The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966)

Extravagant production of the first part of the book of Genesis. Covers Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood and Abraham and Isaac.

Director:

John Huston

Writer:

Christopher Fry (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Parks, Ulla Bergryd, Richard Harris

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

An elaborate Hollywood retelling of the Bible stories narrated by the film's director John Huston. We open with the Creation of the World and arrive at the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve and continue on to Cain and the murder of Abel. Next, we visit Noah and his ark with its spectacular flood sequence. Then we come to the story of Nimrod, King of Babel, the emergence of man's vanity and the heights to which it could aspire if unchecked. Finally we cover Abraham, a mystic who spoke personally with God, a leader of men, a builder of nations, a pioneer and a warrior and Sarah. At the time she conceived her first child, the event being forecast by an Angel of the Lord. Three such Heavenly Messengers appeared in the course of events which befell Abraham and Sarah.

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Plot Keywords:

lucifer morningstar character | implied male nudity | abraham character | adam character | eve character | 

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Taglines:

The unforgettable adventure of Man from the Creation!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though critically lambasted for its plodding pace and lack of dialogue, Huston's film does not shrink from visually representing some of the most fantastical aspects of Genesis, most notably the massive rains in the Noah's Ark section and Nimrod's long-distance shooting of his arrow into the clouds, which prompts the sweeping Tower of Babel sequence, arguably the best vignette in the film.

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Goofs

Before they get into the Ark, one of Noah's daughters-in-law has on a modern bra under her tunic.

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Quotes

God: What hast thou done?
Eve: The serpent beguiled me and I did eat.

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Connections

Featured in Religulous (2008)

User Reviews

A Few Gems Amid the Burlap

Just a year after his triumph in "Becket", Peter O'Toole is almost unrecognizable but does high class work as the Angel of the Lord--he's **trium in uno**--opposite Abraham and Sarah as portrayed by Ava Gardner and George C. Scott. These two great but very different actors play wonderfully off one another--Scott's earthy energy against the elegant tones and sorrowful eyes of O'Toole--who is on his way to destroy the sin cities of Sodom and Gommorah with all their inhabitants.

The other fine portrayal is of Nimrod, "a mighty hunter before the Lord", by the late actor Steven Boyd. In a single, four minutes scene he captures all the kingly hubris of this biblical figure-- the first in the book of Genesis who does not represent a nation. He who built the Tower of Babel, and saw it destroyed.

Children would be entertained by the carnival of the animals sequence depicting Noah and the Ark.

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bible

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Seven Arts Productions, Thalia AG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

174 min

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (5.0) (L-R)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1