This epic, motion picture - JOSEPH, starring Actor: Paul Mercurio in the title role, is an engaging, true life, biblical drama straight from the Old Testament/Book of Genesis within the Holy Bible (See Genesis 30:22-24; 37:1-36 & 39:1-50:26). Written for television by: Lionel Chetwynd, this 1995 film which also features... not one, but two Academy Award winning Actors: Sir Ben Kingsley as 'Potiphar' and Martin Landau as 'Jacob', also won the prestigious Emmy Award for: "Outstanding Miniseries." And, although it focuses on the life of JOSEPH, it also chronicles the latter life of his father Jacob, together with his wives, his concubines, his only sister - Dinah, and the lives of his brothers, as well. From the popular "Bible Collection" Films of which (at this date), there are 13 available, Turner Pictures presents a Lube Production in association with Lux Beta Films and Rai Uno in presenting this disturbing yet deeply moving and climactic film: JOSEPH, in it's entirety. All, 187-minutes of it. This compelling, motion picture/miniseries, vividly depicts the willful, calculated and brutal betrayal of 17-year old JOSEPH, the 11th son of 12 brothers. Who, was maliciously sold into slavery, to appease their jealousy of him. What are older brothers for, eh?! So why..., were they so cruel and viciously envious of JOSEPH? Because he was their father's obvious favorite (Genesis 37:3-4). Sibling rivalry? Oh yeah! And, then some!! In viewing this captivating drama, one cannot help but wonder..., how it helped JOSEPH's brother's to be so jealous of him? And what did they hope to accomplish with their continued envy, scorn and contempt towards their innocent, younger brother? It certainly wasn't going to change their father's love for him. Neither, would it change the fact, that JOSEPH was the long awaited, first-born son of Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel. Nor would it diminish their feelings of paternal rejection, deep seated inadequacies and personal insecurities from which, acute jealousy, stems. But, aside from his younger brother Benjamin, his only sibling by the same mother (Rachel), the 10 older brothers and their level of jealousy towards him escalated too such a fever pitch, that initially they literally plotted to murder JOSEPH. But, due to the sanity and shrewdness of the one brother, they opted to throw him into a cold, dry, well, complete with snakes. The following morning, they literally sold him..., to Ishmaelite Slave Traders for 20 pieces of silver. Talk about betrayal, treachery, deviousness, jealousy and abject hatred! Again, was there any brotherly love, here? No way! And, they all made a profit from literally..., selling out his person. So how, did their acute jealousy help anything? It didn't. From the on-set, jealousy of another breeds resentment and hostility. Unbridled, it only suffices to kill and destroy. In this particular case, blatant deceit combined with needless treachery together with their murderous envy, sheer hatred and concealment of their vile crime, manifested itself in a heinous betrayal against their own brother. And, as if that weren't enough, they further added insult to injury by deliberately lying too their father, Jacob. How? By corporately telling him the tale, that JOSEPH was dead and gone. Because he supposedly, was killed by a wild animal. And, they 'offered' his blood stained coat which Jacob had made for him, as "proof." Meanwhile, JOSEPH... who was very much alive, was re-sold in Egypt by the Ishmaelite Slave Traders, to Potiphar - the Captain of the Pharaoh's Guard. So, as far as the envious brother's were concerned, JOSEPH was seemingly out of the picture and doomed to the wretched existence of a slave. And for years, such was the case. And Jacob, having lost his favorite son, along with his pride and joy upon whom all of his hopes of leading the family clan were founded, continued to grieve for his thought to be dead, son. Because when you truly love someone, their absence only makes the heart grow fonder. The years wore on..., and JOSEPH grew to become very handsome. He was a man of excellence and integrity, who knew how to read and write (most slaves didn't), and one who carried himself in a humble manner. As was pleasing to his master, Potiphar. However, for as much as Potiphar trusted JOSEPH... to the point that he elevated him to be his personal assistant and household accountant, so too, did Potiphar's' promiscuous wife (as portrayed by Actress: Lesley Ann Warren) decide, that she would take advantage of the situation and use JOSEPH's strong, attractive, physique for her own sexual pleasure. But, there was only one problem. JOSEPH refused to sleep with her. And she, incensed at having her advances rejected by a mere slave, spitefully and vindictively accused him of a most heinous crime. Rape. (Yup! All of this..., sex and all, is really within the Holy Bible. And, at the beginning of this review, you were provided with: Chapter, scripture and verse(s), so you can read it for yourself). So, what happened to JOSEPH? Well, having heard that his wife was supposedly raped, Potiphar stripped JOSEPH of his position and status, and further placed him into Pharaoh's prison. Where common thieves, cut throat's and all sorts of criminals are kept. Hardly the place, for an innocent and educated man, like JOSEPH. A man of breeding and integrity. However, just as Potiphar was impressed with the way JOSEPH carried himself and handled his assigned duties, so too, was the prison warden into whose prison care, JOSEPH was placed. To the point, that he elevated JOSEPH to the position of prison overseer, who was in charge of all the other prisoners. Years went by, and then came the fateful day when two of Pharaoh's employee's - a wine bearer and a baker, were placed into prison under JOSEPH's care. Utilizing his gift that the Lord had given to him (that of interpreting dreams), JOSEPH correctly foretold the dreams of both, the baker and the wine bearer. Specifically, that the wine bearer would be reinstated into Pharaoh's employ and that the baker would die in prison. It came to pass just as JOSEPH had stated, and having been restored, the wine bearer remembered and told Pharaoh about JOSEPH, when Pharaoh's' court see's could not interpret Pharaoh's dreams. JOSEPH was summoned to Pharaoh's Court and after hearing and accurately predicting the dreams of the Pharaoh, he was rewarded and promoted to the position of Governor of all, Egypt. Second only, to Pharaoh himself. Believe it! And what, became of JOSEPH's brother's? Well, suffice it to say, that the rest of this powerful drama is a story of forgiveness, healing, reconciliation and restoration. And yes, JOSEPH's brother's got a lesson that they wouldn't soon forget! This is a deeply moving, epic, biblical drama that comes to it's audience in color, on a single-disc, DVD in spoken English in 4.0 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and also, in 2.0 Dolby Digital Spanish. With subtitles in English, Spanish and French. And shows in full screen format for approximately 187-minutes. To say the least, it is a very interesting motion picture that does much more, than just entertain. It deals with human drama in relation too the God, that created..., mankind (See Genesis 1:2-28 & 2:21-25). Nina Kish