The event series Le donne della Bibbia arrives on Canale5 for the Easter holidays: appointment on Sunday 5 April and Monday 6 April at 9.20pm. This is an absolute first vision, one of Mediaset’s most ambitious bets for the Easter period. Those who prefer streaming can follow the episodes in real time – or catch up on them – on Mediaset Infinity.
What is he talking about
Inspired by the Book of Genesis, the miniseries tells the story of God’s plan through five female figures from the Old Testament: Sarah, Hagar, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel. These are not simple historical or religious figures: each of them carries with it a profound and universal symbolic meaning. Sarah represents the promise kept, Hagar the symbol of divine protection towards the oppressed and marginalized, Rebecca the crucial role in influencing Jacob’s descendants, Leah the pillar of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and Rachel the mercy of God towards his people. Together, their intertwined stories provide a powerful picture of humanity and faith.
The episodes in brief
April 5
Sarah, sterile and fearful of hindering the divine mission entrusted to Abraham, proposes to him to have a child with the servant Hagar. Ishmael is born, but with him come jealousies and conflicts that lead to the estrangement of Hagar, who finds hope in the desert thanks to God’s intervention. In the meantime, Isaac and Rebecca experience a gradual and intense rapprochement. Rebecca becomes the mother of Esau and Jacob, two very different brothers: while Isaac prefers the combative firstborn, Rebecca is convinced that the chosen son, destined for a glorious lineage, is the more thoughtful Jacob.
April 6
Esau and Jacob clash bitterly over the issue of the birthright. Meanwhile, Jacob falls in love with Rachel, but on the wedding night he is deceived by Laban, Rebecca’s brother, who pushes him to marry Leah. To finally be with the woman he loves, Jacob will have to wait another seven long years.
The cast
The cast includes names of international importance: Minnie Driver in the role of Sarah, Jeffrey Donovan in that of Abraham, Natacha Karam as Hagar, Alexa Davalos in the role of Rebecca, Tom Payne as Jacob, Blu Hunt in the role of Rachel and James Purefoy in that of Laban, Rebecca’s brother. A particular choice is to entrust the voice and face of God to the Italian actor Corrado Invernizzi.
Curiosities about the production and where it was filmed
The series is a Fox Entertainment Studios production shot entirely in Italy, in the evocative locations of Rome and Matera. Precisely the choice to set the filming in our country gives the series a unique visual atmosphere, capable of evoking the arid and solemn landscapes of the biblical Middle East, especially thanks to the stones of Matera, already the backdrop for numerous productions with ancient settings.
