Movie · 1976 · Adventure, Drama, Action, History · 2h 58m · PG · English
Curator score: 8.1/10 (70.5K ratings)
For the first time... the vast, spectacular drama that changed the world!
Overview
In sixth-century Mecca, Prophet Muhammad receives his first revelation from God as a messenger. Three years later, he's not alone in his quest and publicly declares his prophecy. Muhammad is fought by Abu Sufian and his wife Hind, rulers of Mecca. Muhammad's followers are hunted and tortured but he continues his calling.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.1/10
IMDb: 8.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.92/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Moustapha Akkad
Production
Filmco International Productions, Falcon International Productions
Cast
Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Michael Ansara, Johnny Sekka, Michael Forest, Garrick Hagon, Nicholas Amer, Damien Thomas, André Morell, Martin Benson, Robert Brown, Rosalie Crutchley, Bruno Barnabe, Neville Jason, John Bennett, Donald Burton, Earl Cameron, George Camiller, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Mohammed Tawfik
Where to watch
Shahid VIP
Curator Review
Verdict
A serious, ambitious historical epic that dramatizes the birth of Islam with unusual restraint and scale. Its offscreen treatment of Muhammad is both a practical solution and a defining artistic choice, giving the film a reverent, processional quality that many viewers find powerful.
Best for
viewers interested in religious history and faith-based epics
fans of large-scale 1970s historical dramas
audiences curious about how cinema handles sacred subjects with restraint
people who appreciate earnest, old-school production design and pageantry
Skip if
you want fast pacing or modern action rhythms
you are looking for a psychologically intimate character study
you prefer films that are irreverent or revisionist about religion
you are uncomfortable with overtly devotional storytelling
Overview
The Message is one of the most unusual epics of the 1970s: a big, expensive historical drama built around absence. By refusing to show Muhammad directly, the film turns its attention to the people around him and to the social pressure, persecution, and conviction that shaped the early spread of Islam. That choice gives the film a formal discipline that still feels distinctive decades later.
Worth noting
Moustapha Akkad stages the story with sincerity and scale, leaning on strong production design, sweeping movement, and a classical sense of dramatic escalation. Anthony Quinn gives the film its most recognizable star power, but the real force here is the movie’s commitment to respect and clarity rather than spectacle for its own sake.
Bottom line
It can feel stately and didactic, and viewers expecting a conventional adventure film may find it slow. But as a cross-cultural historical epic, it has real significance and a seriousness of purpose that explains why it remains so widely remembered and revisited.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Jens Aksel Takle (4★) · 309 likes
After a countless films about Jesus Christ, the prophet in the christian faith, we have to ask ourselves, has there ever been a film about the prophet of the Islamic faith, Muhammad? Yes, there is, it's titled "The Message". But since Mohammad is such a holy figure, he was not to be shown on the screen. The story is told through his uncle, Hamza (Anthony Quinn) and his other followers. But there's some scenes where people speaks directly to the… more After a countless films about Jesus Christ, the prophet in the christian faith, we have to ask ourselves, has there ever been a film about the prophet of the Islamic faith, Muhammad? Yes, there is, it's titled "The Message". But since Mohammad is such a holy figure, he was not to be shown on the screen. The story is told through his uncle, Hamza (Anthony Quinn) and his other followers. But there's some scenes where people speaks directly to the… more
Gabriel Ballard (3★) · 251 likes
POV: you’re the prophet Muhammad and we’re the boys trying to start up this cool trendy religion of Islam and everyone dislikes us even though we’re the nicest and chillest people around town
NURULLAH (5★) · 162 likes
Peygamber efendimizin hayatını ve İslamiyetin yayılmasını en güzel şekilde anlatan tek film..... Bir ikincisi yok... Oyunculuklar harika ötesi özellikle HAMZA rolünde Antony Quinn... Aslan avcısı Hamza... Filme girişi... atının üzerinde, boynunda aslan postu asılı gelişi beni mest etmiştir hep... Ve aklıma kazınan repliği '' onlar bizi görüyor bizde onları.. gözümün gördüğü hiçbirşey den korkmam''....Ve şehit düştüğü o sahne yaklaşırken içimi hep sıkıntı hüzün çökmesi....
Ayrıca Halit Bin Velit' in Müslüman oluşu ve Zeyd'in ona '' senin kılıcın İslamiyetin karşısındaki… more
Cole Duffy (3.5★) · 134 likes
So, how does one tell the story of Muhammad and the beginnings of Islam while respecting the teachings of the Quran, thus keeping the prophet offscreen entirely? By placing your focus on the people who surrounded him and on the struggle Islam faced to be recognized as a religion. The Message handles this challenge very well, with the direct stares into the camera from characters when they speak to Muhammad break the fourth wall of this historical epic in a… more So, how does one tell the story of Muhammad and the beginnings of Islam while respecting the teachings of the Quran, thus keeping the prophet offscreen entirely? By placing your focus on the people who surrounded him and on the struggle Islam faced to be recognized as a religion. The Message handles this challenge very well, with the direct stares into the camera from characters when they speak to Muhammad break the fourth wall of this historical epic in a… more
aysenur (4★) · 98 likes
Every Muslim youngster has seen this movie—or at least parts of it—with their parents during Ramadan, that much I am certain of. This has evolved into a sort of Ramadan tradition, particularly in Turkey. I occasionally caught bits of it on TV, sometimes dubbed in Turkish as my parents would watch, but this year on the first day of Ramadan, I saw the entire movie in its original language (English) for the first time. It is a widely-acknowledged truth among… more Every Muslim youngster has seen this movie—or at least parts of it—with their parents during Ramadan, that much I am certain of. This has evolved into a sort of Ramadan tradition, particularly in Turkey. I occasionally caught bits of it on TV, sometimes dubbed in Turkish as my parents would watch, but this year on the first day of Ramadan, I saw the entire movie in its original language (English) for the first time. It is a widely-acknowledged truth among… more
1966 · History, War, Adventure · 2h 14m · Curator 4.0/10 (12.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A historical war epic with desert spectacle, political conflict, and a similarly stately approach to history.