''Abraham'' is a 1993

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

based on the life of the Biblical patriarch

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

produced by Five Mile River Films. It was shot in

Ouarzazate Ouarzazate (; , ), nicknamed ''the door of the desert'', is a city and capital of Ouarzazate Province in the region of Drâa-Tafilalet, south-central Morocco. Ouarzazate is a primary tourist destination in Morocco during the holidays, as well as ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. Directed by

Joseph Sargent Joseph Sargent (born Giuseppe Danielle Sorgente; July 22, 1925 – December 22, 2014) was an American film director. He is best known for his feature-length works, like the action movie '' White Lightning'' starring Burt Reynolds, the biopi ...

, it stars

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

(as Abraham), Barbara Hershey (as Sara),

Maximilian Schell Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was a Swiss actor. Born in First Austrian Republic, Austria, his parents were involved in the arts and he grew up surrounded by performance and literature. While he was still a child, his fa ...

(as Pharao), and

Vittorio Gassman Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important producti ...

(Terach). The film is the first in the Bible Collection series by TNT.

Plot

Abram lives in

Harran Harran is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. Its area is 904 km2, and its population is 96,072 (2022). It is approximately southeast of Urfa and from the Syrian border crossing at Akçakale. ...

, a rich city. His wife Sarai ( Barbara Hershey) is childless, and their only heir is

Eliezer Eliezer () was the name of at least three different individuals in the Hebrew Bible. Eliezer of Damascus Eliezer of Damascus () was, according to Targum Jonathan Bereishit, 14:14, the son of Nimrod. As mentioned in Lech-Lecha#Sixth_reading— ...

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

. One day he hears the voice of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

, who says that he must leave Harran and travel to an unknown land. God promises to make a great nation from him and renames him Abraham and his wife Sarai as Sarah. The pattern for the plot is the Genesis chapters 11–25.

Cast

* Barbara Hershey as

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...

as Pharaoh *

Terah Terah or Terach ( ''Teraḥ'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis. He is listed as the son of Nahor and father of the patriarch Abraham. As such, he is a descendant of Shem's son Arpachshad. Terah is mentioned in Genesis 11:26–27, ...

* Carolina Rosi as

Hagar According to the Book of Genesis, Hagar is an Egyptian slave, a handmaiden of Sarah (then known as ''Sarai''), whom Sarah gave to her own husband Abram (later renamed Abraham) as a wife to bear him a child. Abraham's firstborn son, through Haga ...

* Andrea Prodan as Lot * Gottfried John as

* Kevin McNally as

Nahor, son of Terah In the account of Terah's family mentioned in the Book of Genesis (), Nahor II ( – ''Nāḥōr'') is listed as the son of Terah, amongst two other brothers, Abram and Haran (). His grandfather was Nahor I, son of Serug. Nahor married the d ...

* Simona Ferraro Chartoff as Lot's wife * Aziz Khaldoun as young Serug * Tom Radcliffe as adult Serug * Jude Alderson as Mikah * Evelina Meghangi as Reumah *Danny Mertsoy as Ishmael (age 9) *Giuseppe Peluso as

Ishmael In the Bible, biblical Book of Genesis, Ishmael (; ; ; ) is the first son of Abraham. His mother was Hagar, the handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah. He died at the age of 137. Traditionally, he is seen as the ancestor of the Arabs. Within Isla ...

(age 16) *Timur Yusef as Isaac (age 5) *Taylor Scipio as

Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...

(age 11)

References

''TV REVIEW `Abraham' on TNT-Gritty but Appealing.''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

, April 2, 1994
''TV Weekend; A Biblical Patriarch For a Time of Worship.''
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', April 1, 1994

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham (Film) Films based on the Book of Genesis English-language German films English-language Italian films 1993 television films 1993 films 1993 drama films TNT (American TV network) original films German drama television films Italian drama television films Cultural depictions of Abraham Films based on the Bible Films directed by Joseph Sargent Films set in Turkey Films set in Israel Films set in Jordan Films set in Palestine (region) Films set in Egypt Films shot in Ouarzazate Bible Collection Das Erste original programming Biographical television films Films scored by Ennio Morricone 1993 in Italian television 1990s English-language films American drama television films 1990s American films 1990s German films