Search - The Bible - Genesis on DVD

Outstanding meditation on the first 9 chapters of the Bible

Emmanuel Bornhauser | Union City, New Jersey United States | 05/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very personal presentation of the biblical account of the creation and the flood by Ermanno Olmi, the acclaimed director of "The Tree of Wooden Clogs." Boring only for those who have no poetic sense whatever! The above average artistic refinement (from the visuals -stunning not to say more- to the very choice of the music) and spiritual depths of the movie will disconcert some. But the movie is a masterpiece. Slow? Yes. Meditative? Yes. Is it a sin? No. It's a hommage. And what a hommage! The spectator is called to make the biblical account his own. Comparing that movie with other biblical stories on characters such as Solomon, Esther or Jeremiah misses the point. Any movie director that would treat the first chapters of Genesis like just another story (although extraordinary) would fail to do justive to its true nature. The Book of Genesis is a spiritual monument -not a historical book, like the Book of Samuel or the Book of Kings. It doesn't mean nothing of it happened. It did happen. Creation is part of history. But the biblical author here does not provide us so much with a word for word description of how things happened than help us understand God's loving providence at work in His creation. Not only does John Huston's litteral treatment of Eve handing the apple over to Adam (in "The Bible," his 1996 version of the Book of Genesis) add nothing to the text. It is purely anecdotic. It has nothing to do with us. The existential (and spiritual) tragedy of sin is totally eclipsed. No action movie will ever capture what goes on deep within man's heart (and soul) each time man turns his back on the one who made him.In other words, the purpose of the biblical creation account is not scientific (HOW the world was made) but theological (WHY the world was made.) God made the world out of love. The world is beautiful because, as St John himself wrote, "God is love." Ermanno Olmi's movie does justice to the biblical account precisely because it reveals to us something of the primeval beauty of the world as it came out from the hands of its creator. Anyone dismayed by the hyperkinetic emptiness of summertime film spectacles will find the spiritual antidote in this quiet but colorful, richly textured movie."

I'm disappointed too!

L. Tracy | Kitchener, ON Canada | 12/28/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, I was disappointed in this video, and I regret purchasing it. I also expected more of it, having enjoyed very much previous releases like Esther, Jeremiah, and Solomon. Much of my disappointment was in discovering that most of it was not a dramatization; the scenes being viewed often did not relate to the story being told, and this reduces the video's usefulness as a teaching tool for Bible study. I differ with some previous reviewers in that I felt there was not enough concern for Biblical accuracy in some spots, notably in the story of the flood. Noah's ark as pictured did not appear to be of the dimensions or shape clearly described in Genesis 6:14-16. Genesis 7:13 lists 8 persons who entered the ark; the grandchildren of Noah were not born until after they left the ark when the flood had abated. In the movie, there appears to be a small crowd getting on board the ark, including a lot of children. And all those leaks in the roof of the ark that could be seen constantly dripping do not make sense at all: if Noah was a good enough builder to build a vessel that was seaworthy and did not leak below the water line, why is there any reason to think he was incapable of building its roof to not leak? After all, he followed God's instructions ("according to all that God commanded him, so did he" Gen. 6:22), applying tar both inside and outside the ark (Gen. 6:14). These scenes do not respect the details of the story as given in the book of Genesis. What is the point of claiming to make a movie based on the Bible, and then not basing it on the Bible?"

Great

John Doukas | orange, ca United States | 07/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I must admit when first watching this, I was feeling dissapointed in that it's not entirely like the other movies in the Bible series. However, once getting into it I began to see why it was made how it was.

Nowhere in the movie is there a date as to when the old man or his family were living. It shows how the story of Creation up to the Flood were passed on from genertion to generation. Families knew their history beyond their own generation (something lost in our culture). This is how it was done back in the day. Remember there was a time when Scripture was not yet written down. It was preserved and kept in this fashion. Cool thing, the Hebrews had common understanding of the Lord, without anything written. Ever wonder how the Israelites in Egypt would know who the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is? Because it was passed on.

With that in mind, this makes for a great movie. The quiet parts give time to reflect on God's creation. God cares about all of it, not just people. He said that all He had made was good."

Serene and satisfying

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 12/08/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This Ermanini Olmo film is filled with magical moments, taken at a leisurely pace; if your usual viewing fare is action packed and music video speed, you might want to pass this one by.
The visual beauty of the panoramic Moroccan landscapes and its handsome people are wonderful to watch, but the main attraction here is the narration by the great Paul Scofield ("A Man for all Seasons") in a poetic reading of this section of the Bible.
The script fairly accurately follows the first nine chapters of Genesis, with a few added portions, like excerpts from the Song of Solomon, Leviticus Ch. 26, and Psalm 50.Omero Antonutti plays "the grandfather" and "Noah", and the rest of the cast are simply listed as "people of Morocco". The children are exquisite, and the costuming gives the feeling of ancient nomadic times.
The score by Ennio Morricone includes tribal folk music and predominantly, the strange and glorious sound of "Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares".
I find this film extraordinarily soothing, and the words are like music and calming to the mind and soul; I like to put this film on while I am working, or when I just want to turn the frantic tempo of today's world down a notch."