It's 70 BC Joppa. The Hebrews are monotheists in a sea of multitheist pagans. Micah (Edmund Purdom) pays to free a mute slave from abuse. He is a Hebrew set to marry a nice girl. All seems settled until he encounters seductive high priestess of Astarte, Samarra (Lana Turner). He gives up his family and religion to follow her to Damascus.
This is based on the Prodigal Son from Luke, Chapter 15. Everybody is speaking in stiff dialogue like a biblical play. Edmund Purdom is not pulling focus as the leading man and he's probably too old to play a naive young man. It doesn't help that he's throwing his money around like there's no tomorrow. It would be more compelling if the money is tighter. Turning down the money for his slave would mean more. While Lana Turner is a beautiful woman, he's not selling his seduction all that well. It's all rather stiff and unwieldy. Its pacing is grindingly slow. This is almost two hours long. Despite the fancy production, it's a long tiresome watch.
This is based on the Prodigal Son from Luke, Chapter 15. Everybody is speaking in stiff dialogue like a biblical play. Edmund Purdom is not pulling focus as the leading man and he's probably too old to play a naive young man. It doesn't help that he's throwing his money around like there's no tomorrow. It would be more compelling if the money is tighter. Turning down the money for his slave would mean more. While Lana Turner is a beautiful woman, he's not selling his seduction all that well. It's all rather stiff and unwieldy. Its pacing is grindingly slow. This is almost two hours long. Despite the fancy production, it's a long tiresome watch.