The Bible(the movie)

First off let me preface this by saying I'm not an overly-religious person. I don't attend church and I don't know much about the bible.

There now that I got that out of the way, has anyone seen John Huston's epic masterpiece from 1966, The Bible? It stars George C Scott, Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris and of course John Huston. IMO it's the best of the epic 'old school' religious movies that centers on the various books of the bible. It deals with the very beginning of time and the creation of, well everything. It's pretty darn bold. It's also one of if not the best looking movie I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. More importantly it's extremely powerful, moving and seriously dramatic.

Regardless of whether you believe in the story of creation via Adam and Eve and such, it's a masterfully produced movie. There's some real gut-wrenching drama and a lot of scenes of sheer beauty. It also can be quite funny, intentionally I might add, not the kind of snicker 'ha I can't believe people believe this stuff' type of funny.

Apparently John Huston was an athiest and he tackled this stuff head-on and in probably the classiest and straight-forward way without being too preachy.

Having recently watched this movie, I can easily see where some directors such as George Lucas, Peter Jackson and so on may have been influenced by the scope and beautiful photography.

Also, in the opening Adam and Eve scenes, the devil is depicted(if you can use that term) in perhaps the scariest and most obscure form(s) I have perhaps ever seen, besides the possessed Regan in The Exorcist. I mean it's downright creepy and scary.

So anywayz, anyone seen this one?

 

No, but that actually looks a little interesting. I really didn't except anyone to make a movie based on the stories of the Bible.

 

I could answer in the affirmative, that I have seen this movie, but then you'd know how old I am.

 

Is this the one with the Marx Brothers as the three wise men?

 

UR OLD.

Me too. Yep, I've seen it as well. Agreed that it's an amazing film.

 

Oh and I totally forgot to mention anything about the music. Wow. It's rich and complex, kind of like John Williams' music for Empire Strikes Back in that it's abstract during the really pivotal points and uses a wide range of instruments to set the tone.

I'm not one to be blown away by biblical epics, but this one is phenomenal. And it's entirely underrated and practically forgotten about, even though the production values, music, acting and general structure are things that could easily be studied in any film school.

It's not very often that I see a movie that I have to come in here and ask 'hey has anyone seen this??'

I sound like a religious nut going on about this thing but it's entirely warranted in my opinion.

 

I was actually looking at some of Pasolini's work today, which probably fits in well with this thread, namely, his 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew', some extracts:

Opening scene
Salome's scene

Pasolini was also an atheist, by the way.

 

I've always thought of that movie's name as inappropiate, since the movie actually covers just a few chapters of Genesis, which is only the first book of the Christian Bible and the Jewish Torah. Still a great movie, much better IMO than Cecil B. Demille's The Ten Commandments or even Ben-Hur.

 

how does it end?

 

This sums up my opinion of the movie nicely.

 

I started reading your take on the movie and stopped somewhere between "hilarity" and "ensues".

I suppose the Lord of the Rings movies didn't work for you either because of the use of cameras to tell the story during a time when cameras didn't exist. =/

 

In this case the movie is better than the book.

 

And, mercifully, a lot shorter! (Pun intended).

 

How did the movie handle Lot and his daughters?

 

Wrote my final paper on this movie during my film class cycle. It was truly one of the first attempts at an "epic" in the film medium, and it succeeded. Huge production values, great actors, cinematography, new techniques (specifically, this is where we got fading to a cinematographic sweep as a narrator talks, fading in to a future point in time).

Unfortunately, it has been pretty squashed. It shows up on some top 10923 lists sometimes.

 

Open for a sequel.

 

I heard they're planning a prequel, working title is "Before The Beginning". It's about a huge shapeless fog that dreams of creation.

 

Wow, very odd. I've seen it. I think it's one of the worst films I've ever seen. I, ironically, am a religious nut. Someone should study LMM's reaction to this film, compare it to mine, and solve all religious wars on the planet in the process.

EDIT: Wow, someone actually copy pasted part of a review I wrote of the movie way back when. [face_shocked]

Regardless, I've seen some Biblical epics that were quite moving; this one wasn't, in my opinion. I find it particularly interesting that you give Takemitsu's music such a thumbs up; I thought it was incredibly over the top and cartoonish.

Well, to each his own.

 

Because, as we all know, resorting to comedy during critical reviews is scorn worthy?

 

/\ Can I get a sarcasmotron deciphering translator for the above? Maybe it's too early in the morning but I'm not sure what you mean.

Ok this is the impression I get about this movie: people that are well-versed in religious studies/religion, self-professed religious nuts as you claim to be have problems with this movie. Whether it's the accuracy, speed in which the stories are told, I dunno..

As a movie nut, someone who absolutely loves grand sweeping epic tales(and small ones as well!) told with the utmost attention paid to the quality of the production through the use of cinematography/lighting, acting and music, this movie is head and shoulders above anything I've attempted to watch in the form of biblical epics.

Usually I find them to be corny, heavy-handed and to use your phrase- cartoony.

For me John Huston, along with the various high caliber actors and composer Toshirô Mayuzumi created a dark, brooding, complex yet still fantasy-like depiction of stories that are generally known but to put this amount of drama and beauty to them, it holds up amazingly well IMO. Practically ever other biblical epic does not.

The scenes with Richard Harris as Cain for example, sure you could be someone that sees something comical in his killing of Abel(although I don't obviously), but you could also be like me and see for example the single take overhead shot that cranes down as God speaks to him as brilliant. The scenes with the tortured George C. Scott having to kill his son and for that matter earlier in the film when Peter O'Toole appears are fantastic.

There are so many brilliant scenes in this movie that I believe the only way you could look at it as anything other than great is if you take religion and the bible too seriously.

In the filmmaking sense I think it's one of the best works ever put to film, regardless of content.

 

I mean, I'm as a big a movie buff as I think it's possible to be; I'm a huge fan of film in all its guises. I mean, I just found Richard Harris' acting style to be incredibly over the top (for example); the scene of Scott and his son on the way to Mount Moriah is, I think, something much better - I admit that scene is quite powerful and legitimately moving. But I just don't find it be nearly so groundbreaking as you do; I thought the scripting was pretty bad (not in any kind of spiritual sense, just in terms of actual dialogue being pretty awful - ie. that love scene between Abraham and Sarah) and the pace of the film was just absolutely glacial.

As to me taking my faith too seriously . . . I hardly think so (though I suppose most people who take their faith too seriously would say the same ). I love many Hollywood attempts at religious films; Samson and Delilah, for instance, which is about the least serious Biblical epic in history, I absolutely love. Ben-Hur, I get, but perhaps my favorite Biblical Epic is Barabbas, which is a modern drama in an epic guise, a film essentially about doubt and the inability of humanity to ascend to God. The Ten Commandments, I think we probably both agree, is vastly overrated, completly idiotic and almost unwatchable. But I mean, I found The Prince of Egypt legitimately emotionally moving and that movie had actual Broadway style musical numbers!

Rather, I think this film takes the Bible too seriously, if such a thing is possible; it's like most 'Secular Christian' music, just rather leaden and dull with no real imagination applied, no sense of humor or fun. As with most bad movies, it's the absolute pokerfaced seriousness which marks this as a failed film, in my opinion.

I vastly preferred, for instance, the Richard Harris starring Abraham made for TNT back in the early nineties or the pretty brilliant Joseph from the same series as a way of seeing these people as real characters and not simply religious icons. Frankly, if I was as stuffy about my faith as this movie is, I'd give up on it.

Regardless, I suppose we won't agree. But still interesting to read your reactions (as I hope it was interesting for you to read mine). I'm almost tempted to watch the movie again just to try and see what you saw; almost, but not quite. It's just fascinating how perspective is so different sometimes; like you say the film is mostly forgotten. Therefore, this is really the first time I've ever gotten to really discuss it with someone (in a serious way, at least). Like you, I suppose, I feel it's unjustly forgotten; you think it's a masterwork of cinema; I think it's a camp classic. I suppose we both recommend it and let people make up their own minds, eh?

Anyway, fun talking to you about it.

 

So...this is not as good as 'The Ten Commandments'?

 

Rogue, Ben Hur the movie is much, much better than the book. The book tries to shove religion down your throat on every single page until you end up choking. When I tried to read it and started not liking it, I told myself I'd stop when i got to the chariot race but I only got as far as Messala and his drunken gay friends.

I have seen Barrabas, but not for a while. I think I stole the gladiator spear throwing scene for a story I wrote in high school.

There is a reason I like The Ten Commandments: Costume Porn. Has anyone seen The Egyptians? Apprently the two films shared a lot of stuff or am I thinking of Land of the Pharaohs?

Sand, sword and sandal epics, they sure don't make them like they used to.

 

Rogue, Ben Hur the movie is much, much better than the book. The book tries to shove religion down your throat on every single page until you end up choking.

Wasn't the first few chapters devoted entirely to Joseph, Mary and the birth of Christ? I kept thinking: where's this Ben-Hur guy?

There is a reason I like The Ten Commandments: Costume Porn.

I'd say Cleopatra is 'costume porn'.

 

Homer gets to the point faster than Lew Wallace.