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Bookmark this pageAl-Risalah (1976)
Director: Moustapha Akkad
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
An epic which trades on the conventions of the Hollywood Christpic without quite living up to DeMille vulgarity. The historical parallels of the ascendancy of Islam with early Christianity are heavily stressed throughout: a persecuted minority gradually emerging victorious with large-scale conversions; ideals of religious toleration; slave, female, and even camel liberation. Mohammad doesn't appear, and as a subjective presence (when he's there, the characters address the camera) he's mostly effective, sometimes clumsy as a narrative device. There's some fine widescreen desert location shooting, and a couple of fairish battles. All in all, a fair piece of Arab PR.Author: RM
User reviews of this film
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- Ahmad Ghali Baber said...
- Posted on Dec 13 2011 00:59 Madam Ali ....I appreciate your response to the review....you are the voice of reason ...it is a well written review overall...except the last part of it being an Arab PR exercise...was Ten Commandments a Christian world PR exercise or for that matter ,was The Exodus an Israeli PR stunt.....they were all informative and great cinema just as The Message....I feel it is a remarkable movie and a must see
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- Ali said...
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Posted on May 24 2009 13:48
I just want to point out to Khadija (who left a comment here in February) that it is available in Arabic.
As to this review: I think it is a fair and correct representation of the beginning of Islam althought I would have liked it if there were more Hadith in the script than there are. I think that when the reviewer refers to it as Arab PR he is just showing his own prejudices (which lets face it are pretty common and have been for centuries. I am a UK woman bought up as a Christian but I don't consider this film as PR but then that must be because I have bothered to study Islam properly before making judgements and I guess the Time Out reviewer hasn't - Report as inappropriate
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- khadija said...
- Posted on Feb 24 2009 13:18 I would like it i arabic
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Cast & crew
Director: Moustapha Akkad
Producer: Moustapha Akkad
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Michael Ansara, Johnny Sekka, Michael Forest, Damien Thomas full cast
Duration: 182 mins
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