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:

It was John Huston's original idea to have Charles Chaplin play Noah. However, Chaplin didn't much like the idea of appearing in a picture directed by someone else, and Huston wound up playing the role himself. Similarly, Huston wanted Igor Stravinsky to score the film. For unspecified reasons, this was never done, either.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Abraham: [to Sarah] Lo, here I bring my love beside thee in the tent.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fritz the Cat (1972)

The Film Deserves Better Recognition

I've always noticed an interesting trend among critics when they review a Biblical movie. Since most critics are of a skeptical nature, they usually carry with them the bias that unless the movie deviates from a traditional telling of what the Bible says it is somehow dull cinema. That somehow there can't be anything compelling in seeing the stories of the Bible dramatized in a straightforward manner with no inane attempts to "humanize" the tales through the lens of a modern, secular society.

Well, I make no apologies for being one of the devout and saying that I prefer my Bible stories straight, without any modernistic elements that are meant to make hidden slams at why the stories are important to begin with. For me, "The Bible" is one of the best Biblical epics precisely because it takes its subject material seriously and only alters a few details (Nimrod for instance is not identified as the king at the time of the Tower of Babel) to get a coherent cinematic presentation in place. Christopher Fry, whose uncredited rewrite of "Ben Hur's" screenplay helped make that film a literate masterpiece of cinema brings the same touch here. And Huston does a fine job of directing.

Those who bash this film, much like those who are given to bashing movies like "The Greatest Story Ever Told" while praising garbage like "The Last Temptation Of Christ" are often saying more about themselves than they are about the film they've just reviewed. What they regard as "boring" I regard as a noble effort to give a visual understanding to the events of the Bible. And "The Bible" despite only covering the first half of the book of Genesis succeeds brilliantly at it.