When the backing
for The Message vanished mid-production, it was Libyan leader Muammar al
Gaddafi who ended up financing the film, as well Moustapha Akkad’s next and
final film, Lion of the Desert.
Although Lion of the Desert was the
bigger failure, The Message was a
much bigger risk. It attempts to tell the story of the prophet Mohammed and the
birth of the Islamic faith while keeping in accordance with Muslim belief,
which does not allow a depiction of the man on film.
The character of
Mohammed is often portrayed as the camera, and we are his point-of-view as
other discuss issues around him, though a fight sequence is attempted without
showing more than a sword. Since not even his wives or sons could be shown
onscreen, the character of his uncle, Hamza (Anthony Quinn), became the main
character in the film. This actually works quite well, despite the awkwardness
of the scenes where actors were forced to pretend to listen to unspoken
dialogue, as not even the prophet’s voice was permitted to be imitated.
Despite the great lengths went to in
making a film which is both informative and respectful, while still retaining
some entertainment, there was a great deal of controversy over the release.
This would have been fascinating material for a featurette or documentary to go
with the disc, but this “collector’s edition” is sadly void of extras.
Entertainment Value:
5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
Disc Features: 0/10
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