The Prodigal (1955)
Directed by Richard Thorpe

Film Review

With its lavish production values and well-constructed story, The Prodigal is easily one of the most accomplished of the Biblical epics made by MGM in the 1950s.  Inspired by a parable from the New Testament, it offers a compelling account of a man's fall from grace and redemption, well performed by a talented cast and beautifully photographed by Joseph Ruttenberg.  When it came to big budget period fantasies, few film directors were as consistently good at their art as Richard Thorpe - evidenced by his earlier successes Ivanhoe (1952) and Knights of the Round Table (1953).

MGM's leading lady Lana Turner has rarely looked more ravishing than in this widescreen colour epic, and Edmund Purdom once again turns in a solid performance as the heroic lead, having won popular acclaim for his central role in The Egyptian (1954), another grand CinemaScope epic.  Whilst the Biblical epic has gone out of fashion and is now all too easily derided, The Prodigal remains one of the genre's most impressive entries.  A sumptuously crafted and engaging piece of cinema, it is dated only by its subject matter and overly reverential tone, which made it all too easy to parody.

Film Synopsis

Micah, a devout servant of the Hebrew tradition, wins his father Eli's disapproval when, on a visit to Damascus, he falls in love with the beautiful priestess of Astarte, Samarra.  Micah persuades his father to give him his share of his inheritance and returns to Damascus, determined to win Samarra for himself.  Unfortunately, he has made a deadly enemy in the high priest of Baal, Nahreeb, who plans to engineer a famine to demonstrate the power of his god to his people.  Samarra agrees to allow Micah to spend one night with her, if he brings her a precious pearl as a tribute to her goddess.  The pearl costs Micah his entire fortune and Nahreeb sees his opportunity to have him cast into slavery...