God, heaven, and several Old Testament stories, including the Creation and Noah's Ark, are described supposedly using the perspective of rural, black Americans.
Sextuplets star Marlon Wayans shares who inspired his multiple roles in his new Netflix comedy.
Related News
-
Early Black Film Actor Has His Day
12 August 2015 | Alt Film Guide -
God’s IMDb: A History of Actors Playing the Almighty
22 May 2015 | Vulture -
Cannes Winner Landa, Darth Vader Voice Actor Romero Die
13 May 2013 | Alt Film Guide
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Green Pastures (1936)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 win.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
Cabin in the Sky
(1943)
Certificate: Passed
Fantasy
|
Musical
Directors:
Vincente Minnelli,
Busby Berkeley
Stars:
Ethel Waters,
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson,
Lena Horne
Petulia
(1968)
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Richard Lester
Stars:
Julie Christie,
George C. Scott,
Richard Chamberlain
Illegal
(1955)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Lewis Allen
Stars:
Edward G. Robinson,
Nina Foch,
Hugh Marlowe
Stormy Weather
(1943)
Musical
Director:
Andrew L. Stone
Stars:
Lena Horne,
Bill Robinson,
Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra
Red-Headed Woman
(1932)
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
Jack Conway
Stars:
Jean Harlow,
Chester Morris,
Lewis Stone
Viva Las Vegas
(1964)
Comedy
|
Musical
Director:
George Sidney
Stars:
Elvis Presley,
Ann-Margret,
Cesare Danova
Hide-Out
(1934)
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
W.S. Van Dyke
Stars:
Robert Montgomery,
Maureen O'Sullivan,
Edward Arnold
The Clock
(1945)
Certificate: Passed
Drama
|
Romance
Directors:
Vincente Minnelli,
Fred Zinnemann
Stars:
Judy Garland,
Robert Walker,
James Gleason
Deep Valley
(1947)
Certificate: Passed
Action
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Jean Negulesco
Stars:
Ida Lupino,
Dane Clark,
Wayne Morris
A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob
(1941)
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
Richard Wallace
Stars:
George Murphy,
Lucille Ball,
Edmond O'Brien
Follow That Dream
(1962)
Comedy
|
Musical
|
Romance
Director:
Gordon Douglas
Stars:
Elvis Presley,
Arthur O'Connell,
Anne Helm
Keeper of the Flame
(1942)
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
George Cukor
Stars:
Spencer Tracy,
Katharine Hepburn,
Richard Whorf
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Rex Ingram | ... | De Lawd / Adam / Hezdrel | |
| Oscar Polk | ... | Gabriel | |
| Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson | ... | Noah (as Eddie Anderson) | |
 |
Frank H. Wilson | ... | Moses (as Frank Wilson) |
| 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 | ... | Ham | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (10) »
Storyline
God, heaven, and several Old Testament stories, including the Creation and Noah's Ark, are described supposedly using the perspective of rural, black Americans.
Plot Keywords:
depiction of god | based on the bible | black cast | color in title | african american |Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1 August 1936 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Auf grüner Aue See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
(uncredited)
Traditional spiritual
Performed by the Hall Johnson Choir
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Ranked 9th best movie in 1936 by Film Daily's annual poll of critics. See more »Goofs
When Noah is loading animals onto the ark, 4 sheep enter, not 2. Genesis 7:2 says that Noah was to board 2 of every "unclean" animal and 7 of every "clean" animal. Sheep are considered "clean." See more »Soundtracks
I'm So Glad (Trouble Don't Last Always)(uncredited)
Traditional spiritual
Performed by the Hall Johnson Choir
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Explore popular movies available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
When you pop either THE GREEN PASTURES or HALLELUJAH in your DVD player, Warner Brothers' disclaimer comes up, stating these films "are a product of their time.... it does not express Warner Brothers' opinion....." Okay, they're setting the record straight. They want to present two excellent movies, without offending anyone. The "warning" is eclipsed by two factors. These two films, both with all black casts, showcase amazing talent often smothered by the then Hollywood studio system. They also both carry a message of faith told in a very entertaining manner.
THE GREEN PASTURES opens with a Sunday School sermon in the deep south. The classroom is made up of attentive black children asking some pretty intelligent questions about the Bible. We peek into one child's view of heaven. Since this child probably knows very little of the world outside her community, heaven is one big fish-fry with plenty to eat, where the adults get to hangout and smoke ten-cent "see-gars".
It's here where God (referred to in the film as "De Lawd") makes an appearance. This is an Oscar worthy performance by Rex Ingram, one of many black actors at the time who seldom received decent film work from Hollywood. Ingram plays "De Lawd" in a sweet, soft-spoken manner, never talking down to the humans he created. "Now you're just doing fine," he tells Adam. "But there's just one thing missing. You need a family." Ingram's quiet tone always tells us this guy has things in order. Film fans may remember Rex Ingram as Jim in HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1939) and as the laughing, constantly sarcastic genie in THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940). Not only was Ingram an accomplished stage actor, but he was a certified MD as well!
Ingram also plays Adam and Hezdrel. During the later performance, GREEN PASTURES most memorable time-tested message comes across very simply. We realize this is truly a cinematic classic. The Bible stories are depicted here in pseudo 20th century settings with old world behavior. (Much like the villages in the first three FRANKENSTEIN films) Moses is a modern-day "trickster" who gives Pharaoh's top magician a run for his money. In another scene, a pistol packing gangster in a double breasted suit mouths off to Noah.