Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. Tonight: a wildly ambitious historical drama by John Huston.
Released in theaters in 1966, the feature film The Bible is a rarity to quickly (re)discover. Good news: the feature film directed by the great John Huston (Moby Dick) is broadcast this Monday evening on Arte!
The Bibleit is quite simply (!!) the cinematographic adaptation of the first 22 chapters of The Bible : from Creation to the testing of Abraham, through original sin, Abel and Cain, the Flood and the Tower of Babel.
The Bible was to be the first part of a pharaonic project, orchestrated by Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis and aiming to adapt the entire sacred book, Old and New Testament, to the screen.
Numerous episodes, each lasting 3h30, were therefore planned, for which prestigious directors were contacted: Robert Bresson, Orson Welles, Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini and John Huston. In the end, the latter was the only one not to withdraw, which explains why his film “only” deals with the first 22 chapters of the Book.
John Huston, the only one to take on this ambitious challenge
John Huston, the only one, therefore, to have accepted the challenge, reserved a choice role for himself in his film, since he plays Noah, who saves humanity from the Flood. To adapt The Bible on the big screen, the American filmmaker approached the delicate task of adapting the sacred book with a fresh perspective.
“The Bible interests me as a universal myth and support for multiple legends”he declared. “It is unique in the human treasure. It is the first love story, the first detective thriller and also the first story of a faith. We treated it like a legend, in the noble sense of the word.”
Tonight on Arte at 8:55 p.m.