Product Details

• Actors: Matthew Modine, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sean Bean, Joss Ackland, Juliet Aubrey
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: September 24, 1996
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303383041
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,057 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the back cover

Matthew Modine (Memphis Belle, And The Band Played On) and Lara Flynn Boyle (Wayne's World, Threesome) turn in heartfelt performances as Jacob and Rachel, two young loves willing to go through anything to be together. Director Peter Hall brings to the screen one of the most poignant romances of all time, filmed in stunning Morocco. After tricking his older brother out of his birthright, Jacob leaves home in fear for his life. Upon seeing Rachel's beauty for the first time, he forgets his past and only dreams of his future with her. Penniless and unemployed, Jacob offers Rachel's father the only thing he can give for her hand in marriage--manual labor for seven years. But uncle Laban is a treacherous and selfish man, and on what should be the happiest night of Jacob's life, he orchestrates the ultimate deceit. Rachel must watch as Jacob is forced to start a family with another. Jacob must work for his conniving uncle for close to two decades to win the love of his life. Their freedom is another matter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Man Who Prevailed, March 20, 2004

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Jacob [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film is an earnest telling of chapters 25 through 33 of Genesis, and starts when Esau sells his birthright to his twin brother Jacob for a bowl of pottage (red lentil stew), and then gets maneuvered out of his father's blessing by his mother Rebekah. She knows Esau doesn't listen to God's voice, and his two Canaanite wives are a wearisome thing in her life, so Jacob is sent off to her brother (who has daughters), some 400 miles away, where Jacob falls in love with the attractive Rachel...and once there, "everything he touches, flourishes." It is a narrative of great faith and perserverance, and the relationship between Jacob and Rachel is touching and sweet.

Most of the story follows biblical lines, with a few additions; one of them is inexplicable to me, because it is the only part of the film that could be upsetting to children; it shows Jacob on his journey, fleeing a man he thinks is Esau seeking retribution (it is actually Esau's brother-in-law), when his donkey has a fatal fall from a hillside. It is odd that they would embelish the story with such an unpleasant event, because otherwise the sheep, goats and camels are wonderful, and would be enjoyable viewing for children.
The story ends as Jacob, his wives and children (the sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel), servants and flocks arrive at Shehem. The story is continued in another film of this series, "Joseph," which is superior to this film, and highly recommended.

The cast:

Matthew Modine is fine as Jacob, Lara Flynn Boyle an excellent, lovely Rachel, and the ever beautiful Irene Papas is a marvelous Rebekah. Sean Bean (Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) is very good as Esau, and Giancarlo Giannini is Rebekah's devious brother Laban.
The score by Marco Frisina adds to the atmosphere, and the cinematography by Ennio Guarneri, though often darkened with a lot of shadows, is nice when using the sub-saharan landscape around Quarzazate, Morocco, where this was filmed; it well depicts how one would imagine the primitive life of ancient nomadic shepherds could be.
Total running time is 94 minutes.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Video, December 17, 2000

By 

Jon Vanhemelryck (Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jacob [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Great casting, acting, directing, scenery, etc. I was recommended this by a girl from Reno, NV. I'm so glad she did. In the past, when I used to read the Bible passage about Jacob, aka Israel, and Esau, aka Edom, arguing about their birthright over a bowl of lentil stew, I always had difficulty picturing it in my mind. The movie easily cleared this up for me by doing an excellent job of taking me back in time and re-enacting this scene. Regarding the actors and actresses, their personalities and appearances seemed perfect for the parts, especially Jacob played by Matthew Modine and beautiful Rachel played by Lara Flynn Boyle. Whether or not the cast and crew were made up of Bible believers, I think the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had His hand in helping with this movie.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Entertainment for the Whole Family, June 3, 2002

By 

Todd Hudnall (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jacob [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Jacob" is not one of the better productions from the excellent Turner Bible Collection. Nonetheless, it is inspiring entertainment, solidly based on the Biblical account of Jacob. There are portions of the narrative that are brilliantly captured, while other aspects of the story are poorly handled. I would still highly recommend the movie as quality entertainment for the entire family.