When I was a kid growing up, I haven't seen many movies that were usually based on stories from the bible (save for Veggietales and The Prince of Egypt). Then, a decade ago, I came across this movie directed by John Huston back in the mid late 60's, the same decade where my parents were born.
Upon seeing the movie's subtitle "In the Beginning", I became curious considering I did some research later and found out that this was supposed to start a film series based on the stories from the bible in a similar pattern to the James Bond franchise that started with Dr. No back at 1962, four years before this came out. Unfortunately, the film lost 1.5 million for 20th Century Fox. Which is a bummer, because you can tell a lot of effort was put into this.
That being said, The Bible: In the Beginning is a very interesting biblical epic. Not a perfect one, but still good for what it set out to do. Now, there are some problems I do have with the movie.
First is the pacing which includes the 2 hr 54 minute length. Now people can argue that the 1956 film The Ten Commandments ran for over 220 minutes which some might have a problem with, but the pacing in that movie was good because you get to learn more about not only Moses, but the side characters as well including Ramses and also gave some character development. The pacing in this movie is very problematic considering it drags a little too long which kind of hurts it. Second, there are times where the movie can be very disjointed. And third, the other actors including Michael Parks and Ulla Bergryd as Adam and Eve did OK for the most part, but not quite as strong.
However, there are plenty of things that worked. Like the music score for instance. It's very rare that a US movie can get a japanese music composer (in this case, Toshiro Mayuzumi) to create a musical narrative for a biblical movie. The music in this movie is great. It's eerie, haunting, and suits the tone with a beautiful main theme. Plus, there are great set pieces such as the Creation of Man, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, and the City of Sodom and Gommorah (considering this was a time before CGI special effects were created). Then, there's the cinematography which is by far the best element. It's gorgeously filmed with breathtaking scenery, the costumes are very authentic to the movie's biblical setting, and the direction/photography is stunning. Plus, the story in the movie, while disjointed in places, is a faithful representation of the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis from the Creation of Man to the Binding of Isaac which makes this worth seeing to those who are fully religious.
And mostly, the rest of the acting is really good. Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, Ava Gardner, Stephen Boyd, and George C. Scott did a great job in their respective roles as Cain, Nimrod, the Three Angels, Abraham, and Sarah. And then there's John Huston who also does a great job as both Noah and the voice of God himself.
Overall, The Bible: In the Beginning... is a very good film. It has it's share of problems and it's not exactly one of the best films of that decade, but with great cinematography, mostly good acting, and a beautiful soundtrack that compliments the film very well, this is a very ambitious biblical film that you should check out.
Upon seeing the movie's subtitle "In the Beginning", I became curious considering I did some research later and found out that this was supposed to start a film series based on the stories from the bible in a similar pattern to the James Bond franchise that started with Dr. No back at 1962, four years before this came out. Unfortunately, the film lost 1.5 million for 20th Century Fox. Which is a bummer, because you can tell a lot of effort was put into this.
That being said, The Bible: In the Beginning is a very interesting biblical epic. Not a perfect one, but still good for what it set out to do. Now, there are some problems I do have with the movie.
First is the pacing which includes the 2 hr 54 minute length. Now people can argue that the 1956 film The Ten Commandments ran for over 220 minutes which some might have a problem with, but the pacing in that movie was good because you get to learn more about not only Moses, but the side characters as well including Ramses and also gave some character development. The pacing in this movie is very problematic considering it drags a little too long which kind of hurts it. Second, there are times where the movie can be very disjointed. And third, the other actors including Michael Parks and Ulla Bergryd as Adam and Eve did OK for the most part, but not quite as strong.
However, there are plenty of things that worked. Like the music score for instance. It's very rare that a US movie can get a japanese music composer (in this case, Toshiro Mayuzumi) to create a musical narrative for a biblical movie. The music in this movie is great. It's eerie, haunting, and suits the tone with a beautiful main theme. Plus, there are great set pieces such as the Creation of Man, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, and the City of Sodom and Gommorah (considering this was a time before CGI special effects were created). Then, there's the cinematography which is by far the best element. It's gorgeously filmed with breathtaking scenery, the costumes are very authentic to the movie's biblical setting, and the direction/photography is stunning. Plus, the story in the movie, while disjointed in places, is a faithful representation of the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis from the Creation of Man to the Binding of Isaac which makes this worth seeing to those who are fully religious.
And mostly, the rest of the acting is really good. Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, Ava Gardner, Stephen Boyd, and George C. Scott did a great job in their respective roles as Cain, Nimrod, the Three Angels, Abraham, and Sarah. And then there's John Huston who also does a great job as both Noah and the voice of God himself.
Overall, The Bible: In the Beginning... is a very good film. It has it's share of problems and it's not exactly one of the best films of that decade, but with great cinematography, mostly good acting, and a beautiful soundtrack that compliments the film very well, this is a very ambitious biblical film that you should check out.