Die Bibel – Genesis (1994)

Die Bibel – Genesis: Directed by Ermanno Olmi. With Annabi Abdelialil, Omero Antonutti, Sabir Aziz, B. Haddan Mohammed. An all-enveloping darkness. Suddenly, a child’s voice, frightened, questioning, pierces the darkness… The first flickering rays of light begin to sculpt mysterious shapes out of the darkness … Among them, a very old man. He reassures the child, exhorting him to see the wonders of the earth. And it is with this child’s eyes that we will witness the creation of the world. Nature comes to life at the first light of dawn, recreating the seven days of the Creation. Adam appears, and is soon joined by Eve. Paradise could be theirs, but as time goes by, they grow restless, inquisitive… They approach the Tree of Knowledge – and discover pain, suffering and mortality. Their sons Cain and Abel play out a story that will continue to darken the Creation until the end of time. And angered by the corruption of Cain’s progeny, by the lust and greed ruling the cities, God vows to wipe away his creatures and begin anew. With Noah and his family. The ark is built, the animals led into their pens, and the rain begins beating on the timbers, flooding the land, bringing fear and death. When the rains have devastated the world, the waters recede, the ark touches ground, and the dove sent out by Noah returns with an olive branch – the sign of new life and of a new pact with God.

“u0026quot;Genesis: The Creation and the Floodu0026quot; is a good film if you want someone to read the Bible to you. It is 98% narrated by the British actor Paul Scofield. The actors rarely speak.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis film covers a period in the Bible that is difficult to dramatise. There are so many characters in bloodline between the creation of man and the birth of Noah that you canu0026#39;t pick a main protagonist. The film makers could have dealt with this in two ways:u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOPTION 1 – Break this period down into three or four separate stories linked together by a narrator i.e 1)The Creation, 2) Adam u0026amp; Eve 3)Cain u0026amp; Able, 4) Noah u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOPTION 2 – Use a narrator to read the Bible.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn this film they use a narrator to read the Bilble and it seems as if he is reading the Bible almost word for word. The u0026quot;actorsu0026quot; rarely speak. Iu0026#39;m not even sure if they are actors as their faces rarely convey any emotion. The actors from the silent movie period such as Charlie Chaplin were able to convey emotions without speaking. The actors in this film however just move from one scene to another with blank faces whilst the narrator reads from the Bible.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI gave this film 1/10 because the score by Ennio Morricone was soothing. The score was the only redeeming factor.”