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IMDbPro

The Green Pastures

  • 19361936
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
821
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
35,732
11,771
Rex Ingram in The Green Pastures (1936)
Trailer for this film based on the play
Play trailer3:48
1 Video
14 Photos
Drama
God, heaven, and several Old Testament stories, including the Creation and Noah's Ark, are described supposedly using the perspective of rural, black Americans.God, heaven, and several Old Testament stories, including the Creation and Noah's Ark, are described supposedly using the perspective of rural, black Americans.God, heaven, and several Old Testament stories, including the Creation and Noah's Ark, are described supposedly using the perspective of rural, black Americans.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
821
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
35,732
11,771
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Marc Connelly
      • William Keighley
    • Writers
      • Roark Bradford(suggested by: Southern Sketches "Ol' Man Adam and His Chillun'")
      • Marc Connelly(a fable by)
      • Sheridan Gibney(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Rex Ingram
      • Oscar Polk
      • Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Marc Connelly
      • William Keighley
    • Writers
      • Roark Bradford(suggested by: Southern Sketches "Ol' Man Adam and His Chillun'")
      • Marc Connelly(a fable by)
      • Sheridan Gibney(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Rex Ingram
      • Oscar Polk
      • Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 29User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Videos1

    The Green Pastures
    Trailer 3:48
    The Green Pastures

    Photos14

    Rex Ingram in The Green Pastures (1936)
    Rex Ingram in The Green Pastures (1936)
    Rex Ingram in The Green Pastures (1936)
    George Reed in The Green Pastures (1936)
    Rex Ingram in The Green Pastures (1936)
    Philip Hurlic, George Reed, and Charlotte Sneed in The Green Pastures (1936)
    Marc Connelly in The Green Pastures (1936)
    Oscar Polk in The Green Pastures (1936)
    Rex Ingram in The Green Pastures (1936)
    The Green Pastures (1936)
    The Green Pastures (1936)
    The Green Pastures (1936)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rex Ingram
    Rex Ingram
    • De Lawd…
    Oscar Polk
    Oscar Polk
    • Gabriel
    Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson
    Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson
    • Noah
    • (as Eddie Anderson)
    Frank H. Wilson
    • Moses
    • (as Frank Wilson)
    George Reed
    George Reed
    • Mr. Deshee
    Abraham Gleaves
    • Archangel
    Myrtle Anderson
    • Eve
    Al Stokes
    • Cain
    Edna Mae Harris
    • Zeba
    • (as Edna M. Harris)
    James Fuller
    • Cain the Sixth
    George Randol
    • High Priest
    Ida Forsyne
    • Noah's Wife
    Ray Martin
    • Shem
    Charles Andrews
    • Flatfoot
    • (as Chas. Andrews)
    Dudley Dickerson
    Dudley Dickerson
    • Ham
    Jimmy Burress
    • Japheth
    Billy Cumby
    • Abraham
    • (as William Cumby)
    • …
    Ivory Williams
    • Jacob
    • Directors
      • Marc Connelly
      • William Keighley
    • Writers
      • Roark Bradford(suggested by: Southern Sketches "Ol' Man Adam and His Chillun'")
      • Marc Connelly(a fable by)
      • Sheridan Gibney(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Banned in many countries.
    • Goofs
      One of Noah's son's rides a zebra that is clearly a donkey or mule made to look like a zebra. Two real zebras are loaded while he rides the fake.
    • Quotes

      Gabriel: Gangway for the lord god, Jehovah!

    • Connections
      Edited into Governing Body
    • Soundtracks
      Have You Got Good Religion (Certainly, Lord)
      (uncredited)

      Traditional spiritual

      Performed by the Hall Johnson Choir

    User reviews29

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    Enjoyable when viewed in context
    Before I get into the film itself, here's the little known back-story. Roark Bradford, a white Tennesseean, was mesmerized as a boy by the sermons of a black preacher named John Wesley Henning (aka "Preacher Wes). Rev. Henning entertained and educated his audiences with imaginative biblical tales done in a fashion in which his rural black audiences could relate. Years later in 1928, Henning's twists on biblical tales were the basis of Bradford's book "Ol Man Adam and His Chillun." Marc Connely enjoyed the book, and the result was the play and film "The Green Pastures." The film and play adds the charming frame device of Mr. Deeshay, a black Sunday school teacher telling the Biblical tales from Bradford's text with Noah, Adam. Moses, et.al. as Southern rural blacks. Much has been said about the dialect and stereotypes. Fact is, the dialect is pretty close to the truth of this time and place, as my parents were of that generation (there is a reference to "Sonny Kick Mammy Wine." My parents would make me laugh at their description of a popular moonshine called "Fight Your Mama" that was supposed to have been so potent that it would make the drinker do as the title suggested).

    However, the film, as well as much of Bradford's work, is filled with moving truths about the human condition. Witness the dialog between a pre-Rochester Eddie Anderson as Noah and the dignified Rex Ingram as God, as well as the observations about human nature made throughout the film. As for ending, I won't spoil it, but the final scene before the credits says the true message of the film without saying a word. Watch it with an open mind, enjoy, and think.

    Incidentally, in 1963, the great comedian Mantan Moreland (who had a bit part as an angel in "The Green Pastures") went back to the source and recorded an album of tales from the source "Ol Man Adam And His Chillun." It's as delightful as the film and along with the original books, make a great addendum to the film.
    helpful•9
    0
    • Damonfordham
    • Jan 14, 2013

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 1, 1936 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Neger erzählen die Bibel
    • Filming locations
      • Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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