The Bible was directed by John Huston. He was a director from, as the kids would say, the "old school." Looking back, the film was very long, tedious and reverent. Afterall, it was the story of our human beginning. Visually, it is an incredible film with a cast of thousands and no CGI. I emphasize this fact to my students as they refer to green screen and the like. An ambitious film five years in the making. Hmm...let's see why it's on my top 10 Biblical epics...
The cast included big names and new names...Adam and Eve were portrayed by Michael Parks and Ulla Bergryd (who?) Michael Parks had moderate success on American TV and film; Ulla was a student from Sweden and caught the eye of director Huston. Cain and Abel were portrayed by Richard Harris and Franco Nero. Funny, in 1968 they would be cast in the film version of the musical Camelot- Harris as King Arthur and Nero as Lancelot. Both these actors would find international film success. John Huston not only directed the film BUT narrated and played Noah. In fact, the Noah sequence was the comedic highlight of the film.
Stephen Boyd portrayed Nimrod, the builder of the Tower of Babel. The last half of the film dealt with the saga of Abraham and Sarah, portrayed by George C. Scott and Ava Gardner. His portrayal of the patriarch is the best, IMHO. And Ava Gardner was a joy in the part of the wife who could not bear a child. Speaking of which, Hagar the Egyptian was portrayed by Zoe Zaldis (again, who?) and was cast in the part of "Hagar" because she was having an affair with the director. And, apparently Mr. Scott and Miss Gardner were the subject of gossip as well. But this is not The Ten Commandments, so they're safe. Peter O'Toole was cast as the "Three Angels of the Lord."
The Creation sequence was OK; I think it was more spectacular in One Million Years B.C. But the creation of man from the dust of the ground was interesting to say the least. The first murder is still as chilling to young audiences as to the ones in the 60s. I've shown this part in my religious education classes and the kids get quiet or say "No!" Cain strikes his brother with the jawbone of an ass.
The last half of Act I is the Noah sequence and it is spectacular, especially the building of the ark, the arrival of the animals and the great flood itself. Mario Chiari was nominated for his scenic design of the film.
The Tower of Babel was a great sequence, though I really doubt it was a 50 story skyscraper. But then again this sequence was used to show how languages evolved. Lastly, the story with Abraham got tedious at times. It gets its message across and the sacrifice of Isaac is moving, thanks to the fantastic score by Toshiro Mayuzumi. It was this score that got me hooked to the genre of film music. I still love the theme to this film and the music is really different from the traditional composings of Alfred Newmann, Max Steiner or Elmer Bernstein. It is a movie score worth checking out.
Bueno, I think this entry is longer than the film! It may not be your type of film, but definitely one to check out. If you are not into the story, but a student of film, look for the technicals. Try to enjoy, huh?
