A Sad Story: Esther in Hollywood

Carl Ehrlich, Professor of Humanities, Director, Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, York University

The book of Esther encompasses one of the most exciting narratives in the Hebrew Bible. As such, it has oftentimes provided the subject matter of cinematic treatment. Yet the movies have not been as kind to Esther as one could have hoped. This lecture will survey and critique a number of Esther films. It will pay particular attention to the way in which they rework their biblical source materials for their own ideological and/or theological purposes.