The film is set in Persia in the 5th century BC. After the King’s wife is murdered, Esther comes to the attention of the recently widowed King Ahasuerus. The king has been trying to stifle and defeat the campaign of hatred against the Jews by his evil ministerHaman. Before the King can pair off with Esther and defeat the villainous Haman, there are several intervening adventures and an additional, attractive woman who competes for attention.
Cast
The film's on-screen credits list the cast in the following order and sections: ;Starring
In December 1950, 20th Century Fox studio executive Darryl F. Zanuck announced he intended to produce The Story of Esther as a follow-up to David and Bathsheba, which he was producing at the time. He entrusted Frank and Doris Hursley with the task of writing the screenplay. George Jessel expressed interest in producing the film. In February 1951, Henry King was assigned to direct the film. In October, producers Joseph Bernhard and Anson Bond purchased the script from the Hursleys and were planning the film as a 20th Century Fox release. In February 1952, Hedy Lamarr bought the Hursley script for $25,000; Arthur B. Krim of United Artists negotiated the deal for her. Lamarr wanted to portray Esther and produce the story as an independent feature and United Artists release, with the possibility of filming it in Italy. She eventually decided to produce it in Rome as the first episode of a British television series titled The Great Love Stories, but the project changed and the story was not filmed. The 1960 Writers Guild of America strike, which began in January, forced 20th Century Fox to cease production temporarily. Fox president Spyros Skouras and producer Buddy Adler asked director Raoul Walsh if he could "make a film very quickly for them, because they had nothing at all, the studios were practically shut. That's why we made Esther in Italy."
Release
Esther and the King premiered in New York City at the RKO Palace Theatre on November 18, 1960. The film grossed 126% and was considered a hit film of the 1960-61 season.
Critical response
James D. Ivers, writing for Motion Picture Daily, was enthusiastically positive: "All the trappings of a Biblical spectacle, exotic sets and costumes, a moving and dramatic story, and the skilled and experienced hand of Raoul Walsh make this a worthy and potentially successful entry in the present cycle of historical epics." Ivers also commended the performances of the leading actors: "Joan Collins plays Esther with beauty and some depth, Richard Egan is properly virile as a soldierly but unstatesmanlike King Ahasuerus, and Denis O' Dea is dignified and devout as Mordecai". The supporting actors who earned notice were a "satisfactory" Rik Battaglia, a "sufficiently menacing" Sergio Fantoni, and a "somewhat overly voluptuous" Daniela Rocca. Ivers also admired the technical aspects of the film: "Color by DeLuxe and excellent camera work by Mario Bava give an eye-filling background to the straightforward story." Some critics did not like the film. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave the film a blatantly negative review, writing that the "beautiful Bible story of Esther" had "been thumped into a crude costume charade". Harrison's Reports thought the film "has a hackneyed script and two incompetent lead players ," but praised O'Dea's portrayal of Mordecai. In recent years, Rosalba Neri's performance has been evaluated as "memorable".
