Esther and the King

Released Dec 14, 1960

1h 49m

History

Drama

List

40%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

28%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In Persia, King Ahasuerus (Richard Egan) is in search of a new queen. Simon (Rik Battaglia), an ally of the king, is set to marry Esther (Joan Collins), a Jewish woman, but she is taken away as a possible mate for Ahasuerus. Simon is initially furious, but soon discovers that all Jewish people are threatened by the machinations of villainous official Haman (Sergio Fantoni). If Esther can make it to the throne without Haman's intervening, the Jews will have royal protection.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

The best to be said for this chromo ... is that it drives one more spike into the coffin of these synthetic biblical films.

May 9, 2005

Full Review

Tag Gallagher

Senses of Cinema

Mar 12, 2014

Full Review

TV Guide

Collins further undermines this travesty of the Bible, a late entry from director Raoul Walsh, by playing Esther without a shred of conviction.

Rated: 1/4

Mar 5, 2014

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 1/5

Jun 18, 2005

Full Review

Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

One of the best Biblical films, moving and trenchant.

May 28, 2005

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

Slow. But with slow cast of thousands!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

jonathan m

Its OK some good performances all round in the star studded cast its just a bit boring. The sets are dazzling though and the costumes great

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

was alright, but they added stuff to the story that were not there, keep on your toes if you have read the story of esther, they made mordacai part of the kings council, so yeah, not exactly biblical. it was ok, and decent for what it was, but only worth a watch if your bored, and dont like the christian movies that are out now.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

absolutely disgusting!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film had nothing, and I mean nothing to do with the Bible story.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film had nothing, and I mean nothing to do with the Bible story.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Raoul Walsh

Director

Joan Collins

Esther

Richard Egan

King Ahasuerus

Denis O'Dea

Mordecai

Sergio Fantoni

Haman

Rik Battaglia

Simon

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The Diary of Anne Frank

81%

77%

The Diary of Anne Frank

Demetrius and the Gladiators

75%

65%

Demetrius and the Gladiators

The Agony and the Ecstasy

86%

78%

The Agony and the Ecstasy

Cleopatra

56%

67%

Cleopatra

TRAILER

for Cleopatra

David and Bathsheba

60%

34%

David and Bathsheba

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

In Persia, King Ahasuerus (Richard Egan) is in search of a new queen. Simon (Rik Battaglia), an ally of the king, is set to marry Esther (Joan Collins), a Jewish woman, but she is taken away as a possible mate for Ahasuerus. Simon is initially furious, but soon discovers that all Jewish people are threatened by the machinations of villainous official Haman (Sergio Fantoni). If Esther can make it to the throne without Haman's intervening, the Jews will have royal protection.

Director: Raoul Walsh
Producer: Raoul Walsh
Screenwriter: Raoul Walsh, Michael Elkins
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Galatea Film, Twentieth Century Fox
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 1960, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 49m

Most Popular at Home Now