When the first photos of Jürgen Prochnow in this movie materialized on the internet, speculation was rife (and very nasty, frankly) that he was going to be snarfing the scenery in the film. Well, that is a hell of a glare on him in the press photos.
I browsed through this thing a couple of days ago and reported it was my impression that Jürgen and F. Murray must have made a pact not to out-rant each other, as the other actors wouldn't survive - never mind the sets.
I was wrong.
Poor Jürgen didn't really have much of a role here; it should have been larger, but the filmmakers opted for filler scenes rather than too much politics. And ESTHER is not a good movie. You'd think with all the fuss over this Biblical series and the international casts and everything, it would be something you could get your teeth into. Just over an hour into it I thought to myself, "I can't believe I'm sitting here watching Jürgen Prochnow and F. Murray Abraham in a B-grade Biblical chick flick." Are they KIDDING?
Apparently everybody was kidding except Jürgen. Why on earth he played this role as straight as he did, I can't imagine. There wasn't that much for him to do, but it was a good, restrained villain performance. He did the ole "yell with your voice, not with your whole body" thing, and the slime factor was delightfully subtle here. He was wonderful.
F. Murray wasn't around for any of that, however, so F. Murray, after oh, say, an hour and a half of swell stuff (this is a long movie) lets the cheese slip right off his cracker and starts doing chimp acts. I suppose that's a good thing because it perked me up quite a bit, but you'd think F. Murray would know that he's one of the few actors who can give Prochnow a run for his money (and in a thing like this!)... I'd love to have seen F. Murray's face at the premiere when he realized that Jürgen hadn't been climbing the curtains in any of HIS scenes.
Repeat after me, F. Murray: "I'm not worthy... I'm not worthy..."
Now go do it in front of Jürgen Prochnow, ya big ape.
Subject: F. Murray becomes Esther-ical
OK, so the movie was so-so...poor Jürgen was nice and understated...he played the sycophant very well. But what was the deal with F. Murray??? He was a proud, wise man for most of the flick....and then as soon as he hears that all Jews would be destroyed, he takes to the sackcloth and ashes in a major way. I mean, wailing and moaning, crawling on his belly like a reptile...give this guy a sedative! I couldn't tell if he went over the top in order to catch the guards, and eventually Esther's attention, or if he just likes the taste of scenery.
We need to see F. Murray and Jürgen in a rant-off!
[Jürgen and F. Murray in a rant-off? I'd like to see that too... but only if it goes like this: Jürgen stands by quietly while F. Murray acts like THAT for a minute and a half. Then Jürgen says, "You win!"]