The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966)

Director:

John Huston

Writer:

Christopher Fry (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 September 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

...In the Beginning

Plot:

Extravagant production of the first part of the book of Genesis. Covers Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood and Abraham and Isaac.

Plot Keywords:

Adam And Eve | Flood | Murder | Angel | King

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Michael Parks	...	Adam
Ulla Bergryd	...	Eve
Richard Harris	...	Cain
John Huston	...	Noah
Stephen Boyd	...	Nimrod
George C. Scott	...	Abraham
Ava Gardner	...	Sarah
Peter O'Toole	...	The Three Angels
Zoe Sallis	...	Hagar
Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Lot
Eleonora Rossi Drago	...	Lot's Wife
Franco Nero	...	Abel
Pupella Maggio	...	Noah's Wife
Robert Rietty	...	Abraham's Steward
Peter Heinze	...	Shem

Also Known As:

La bibbia (Italy)
The Bible (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

174 min

Country:

USA | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System) | 70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

UK:U | Norway:11 (DVD rating) | Norway:12 (1967) | Argentina:Atp | Canada:14+ (TV rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Australia:G | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Trivia:

French director Robert Bresson was hired in 1964 by producer Dino De Laurentiis as director. When he shot his first scene - the deluge - he requested the use of all the animals in Rome city zoo. The producers complied, but upon checking the daily rushes saw that the only thing Bresson filmed was the tracks of the animals upon a sandy beach. They were furious and Bresson was fired, John Huston took over the project, delaying production a further six months.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Before they get into the Ark, one of Noah's daughter-in-laws has on a modern bra under her tunic.

Quotes:

Noahs wife: Would you question your father's ways... You should be ashaméd.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Religulous (2008)

Based

There are so many jokes here, that I'm not even going into, starting from "How lazy are we, if we want everything fed to us, instead of reading something" over to more sensible (at least for Christians) issues.

But why are there so many jokes that can be made, about this movie? It has great production values, the scale and the actors that are hired are top notch. The problem lies in the adaptation itself. While most who watch this might know they get served (of course not the whole Bible is depicted here), it's still not the main reason, why many will be disappointed.

It is the pacing of the movie and the heavy burden it has to stem. It's pretty obvious that it tries to stay as close to the book and to what Christians believe, that it's too afraid of it's own courage (well actually it doesn't seem to have one). While the cinematography is great, the length of the movie will be just too much for many