DVD Reviews

Charlton Heston Presents the Bible – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Apr 15, 2011, 13:56 GMT

The stories were told through the generations, stories of what had happened and what was to come. "The best stories there ever were ,? Charlton Heston says about these Biblical accounts. Academy Award® winner Heston (Best Actor for 1959\'s Ben-Hur) takes viewers to authentic Holy Land locales, drawing on the King James text and his remarkable storytelling skills to narrate these inspiring tales rooted in faith. GENESIS In the beginning... Revisit ...more

“Follow Charlton Heston on a journey through the Holy Land as he recounts the greatest Bible stories ever told!” recounts the sticker on the cover of this release.  As it is written so shall it be done. 

Charlton Heston’s appearance as the liberator of the Israelites (Moses for those that didn’t guess) as well as Judah Ben-Hur forever typecast him as the sort for biblical epics.  I’d always heard that Heston was an atheist, but I’m unsure.  I know Heston never blanched at appearing in biblical films. 

The same was not true of Burt Lancaster as he was up for the role of Ben-Hur and his atheism had him turn it down, as he didn’t want to promote Christianity.  Lancaster’s refusal turned to be a blessing for Heston as it launched his career into overdrive.  Of course Heston’s deep, booming voice sounds as it would come from the heavens from the lips of the Almighty. 

He would never turn away from starring in a religious film and in 1992 his production company, Agamemnon Films, would journey to the Holy Land to do a series of documentaries.  The topics would cover Genesis, The Story of Moses, Jesus of Nazareth, and The Passion. 

The story of Moses should’ve been old hat to the iconic actor.  His trips to the same land that Moses trod as research for DeMille’s Ten Commandments would serve as a catalyst to the eventual documentaries as well as spurring the actor’s interest in the Bible.

That good book serves provides guidance to many and even those that don’t believe it the word of God can find a certain Shakespearian quality to its Kings James incarnation.  Certainly as Heston travels to the very places that the Bible recounts and intones those verses in his thunderous voice it turns water into wine. 

He shows a passion for the material and certainly excels in his delivery.  Each hour-long treatise is a fascinating piece. 

Charlton Heston Presents the Bible is presented in fullscreen.  Special features include a 27 minute behind-the-scenes making of.  The thing is that it appears on each of the four discs that the feature appears on. 

It seems a bit repetitive, but that may also mean that each will get separate releases one day (it may also be a product of the episodes being released on DVD by another distributor). 

These grand documentaries have been out of print so it’s great to have them back again.  Just in time for Easter.  This set allows you to get the whole set for biblical scholars and Heston fans alike. 

Visit the DVD database for more information.