spoilers for the movie, even if you're well-acquainted with the biblical version of Esther )

I was surprised at how FULL the theater was this afternoon, since the film's been playing here in Nashville on at least four multiplex screens for over a week, and it's not well-advertised, seemingly. But from the conversations going on all around me, I gathered that many of those in the auditorium with me were "church people" who rarely went to the movies, but had been lured out by the promise of a 'family-friendly' biblical spectacle/romance.

Judging by the applause when Esther and the King's wedding night quickly segued from a tentative and fully-clothed kiss in the royal bedchamber to "next morning" shots of spectacular waterfalls in the convincing and breath-taking CGI version of the royal palace of Susa, I gathered that they were VERY well satisfied with what the film delivered.

In fact, it's been a while since I've been in the theater with such an appreciative audience, who seem genuinely engaged and honestly amused by the not-so-surprising plot twists and occasional acts of heroism. People were leaving that theater looking very pleased with their afternoon's entertainment.

And as for me? Well, yes, I guess I was pleased, also. It was gorgeous to look at, there were enough decent and charming actors to keep me interested and entertained. And I liked the depiction of Esther as a Jewish Scheherazade who wins the chief eunuch's respect and lifelong devotion by reading him Gilgamesh "in the original" and who spices up the reading of dusty royal diaries by interpolating the Genesis stories of Jacob and Rachel and Leah.

( final spoilerish whining about how they could've more fully developed their non-traditional casting of the Jacob and Rachel roles in this romance )