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 | |
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Peter Heinze | ... | Shem |
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 our first ancestral parents and continue on to Cain murdering his younger brother 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. Written by Anonymous
Seemingly eposodic, there is little segue between the "stories." Even the title is misleading, since this film only covers from Creation through the story of Abraham - the first 22 chapters. But if the whole book was made into a movie it would be 162 hours at this rate. Too long for most audiences! (Hint - hint - miniseries).
Most of the acting comes across as stilted, except Huston, who's tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Noah wavers between refreshing and cloying. The highly touted "nude" scene of Adam and Eve may have raised a few eyebrows in 1966 but seems pretty tame by today's standards thanks to a few well-placed fern fronds. Scotts's rendering of patriarch Abraham was strong but uninspired.
This pic is adequate if you're not looking for in-depth religious interpretations. More could have been done with characterizations, but in the time given, was satisfactory. Just watch and enjoy for its face value.