The Bible: Joseph is a 1995 German/Italian/American television miniseries about the life of Joseph from the Old Testament. It was filmed in Morocco and aired on TNT. At the 47th Primetime Emmy Awards, Joseph won one award from five nominations.

Joseph
Written by
Directed byRoger Young
Starring
Music by
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers
  • Luca Bernabei
  • Laura Fattori
CinematographyRaffaele Mertes
EditorBenjamin A. Weissman
Running time185 minutes
Original release
NetworkTNT
ReleaseApril 16, 1995 (1995-04-16)

Plot

edit

In Egypt, Joseph is a Hebrew slave to Potiphar, chief of Pharaoh's palace guard. The overseer Ednan torments Joseph for his refusal to show deference, but Joseph earns his respect by reading, and Ednan increasingly relies on Joseph. Potiphar's wife unsuccessfully tries to seduce Joseph, and falsely accuses him of rape.

Joseph explains his life story to Potiphar to restore trust. Joseph is the eldest son of Jacob and Rachel. Their large family is marred by discord and violence. One day, Jacob gives Joseph a beautiful coat, which causes his envious half-brothers to sell Joseph into slavery. Potiphar announces that Joseph will go to Pharaoh's prison for humiliating his wife. In prison, Joseph earns a reputation as a talented interpreter of dreams. He makes two accurate interpretations of the dreams of the royal cupbearer and the royal baker, both imprisoned on suspicion of theft.

Pharaoh summons Joseph to interpret his own troubling dreams. Joseph says the seven fat cows and the seven full ears of corn in the dream mean there will be seven years of plenty, but the seven sickly cows and the seven thin ears of corn signify seven years of famine. Joseph suggests that all the farmers give one-fifth of their crops to Pharaoh for storage for the coming famine. Impressed, Pharaoh appoints Joseph as governor, second only to Pharaoh; he also gives Joseph a wife, Asenath. Potiphar and Ednan now serve under Joseph.

Seven years later, the famine began. Joseph and Asenath have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. In Canaan, Jacob learns of the abundance in Egypt and sends most of his sons to buy grain. Joseph recognizes his brothers, accuses them of spying, and throws them into prison. Joseph insists they prove their innocence by bringing the youngest brother Benjamin to Egypt.

After the brothers bring Benjamin, he is framed for theft and arrested. When they rise up against their guards, Joseph reveals his true identity to all of them. Benjamin immediately embraces Joseph, but the others are ashamed. Joseph embraces each one in turn, saying that God used their evil intentions for the ultimate good, preparing Joseph for his current position so that he can provide for his extended family.

Joseph sends his brothers home to bring Jacob and the entire settlement to Egypt during the remaining five years of the famine. The clan arrives in Egypt to be reunited with Joseph.

Cast

edit

Crew

edit

Awards and nominations

edit
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1995
CableACE Awards Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries Ben Kingsley Nominated [1]
Art Direction in a Dramatic Special or Series/Movie or Miniseries Paolo Biagetti and Enrico Sabbatini Nominated
Costume Design Enrico Sabbatini Nominated
Original Score Marco Frisina Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries Gerald Rafshoon, Lorenzo Minoli, and Laura Fattori Won [2]
[3]
[4]
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special Ben Kingsley Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special Enrico Sabbatini and Paolo Biagetti (for "Part 1") Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Casting Jeremy Zimmermann and Shaila Rubin Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Editing for a Miniseries or a Special G. Michael Graham, Joe Melody, Kristi Johns,
Tim Terusa, David C. Eichhorn, Anton Holden,
Rusty Tinsley, Rick Crampton, Mark Steele,
John K. Adams, Bob Costanza, Mike Dickeson,
Darren Wright, Gary Macheel, Richard S. Steele,
Bill Bell, Tim Chilton, and Jill Schachne (for "Part 1")
Nominated
1996
Writers Guild of America Awards Adapted Long Form Lionel Chetwynd Nominated [5]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Margulies, Lee (September 20, 1995). "HBO Leads the Pack With 89 CableACE Nominations: Television: Nods for 'Larry Sanders,' 'Dream On' push network ahead of Showtime, which garners 36". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  2. ^ "Joseph". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "1995 Emmy Award Winners". The New York Times. September 12, 1995. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  4. ^ "Emmy Award Nominations 1995 : Nighttime Nominees: A Complete Rundown". Los Angeles Times. July 21, 1995. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  5. ^ "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
edit