Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- reverent
- majestic
- solemn
- classic cinema night
- religious observance
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's extraordinary production design, special effects, and reverent scale while finding its episodic storytelling overlong, static, and insufficiently cohesive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film moves through Creation, Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah, Babel, and Abraham as distinct but thematically linked sections.
The Creation imagery, Garden of Eden, Tower of Babel, and especially Noah's flood are staged as lavish cinematic set pieces.
Angels, God's direct relationship with Abraham, the Fall, fratricide, and the Flood are presented through a reverent Old Testament framework.
The 175-minute running time, intermission-era scale, formal narration, and reverent treatment create an expansive pageant-like experience.
Films like The Bible: In the Beginning..., and why
The Ten Commandments
lavish religious epic with reverent biblical storytelling and large-scale spectacle
Samson and Delilah
classical biblical drama combining Old Testament subject matter, solemn grandeur, and theatrical production design
The Greatest Story Ever Told
episodic sacred-history epic with monumental sets, moral parables, and a cast of legendary figures
Quo Vadis
large-scale ancient-world drama using mythic storytelling, spectacular settings, and heightened religious themes
Movie Details
- Director
- John Huston
- Release Date
- 1966-09-28
- Runtime
- 175 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (304)
Cast
- Michael Parks
- Ulla Bergryd
- Richard Harris
- John Huston
- Stephen Boyd
- George C. Scott
- Ava Gardner
- Peter O'Toole
- Zoe Sallis
- Gabriele Ferzetti
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Bible: In the Beginning... about?
- John Huston's expansive Genesis epic transforms Creation, the Flood, Babel, and Abraham's covenant into reverent 1960s cinematic pageantry.
- What is The Bible: In the Beginning... like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Bible: In the Beginning... as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Bible: In the Beginning... violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Bible: In the Beginning... as mild.
- What did critics think of The Bible: In the Beginning...?
- Critics broadly admired the film's extraordinary production design, special effects, and reverent scale while finding its episodic storytelling overlong, static, and insufficiently cohesive.
- Which films are like The Bible: In the Beginning...?
- Films with a similar feel include The Ten Commandments, Samson and Delilah, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and Quo Vadis.
- How long is The Bible: In the Beginning...?
- The Bible: In the Beginning... runs 175 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Bible: In the Beginning...?
- In United States, The Bible: In the Beginning... is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
