Picture Quality Sets Royal Tone

By Bonnie Shelton, 10.18.2006

The latest in Christian films, “One Night With the King,” raised the bar of excellence for Christian owned production studios.

Gener8xion Studios turned this classic Bible story into a fictional story of hope and courage grossing just under $4.3 million opening weekend. The film ranked number nine in top box office sales.

Based on Tommy Tenney’s best-selling book, “Hadassah: One Night With the King,” the cast introduces many new faces such as Tiffany Dupont, (Esther) and reunites Peter O’Toole and Omar Shariff in another Persian drama of “Lawrence of Arabia”.

Director Michael O. Sajbel did a fabulous job varying camera angles and made great use of lighting for sensitive scenes. The fascinating cinematography paid great attention to detail while keeping the viewer in mind. Shot on location in India, the film provided a beautiful setting for Susa, the capital of the once-great Persian empire and a place where Esther reigned as Queen.

Many of the computer-generated images created a visual spectacle: The long bridge that stretched across the city, fortifications that towered above the mountains, and the grand city and palace were impressive to view.

The visual imagery was slightyl overdone with the cascading waterfalls, the enormous height of Susa, and the random computer generated butterfly. This detracted from the movie making some scenes more mystical than realistic.

Overall, the film scores an A-Minus: points docked for scriptural liberty and overdramatic elements.

"One Night with the King" is a great movie for an older audience –especially those in love with the story of Esther. It is an inspirational and quality family film rated PG for violence, some sensuality, and thematic elements.