Esther and the King

Esther and the King
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Raoul Walsh Italian version: Mario Bava
Screenplay by	Raoul Walsh Michael Elkins Uncredited: Ennio De Concini
Based on	Book of Esther
Produced by	Raoul Walsh
Starring	Joan Collins Richard Egan Denis O'Dea
Cinematography	Mario Bava
Edited by	Jerry Webb
Music by	Francesco Lavagnino Roberto Nicolosi
Production companies	20th Century-Fox Galatea Film
Distributed by	20th Century-Fox
Release date	December 14, 1960 (1960-12-14) (U.S.)
Running time	109 minutes
Countries	United States Italy
Language	English

Esther and the King (Italian: Ester e il re) is a 1960 religious epic film produced and directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Joan Collins as Esther, Richard Egan as Ahasuerus, and Denis O'Dea as Mordecai. Walsh and Michael Elkins wrote the screenplay, which was based on the Book of Esther of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. It recounts the origin of the Jewish celebration of Purim.

An international co-production released by 20th Century-Fox, Esther and the King was filmed in Italy in the CinemaScope format (although not signed as such) and the Technicolor color process. Mario Bava, the film's cinematographer, was credited as a co-director on Italian prints of the film.^[1]