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Moses the Lawgiver
Directed by	Gianfranco De Bosio
Written by	Vittorio Bonicelli Anthony Burgess Gianfranco De Bosio Bernardino Zapponi
Produced by	Bernard J. Kingham Vincenzo Labella
Starring	Burt Lancaster Anthony Quayle Ingrid Thulin Irene Papas
Cinematography	Marcello Gatti
Edited by	Peter Boita Alberto Gallitti
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Production company	ITC/RAI
Distributed by	ITC/RAI
Release date	22 December 1974 (1974-12-22) (Italy)
Running time	Original: 360 min Theatrical version: 141 min
Country	United Kingdom/Italy
Language	English
Budget	$5 million

Moses the Lawgiver, transmitted in 1973 and 1974, is a 6-hour British television miniseries which starred Burt Lancaster as Moses. It was an ITC/RAI co-production, whose shooting took place in Rome and on location in Israel and Morocco.

Many of the writers, cast members, and crew members of Moses the Lawgiver contributed to another Biblical coproduction by ITC/RAI--the ambitious miniseries Jesus of Nazareth, which was transmitted three years later, in 1977.

Plot summary

The Story of the Exodus or freedom of Hebrews from Egypt is told in a perspective which highlights Moses' efforts to persuade first the stubborn Pharaoh Merneptah, who was his adopted cousin, to release his work force of slaves. Then, once free and in the wilderness en route to the Promised Land, Moses must prove to be a pious and patient leader or lawgiver to a people who still think they want more out of him or God. For 40 years, Moses (Burt Lancaster) must carry on this load and challenge for God and Israel.

With the help of his brother Aaron (Anthony Quayle), and Joshua (Aharon Ipale), the nation or people of Israel are officially born or created after centuries ago God promised and vowed Jacob/Israel that he would be the father of a mighty nation.

Cast

• Burt Lancaster as Moses
• Anthony Quayle as Aaron
• Ingrid Thulin as Miriam
• Irene Papas as Zipporah
• Aharon Ipale as Joshua
• Juan Selva as Saul
• Yosef Shiloach as Dathan
• Marina Berti as Eliseba
• Shmuel Rodensky as Jethro
• Mariangela Melato as The Princess Bithiah
• Laurent Terzieff as Pharaoh Merneptah
• Michele Placido as Caleb
• Antonio Piovanelli as Korah
• Jacques Herlin as The Magician
• Umberto Raho and José Quaglio as two of The Pharaoh's Ministers
• Melba Englander as Merneptah's Wife
• Marco Steiner as The Young Merneptah
• William Lancaster as The Young Moses
• Galia Kohn as The Young Miriam
• Mosko Alkalai as Amram
• Dina Doron as Jochebed
• Yossi Werzansky as Eleazar
• Richard Johnson as The Narrator

Production

As Charlton Heston's son Fraser acted out the infant Moses in the 1956 Hollywood production of The Ten Commandments, so Burt Lancaster's son Bill, credited as William Lancaster, acted out the role of Moses as a young man in Moses the Lawgiver.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2015)

Novelization

In 1975, a tie-in book, written by Australian author Thomas Keneally, was published by Harper & Row.

Theatrical and DVD releases

The 360-minute-long mini-series was later edited into a 141-minute version for theatrical release under the same name. In 2004, this shortened version was released as a one-disc DVD. A 300-minute version (two-disc set) was released in 2012 for Latin America (but not dubbed into Spanish and compatible in both Regions 1 & 4); it was packaged (somewhat deceptively) as Moises y los 10 Mandamientos-Extended Version.

References

1. 'MOSES THE LAWGIVER:' can Moses compete with guns and cops? Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) 22 June 1975: p1.
2. Moses the Lawgiver (1975), Harper & Row Publishers
3. "Moses the Lawgiver". Internet Movie DataBase. Retrieved 9 January 2010.

External links

• Moses the Lawgiver at IMDb

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• 1974 films
• Television series by ITC Entertainment
• British films
• Films based on the Hebrew Bible
• Films set in ancient Egypt
• Films set in the 13th century BC
• Television programs based on the Bible
• Cultural depictions of Moses
• British television films
• Television series by ITV Studios
• British television film stubs
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