The Bible: In the Beginning

The Bible: In The Beginning
original film poster by Renato Casaro
Directed by	John Huston
Produced by	Dino De Laurentiis
Starring	Michael Parks Ulla Bergryd Richard Harris Ava Gardner Peter O'Toole
Music by	Toshirô Mayuzumi
Cinematography	Giuseppe Rotunno
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Release date(s)	September 28, 1966 (U.S. release)
Running time	174 min.
Language	English

The Bible: In the Beginning is a 1966 Biblical epic film recounting the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis. It was a joint American/Italian production conceived by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Huston. The music score is by Toshirô Mayuzumi. The production was photographed by Giuseppe Rotunno in Dimension 150, a variant of the 70mm Todd-AO format.

The film consists of four main sections: Adam and Eve, 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 is played almost as a slapstick comedy, with Noah's relationship with the animals being depicted humorously (the flood scenes, however, are completely serious). The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Tower of Babel could be called precursors to special effects spectaculars, although there are no real effects in the Tower of Babel sequence, and the special effects in the Sodom and Gomorrah sequence do not appear until the cities are actually destroyed. It was originally conceived as the first in a series of films retelling the entire Old Testament, but these sequels were never made.