Bible Collection:Jacob

Most of the story follows biblical lines, with a few additions; one of them is inexplicable to me, because it is the only part of the film that could be upsetting to children; it shows Jacob on his journey, fleeing a man he thinks is Esau seeking retribution (it is actually Esau's brother-in-law), when his donkey has a fatal fall from a hillside. It is odd that they would embelish the story with such an unpleasant event, because otherwise the sheep, goats and camels are wonderful, and would be enjoyable viewing for children.
The story ends as Jacob, his wives and children (the sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel), servants and flocks arrive at Shehem. The story is continued in another film of this series, "Joseph", which is superior to this film, and highly recommended.

The cast:

Matthew Modine is fine as Jacob, Lara Flynn Boyle an excellent, lovely Rachel, and the ever beautiful Irene Papas is a marvelous Rebekah. Sean Bean (Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) is very good as Esau, and Giancarlo Giannini is Rebekah's devious brother Laban.
The score by Marco Frisina adds to the atmosphere, and the cinematography by Ennio Guarneri, though often darkened with a lot of shadows, is nice when using the sub-saharan landscape around Quarzazate, Morocco, where this was filmed; it well depicts how one would imagine the primitive life of ancient nomadic shepherds could be.
Total running time is 94 minutes.


Inspiring Entertainment for the Whole Family   June 4, 2002
Todd Hudnall (Colorado Springs, CO)
"Jacob" is not one of the better productions from the excellent Turner Bible Collection. Nonetheless, it is inspiring entertainment, solidly based on the Biblical account of Jacob. There are portions of the narrative that are brilliantly captured, while other aspects of the story are poorly handled. I would still highly recommend the movie as quality entertainment for the entire family.


pretty ordinary!   June 6, 2001
barry colin hill (Seaview Downs, South Australia Australia)
This is a fairly ordinary film about the life of Jacob. Set in Morocco, It has very stark desert scenery as a backdrop, pehaps a reflection on the barren period of Jacob's life as a luckless, penniless 'slave' to the greedy and cunning Laban. I did NOT like the actress who played Rachael. I would have expected a shepherdess of that period to be portrayed as a strong resourceful woman, with perhaps an air of Oriental mystique i.e. just her eyes showing at that first meeting at the well. She looks 'wimpy', like, just stepped out of her air-conditioned tent? Considering the casting of the later Lube Productions in this series, they mis-cast in this one! Laban, however, as the villain of the story, is acted well. As the cunning and conniving Uncle he holds the plot together. His ultimatum to the two daughters to 'swap' places is a convicing scenario of how it might have actually happened. Ok, it's not the best film in the world, but if you like Biblical dramas, it would be worth getting.


Great Video   December 17, 2000
Jon Vanhemelryck (Nevada)
Great casting, acting, directing, scenery, etc. I was recommended this by a girl from Reno, NV. I'm so glad she did. In the past, when I used to read the Bible passage about Jacob, aka Israel, and Esau, aka Edom, arguing about their birthright over a bowl of lentil stew, I always had difficulty picturing it in my mind. The movie easily cleared this up for me by doing an excellent job of taking me back in time and re-enacting this scene. Regarding the actors and actresses, their personalities and appearances seemed perfect for the parts, especially Jacob played by Matthew Modine and beautiful Rachel played by Lara Flynn Boyle. Whether or not the cast and crew were made up of Bible believers, I think the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had His hand in helping with this movie.


Fantastic   November 27, 1999
Rochelle Satterfield (OKINAWA JAPAN)
I saw this movie right after I had read the story. It stayed so true to the Word. Outstanding cast! Anyone could enjoy this story.And it is truly a family movie.