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:

Filming of The Tower of Babel sequence was disrupted when Egyptian extras staged a rock-throwing riot.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Narrator: [Tower of Babel story] And the Lord said, "Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fritz the Cat (1972)

Genesis

In her memoirs ,Ava Gardner wrote that she hated some of her lines,notably when she had to tell her servant she would give children to her husband ."I just cannot say that,it's not my style" But the director answered:"my dear,you will".

"The Bible" is par excellence the movie Huston's fans love to hate ;other examples are "the roots of Heaven" or "the barbarian and the geisha " .Hindsight displays its charms:first,it is an accurate rendition of the Genesis (the title reads "in the beginning" and it is exactly what it is).There's more voice over than dialog but if you have read the Bible (and I'm sure you have)you know that the characters have only a few lines to say .

Chapters include the Creation and the wonders of nature ;Adam and Eve;Abel and Cain (should Abel have gone veggie,crime would never happen );Noah 's ark where the animals went in two by two just to get out of the rain and the huge hippopotamus -featured in the movie- did not get stuck in the door ,thanks to the patriarch's watchful eye (played by the director himself);Nemrod (a hardly recognizable Stephen Boyd)and the tower of Babel;Abraham whose segment is the most important in the whole movie (about one hour is given over to his alliance with God,Sara and Agar -the scene of the pieces of dried fruit is worth the price of admission-,Isaac,Jehovah asking the patriarch to kill Him a son );and Loth's adventures in Sodom where the Angel warns him :do not

look back when you escape from the doomed city .Poor wife! The cinematography is splendid ,particularly in the first sequences .But the most satisfying sequences are to be found towards the end: Abraham's sacrifice takes place in the desert among ruins and here Huston seems to transcend his subject whereas in the other segments ,he only makes a picture book.

Compared to Sergio Leone's "Sodom and Gomorrah",is it so bad?