The Message (1976)

Director:

Moustapha Akkad

Writers:

H.A.L. Craig (writer)
Tewfik El-Hakim (writer)

Release Date:

14 July 1977 (West Germany)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

In four decades only four... "The Robe" "The Ten Commandments" "Ben-Hur" and now... For the first time...the vast, spectacular drama that changed the world!

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Empire | 7th Century | Emperor | Byzantine | Byzantium

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Anthony Quinn	...	Hamza
Irene Papas	...	Hind
Michael Ansara	...	Abu Sofyan
Johnny Sekka	...	Bilal
Michael Forest	...	Khalid
Damien Thomas	...	Zaid
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ahmed Abdelhalim	...	Uriqat
Habib Ageli	...	Hudayfa
Mohammad Al-Gaddary	...	Money Lender
Nicolas Amer	...	Suheil
Bruno Barnabe	...	Umaya
Mohamed Basri	...	Merchant
John Bennett	...	Salool
Martin Benson	...	Abu-Jahal
Robert Brown	...	Otba
Donald Burton	...	Amr
Earl Cameron	...	Annajashi
George Camiller	...	Waleed
Ronald Chenery	...	Mosaab
Rosalie Crutchley	...	Somaya
Salem Gedara	...	Wahshi
Michael Godfrey	...	Barra
Garrick Hagon	...	Ammar
Gerard Hely	...	Sinan
John Humphry	...	Ubada
Elaine Ives-Cameron	...	Arwa
Neville Jason	...	Jaafar
Richard Johnson	...	Narrator
Hassan Joundi	...	Kisra
Ronald Leigh-Hunt	...	Heraclius
Peter Madden	...	Toothless Man
André Morell	...	Abu-Talib
Wolfe Morris	...	Bu-Lahab
Ewen Solon	...	Yasser
Leonard Trolley	...	Silk Merchant

Also Known As:

Mohammed, Messenger of God

Runtime:

177 min

Country:

Pakistan | Kuwait | Morocco | Libya | UK | Lebanon

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Germany) | Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Libya

Company:

Filmco International Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Muhammad Ali expressed interest in playing the role of Bilal, but producer Moustapha Akkad refused, stating that such casting "would smack of commercialism."

Quotes:

Abu Sofyan: Mohammed, there is still doubt in my heart.
Khalid: If we were to cut off your head, it would remove all your doubts.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of an Epic: Mohammad Messenger of God (1976) (TV)

most amazing experience

I saw this film when I was working and living in Brussels in 1979. Most of my friends were North African, ergo Muslim. When this film came out, we all went to the Bourse Cinema. The film itself was very enlightening, and the fact that Mohammed himself was never 'in the picture' (so to speak) I found contributing to the profoundness of the film. What really struck me was that when in the film religious (holy) verses (like psalms) were sung or played, the whole audience would reverently sing along. Very moving.

Of course, it was 25 years ago, and I cannot remember a lot of it, but it was my first encounter with Islam and made a major impact.