The Bible...In the Beginning


2h 54m 1966
The Bible...In the Beginning

Brief Synopsis

John Huston narrates this dramatization of the Book of Genesis.

Film Details

Also Known As
La Bibbia, The Bible
Genre
Epic
Historical
Religion
Release Date
Jan 1966
Premiere Information
New York opening: 28 Sep 1966
Production Company
Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica S.p.A.
Distribution Company
Seven Arts Pictures; Twentieth Century--Fox Film Corp.
Country
United States
Location
Cinecitta Studios, Rome, Italy

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 54m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System), 70 mm 6-Track
Color
Color (DeLuxe)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.20 : 1

Synopsis

This film portrays the first 22 chapters of Genesis, depicting: The Creation; Adam and Eve and the expulsion from Eden; Cain and Abel; Noah and the Flood; Nimrod and the Tower of Babel; Abraham, his wife, Sarah, her handmaiden Hagar, and the birth of Ishmael; the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; and Abraham and Isaac.

Crew

Bruno Avesani

Set dressing

Yvonne Axworthy

Screenplay girl

Vittorio Bonicelli

Screenplay assistant

Vana Caruso

Assistant Director

Mario Celentano

Mix

Mario Chiari

Art Director

Chorus Carapellucci

Music performed by

Fernando Cinquini

Prod inspector

Romano Dandi

Production Assistant

Dino De Laurentiis

Producer

Dino De Laurentiis

Presented By

Maria De Matteis

Costumes

Alberto De Rossi

Makeup Supervisor

Katherine Dunham

Choreography

Linwood Dunn

Special optical Effects

Enzo Eusepi

Set dressing

Basil Fenton-smith

Sound Recording

Franco Ferrara

Conductor

Film Effects Of Hollywood

Special optical Effects

Sorelle Fontana (roma)

Miss Gardner's Costume

Christopher Fry

Screenwriter

Corrado Gagli

Cooperation

Salvatore, (msgr.) Garofalo

Consultant

Tntonio Girasante

Prod inspector

Louis Goldman

Stills

Jonathan Griffin

Screenplay assistant

Stephen Grimes

Associate art Director

Guidarino Guidi

Casting Director

Ernst Haas

2nd unit Director for "The Creation"

Gladys Hill

Associate to director

Leslie Hodgson

Sound Editing

Fred Hynes

Sound rec Supervisor

Ralph Kemplen

Film Editor

Giuliano Laurenti

Makeup

Augie Lohman

Special Effects

Angelo Lombardi

Zoological consultant

Luigi Luraschi

Associate Producer

Giuseppe Maccari

Camera Operator

Elda Magnanti

Hairstyles

Gilbert D. Marchant

Music Editor

Toshiro Mayuzumi

Music Score

W. M., (rev.) Merchant

Consultant

Mirko

Cooperation

Giorgio Morra

Production Assistant

Eunice Mountjoy

Assistant to film Editor

Ottavio Oppo

Assistant Director

Orchestra Cinefonica Italiana

Music performed by

Ivo Perilli

Screenplay assistant

Aldo Puccini

Set const

Pasquale Romano

Assistant art Director

Paul Ronald

Stills

Giuseppe Rotunno

Director of Photography

Mario Scisi

Set const

Ralph Serpe

Assistant to prod

Murray Spivack

Sound Recording

Marco Tamburella

Prod inspector

Tani-cappellini

Set dressing accessories

Technicolor Limited

Special optical Effects

Tigano & Lo Faro

Costumes

Bruno Todini

Production Manager

Emilio Villa

Story consultant

Zeus--janiro

Sun Effects & Special projector

Videos

Movie Clip

Bible: In The Beginning... The (1966) -- (Movie Clip) God Created The Heaven No discernible conflict between Genesis (from which Christopher Fry’s screenplay and director John Huston’s narration is loosely derived) and geology in the opening of the American-Italian Dino De Laurentis production, featuring Richard Harris, George C. Scott and Ava Gardner, The Bible: In The Beginning…, 1966.
Bible: In The Beginning... The (1966) -- (Movie Clip) Children Of Eve Now past Creation, the Garden of Eden and original sin, John Huston continues directing and narrating, introducing the first promoted actor, Richard Harris as Cain, and then-unknown Italian still photographer Franco Nero as Abel, in The Bible: In The Beginning…, 1966.
Bible: In The Beginning... The (1966) -- (Movie Clip) The Glory Of Nimrod After the flood (in which the director and narrator, John Huston, played Noah) and intermission, the story of the Tower Of Babel, with barely recognizable Stephen Boyd as Nimrod, and large spectacle, in Dino De Laurentis’ Genesis-based epic The Bible: In The Beginning…, 1966.
Bible: In The Beginning... The (1966) -- (Movie Clip) A Man Called Abram After a bad episode with the Tower of Babel, director John Huston still narrating, loosely from Genesis, the first reference to a promised land and the introduction of George C. Scott as Abram (a.k.a. Abraham), and Ava Gardner as his wife Sarah, in the American-Italian The Bible: In The Beginning…, 1966.
Bible: In The Beginning... The (1966) -- (Movie Clip) And God Created Woman Director John Huston has narrated his way through the creation of the first man, Adam (Michael Parks), and now introduces the woman Eve (Ulla Bergryd), skipping the part about the rib, shooting at a botanical garden near rome, in Dino De Laurentis’ The Bible: In The Beginning…, 1966.

Film Details

Also Known As
La Bibbia, The Bible
Genre
Epic
Historical
Religion
Release Date
Jan 1966
Premiere Information
New York opening: 28 Sep 1966
Production Company
Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica S.p.A.
Distribution Company
Seven Arts Pictures; Twentieth Century--Fox Film Corp.
Country
United States
Location
Cinecitta Studios, Rome, Italy

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 54m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System), 70 mm 6-Track
Color
Color (DeLuxe)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.20 : 1

Award Nominations

Best Music Original Dramatic Score

1967

Articles

The Bible...In the Beginning


John Huston directs and narrates this dramatization of the Book of Genesis.
The Bible...in The Beginning

The Bible...In the Beginning

John Huston directs and narrates this dramatization of the Book of Genesis.

Quotes

Trivia

It was 'John Huston' 's original idea to have 'Charlie Chaplin' play the role of Noah. However, Chaplin didn't much like the idea of appearing in a picture directed by someone other than himself, and Huston wound up playing the role. Similarly, Huston wanted Igor Stravinsky to score the film. For unspecified reasons, this was never done, either.

'Dino De Laurentiis' originally announced that this would be the first in a series of feature films based on the books of The Bible.

One of the first mainstream American films to feature full-frontal male and female nudity (albeit artfully filmed in a light-and-shadow style) in the Garden of Eden sequences. Reportedly, neither 'Michael Parks' nor Ulla Bergryd used body doubles for these scenes.

Notes

Filmed in Rome, Sicily, Sardinia, and northern Egypt. Opened in Rome in 1966 as La Bibbia. Also known as The Bible. The St. James version of the Bible is read in the narration.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 1966

Re-release in USA on video March 11, 1997.

Shot on 65mm film and released in 70mm prints.

Dimension 150

Released in United States 1966