Noah's Ark (1928/I)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Darryl F. Zanuck (story)
Anthony Coldeway (adaptation)

Release Date:

21 November 1929 (Denmark)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

See and Hear the spectacle of the ages!

Plot:

The Biblical story of Noah and the Great Flood, with a parallel story of soldiers in the First World War.

Plot Keywords:

German | Flood | Russian | Spy | Orient Express

Cast

Dolores Costello	...	Mary / Miriam
George O'Brien	...	Travis / Japheth
Noah Beery	...	Nickoloff / King Nephiliu
Louise Fazenda	...	Hilda / Tavern Maid
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Al / Ham (as Gwynn Williams)
Paul McAllister	...	Minister / Noah
Myrna Loy	...	Dancer / Slave Girl
Anders Randolf	...	The German / Leader of Soldiers
Armand Kaliz	...	The Frenchman / Leader of the King's Guard
William V. Mong	...	Innkeeper / Guard
Malcolm Waite	...	The Blakan / Shem
Nigel De Brulier	...	Soldier / High Priest
Noble Johnson	...	Broker
Otto Hoffman	...	Investor with Gun / Trader

Runtime:

135 min | USA:75 min (re-release) (1957) | USA:100 min (1990s restoration)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Vitaphone) (talking sequences) | Mono (Western Electric Apparatus) (musical score and sound effects)

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Big Basin, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

This film has been preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive in conjunction with the project American Moviemakers: The Dawn of Sound.

Quotes:

Al: This war is more than just a fight. It's more like a funeral. And everybody ought to be in the procession or the hearse.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hollywood Remembers: Myrna Loy - So Nice to Come Home to (1991) (TV)

Soundtrack:

You're in the Army Now

Waiting for the rainbow...

The conclusion of the movie leaves a bitter taste in the mouth .In his remake of his classic silent "J'accuse" (1937) ,Abel Gance too proclaimed universal peace.It was not to be the last of all the wars and men are still fighting at my time of writing.And there's another flood "in which we are engulfed which is more treacherous and persistent:the deluge of the mass production (and consummation)moves inexorably forward ,capturing everything that walks in whirlpools" of frozen food,rusted cars,DVDs and CDs,cans ,boxes ,hamburgers ,tons and tons of Bumf (papers) ,growing in an exponential way...

Curtiz's movie was obviously intended to match the scale and quality (and commercial appeal)of De Mille'' "the ten commandments " .The structure is the same:a fine mixture of two stories ,a modern one (WW1,the deluge of blood)and a "biblical story" ,reversing De Mille's order .The connection between the two stories is perhaps tighter than in the 1924 work although in the first part of the movie the viewer may sometimes wonder what Curtiz is driving at.

The biblical story has been " expanded " ,which was necessary for Noah's story is rather short and not particularly eventful if spectacular. Curtiz borrowed a lot from De Mille in the scenes of the deluge and when God "writes" to Noah (using thunderbolt).But his deluge is superior to John Huston's "the animals went in two by two" sequence in "The Bible" (1967)

All in all,this is a very exciting show ,which features talking scenes ,including a whole version of "La Madelon" the Poilus' songs during WW1.The parade on the Champs D'Elysées with a painted Arc De Triomphe in the background and women throwing flowers when Travis sees Al marching on to war is a great moment.Melodrama reaches peaks of kitsch when the same is to execute ...his own wife ,condemned in mistake for spying.

When will we see Noah's dove?