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The Bible: In the Beginning...
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Wikipedia article
'The Bible: In the Beginning...' is a 1966 American-Italian religious epic film produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Huston. It recounts the first 22 chapters of the Biblical Book of Genesis, covering the stories from The Creation and Adam and Eve to the binding of Isaac. Released by 20th Century Fox, the film was written by Christopher Fry, with uncredited contributions by Vittorio Bonicelli, Orson Welles, Ivo Perilli, Jonathan Griffin and Mario Soldati, photographed by Giuseppe Rotunno, and Ernst Haas shot the opening creation sequence, in Dimension 150 (color by DeLuxe Color), a variant of the 70mm Todd-AO format, and it stars Michael Parks as Adam, Ulla Bergryd as Eve, Richard Harris as Cain, John Huston as Noah, Stephen Boyd as Nimrod, George C. Scott as Abraham, Ava Gardner as Sarah, and Peter O'Toole as the Three Angels.
In 1967, the film's score by Toshiro Mayuzumi was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures included the film in its "Top Ten Films" list of 1966. De Laurentiis and Huston won David di Donatello Awards for Best Producer and Best Foreign Director, respectively.
Plot
The film consists of five main sections: The Creation, Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, and the story of Abraham. There are also a pair of shorter sections, one recounting the building of the Tower of Babel, and the other the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The sections vary greatly in tone. The story of Abraham is somber and reverential, while that of Noah repeatedly focuses on his love of all animals. Cats (including lions) are shown drinking milk and Noah's relationship with the animals is depicted as harmonious. It was originally conceived as the first in a series of films retelling the entire Old Testament, but these sequels were never made.
Cast
* Michael Parks as Adam
* Ulla Bergryd as Eve
* Flavio Bennati as Serpent
* Richard Harris as Cain
* John Huston as Noah, The Narrator and voice of God
* Stephen Boyd as Nimrod
* George C. Scott as Abraham
* Ava Gardner as Sarah
* Peter O'Toole as The Three Angels
* Zoe Sallis as Hagar
* Gabriele Ferzetti as Lot
* Eleonora Rossi Drago as Lot's Wife
* Franco Nero as Abel
* Pupella Maggio as Noah's Wife
* Robert Rietti as Abraham's Steward
* Peter Heinze as Shem
* Roger Beaumont
* Peki d'Oslo as Salom
* Gianluigi Crescenzi
* Maria Grazia Spina as Lot's Daughter
* Angelo Boscariol as Ham
* Claudie Lange as Nimrod's Wife
* Anna Orso as Shem's Wife
* Adriana Ambesi as Lot's Daughter
* Eric Leutzinger as Japheth
* Michael Steinpichler
* Gabriella Pallotta as Ham's Wife
* Alberto Lucantoni as Isaac
* Rossana Di Rocco as Japheth's Wife
* Luciano Conversi as Ishmael
* Giovanna Galletti as The Sinful Woman
Production
Seven Arts Productions contributed 30% of the budget.
Casting
Ulla Bergryd was an anthropology student living in Gothenburg, Sweden when she was discovered by a talent scout, who photographed her in a museum there, and then promptly hired to play Eve. In an interview for 'The Pittsburgh Press', Bergryd recalled the experience:I was especially surprised by the fact that I started to work four days after signing a contract. Although I've always been interested in movies and the theater, I'd never seen any actual shooting, and it was all very exciting.
Huston originally considered Alec Guinness (who was unavailable) and Charlie Chaplin (who declined) for the part of Noah until he finally decided to play it himself.
Ava Gardner was reluctant at first to play the part of Sarah, but after Huston talked her into it, she accepted. She later explained why she accepted the role:
He (Huston) had more faith in me than I did myself. Now I'm glad I listened, for it is a challenging role and a very demanding one. I start out as a young wife and age through various periods, forcing me to adjust psychologically to each age. It is a complete departure for me and most intriguing. In this role, I must create a character, not just play one.
Anglo-Persian actress Zoe Sallis, who was cast as Hagar, was originally known as Zoe Ishmail, until Huston decided that she change her name because of its similarity to the name of Ishmael, her character's son.
The film marks the debut of Italian actress Anna Orso, who portrays the role of Shem's wife. It also introduced Franco Nero to American audiences; Nero, who was working as the film's still photographer, was hired by Huston for the role of Abel due to his handsome features. At the time, Nero could not speak English, and Huston gave him recordings of Shakespeare with which to study.
Filming
The scenes involving the Garden of Eden were shot at a "small zoological garden" in Rome instead of a "beautiful place of trees, glades and wildflowers" which had been demolished shortly before the shooting began. Ulla Bergryd, who was cast as Eve, later recalled, "Paradise was, in fact, an old botanical garden on the outskirts of Rome."There were five reproductions of Noah's Ark built for the film. The largest reproduction, which stood on the backlot of the De Laurentiis Film Center, was 200 feet long, 64 feet wide, and 50 feet high; it was used for the long shot of Noah loading the animals. The interior reproduction, which was one of the "largest interior sets ever designed and constructed," was 150 feet long and 58 feet high and had "three decks, divided into a hundred pens" and a ramp that ran "clear around the ark from top to bottom." The third reproduction was a "skeleton" ark, built for the scenes depicting Noah and his sons constructing the Ark. The fourth reproduction was "placed at the foot of a dam" for the inundation sequences and the fifth reproduction was a miniature for the storm sequences. The cost of building the five reproductions was more than $1 million. The building took months and more than 500 workers were employed. The animals were delivered from a zoo in Germany.Hughes, p.70f The whole segment of Noah's Ark had a total budget of $3 million.
Release
'The Bible: In the Beginning...' premiered at New York City's Loew's State Theatre on 28 September 1966. The day after the premiere, Ava Gardner remarked, "It's the only time in my life I actually enjoyed working—making that picture."
Critical reception
Philip K. Scheuer of the 'Los Angeles Times' wrote, "Director John Huston and his associates have wrought a motion picture that is not only magnificent almost beyond cinematic belief but that is also powerful, quaint, funny, thought-provoking and of course, this being the Old Testament, filled with portents of doom." 'Variety' noted that "the world's oldest story—the origins of Mankind, as told in the Book of Genesis—is put upon the screen by director John Huston and producer Dino De Laurentiis with consummate skill, taste and reverence." It also commended the "lavish, but always tasteful production [that] assaults and rewards the eye and ear with awe-inspiring realism."Other reviews were less positive. Bosley Crowther of 'The New York Times' wrote that the film had "extraordinary special effects" but was lacking "a galvanizing feeling of connection in the stories from Genesis," and "simply repeats in moving pictures what has been done with still pictures over the centuries. That is hardly enough to adorn this medium and engross sophisticated audience." Richard L. Coe of 'The Washington Post' described the film as "cautiously literary, impressive in some instances, absurd in others."Coe, Richard L. (30 October 1966). "The Bible". 'The Washington Post'. G1. 'The Monthly Film Bulletin' opined that "the seven or eight episodes are diffusely long, tediously slow, depressingly reverent. The liveliest of the lot is The Ark, with Huston himself as a jolly, Dr. Dolittle old Noah, and a lot of irrestistibly solemn and silly animals; but even here sheer length eventually wears down one's attention." Episcopal priest and author Malcolm Boyd wrote, "Its interpretation of Holy Scripture is fundamentalistic, honoring letter while ignoring (or violating) spirit. John Huston got bogged down in material of the Sunday School picture-book level and seems unable to have gotten out of the rut. It is an over-long (174 minutes plus intermission) picture, tedious and boring."Boyd, Malcolm (27 November 1966). "Houston's [sic] 'The Bible' Fails to Make a Moral Statement". 'The Washington Post'. G5. In Leonard Maltin's annual home video guide the film is given a BOMB rating, its review stating, "Only Huston himself as Noah escapes heavy-handedness. Definitely one time you should read the Book instead."
Box office
The film earned rentals of $15 million in the United States and Canada during its initial theatrical release,Solomon p 230 which made it the second highest-grossing film of 1966.The film was the second most popular Italian production in Italy in 1966 with 11,245,980 admissions, just behind 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', and is the 15th most popular of all-time.
According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $26,900,000 in rentals to break even and made $25,325,000 worldwide (as of December 11, 1970), making a loss of $1.5 million.
Home media
20th Century Fox released the film on videocassettes during the later 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, DVD in 2002, Blu-ray Disc on 22 March 2011 and online for both permanent downloading and streaming video online rentals.Accolades
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
* 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers Nominated
See also
*List of American films of 1966
References
Bibliography
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