The Message (1977)

Boring, long, and too preachy.

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

A highly ambitious film, capturing the life of Muhammad. Due to the nature of the subject, director Moustapha Akkad had to thread his way between many restrictions. Not only did the film have to be accurate in its depiction of Muhammad, as anything short of this would be sacrilegious, but, in order to reach a wider audience, it had to appeal to non-Muslims too. Furthermore, his main character could not be shown at all!Despite these requirements and limitations, Akkad ultimately made a fine movie. Epic in scale, lavish in production and engaging in plot. It clocks in at a touch under three hours but doesn't feel like it, it moves along so smoothly. Akkad gets around the inability to show Muhammad through some clever devices, often concentrating on his senior aides rather than the man himself, and when he does have to have him present, doing it from a first person perspective. Not as engaging as if we actually had the main character visible, but I can't think of a better way he could have made the film, given that restriction.As a person who does not know much about the history of Muhammad and Islam, quite edifying.Good cinematography and battle scenes. Decent performances too.

I'm no Muslim but I am interested in the story of Islam since it's the final of the monotheistic religions, as the Muslims say: its "seal". This is a seventies epic in the same style of Zefirelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" and "The lion of the desert". All three movies feature a magnificent Anthony Quinn. The movie is very enjoyable and well made. Beautiful shots, great cinematography, good score, great acting. Of course it brings a very short version of the story of Islam, mainly chronicling the most important political and military events but leaving out loads and loads of elements. At 3 hours one cannot expect more. This is why I would have preferred a miniseries double that length, as in "Jesus of Nazareth". That gives time to settle in, to give much more information, teachings, etc. Of course the movie is not as it could have. Islamic creed prohibits the depiction of the Prophet: you never see Muhammad nor do you hear an actor as his voice. That's quite a handicap for the movie. The same goes for the most important people around him. Next to none are depicted in the film: Fatimah, Aisha and in general the whole family of the Prophet, Ali, Abu Bakr, and the other first four caliphs etc. The result of the above is a movie which brings the most important "earthly" sides to the advent of Islam, but lacks a bit in spiritual depth. It also brings the story of Islam without including all its most important pioneers. Though I respect this, I find it a great pity. Nonetheless, even with these limits the movie still deserves 7/10 if alone for the beautiful photography, the acting of Anthony Quinn and the beautiful depictions of Islamic holy sites at the very end.

I had watched very few film on Islam but it was best among few. Mustafa and Anthony did brilliant work. Best thing about The Message is, it teach message of Islam with all modesty and respect. After watching this movie i become fan of Anthony Quin, he played his role very well. Considering the release time of movie, war scene and KAABA depiction is superb. Even though i am disappoint because there was no role of Hazrat Ali which is one the biggest character in Islamic history. Expansion of Islam was immediate after initial hurdle and it was helped by Allah. Islam is the need of time and it need more exploration in cinema which easier medium to connect masses right now.Thanks Mustafa for making such a masterpiece.

I'm a huge movie buff, and always on the look out for new or old movies to add to my collection, so when I came across "The Message" with a 7.8 rating I had to check it out. Plus, with Anthony Quinn, how could it go wrong, right?Well if you have ever seen "Lion of the Desert" you know how wrong it can go. First off, sitting through the three hour propaganda movie is a chore and a half. This is no "Ben-Hur" or "Lawrence of Arabia" as there is nothing here to captivate your interest. Yes, I dug into the film with high expectations, but soon realized the high reviews were given by Islamist with an agenda, rather than Movie Buffs. So, if you're like me, always on the look out for great movies, look else where and save yourself the three hours, also stay away from the "Lion in the Desert" another Anthony Quinn bomb with no depth.