The Bible - Genesis [VHS]
This film based on the Bible's book of Genesis is something akin to a  dramatic reading with visuals. The text of Genesis is read by a narrator, who at  times appears as an elderly desert nomad telling the story to a small boy and  other members of their extended Bedouin family. These presentations make  historical sense, of course, as the biblical tales were passed along as oral  history for generations. During the story of the creation of the heaven and the  earth, the visuals tend toward nature photography alternated with scenes of the  venerable storyteller, but during later episodes, actors play some of the  characters from the Bible. A story of Adam and Eve is dramatized in a film  montage, as are the stories of Cain and Abel. More inventive cinematography,  utilizing modern clips of warfare and destruction, are used to illustrate some  Old Testament pronouncements about the evils practiced by mankind. Noah's  instruction to build the ark is portrayed, and in an elaborate segment, the  building of the ark and its use during the great flood is shown. This film may  not provide any new insights into the stories of Genesis, but the dramatizations  coupled with the readings from the text are often beautifully filmed, and those  interested in experiencing the visual atmosphere of the biblical stories will  enjoy the presentation.--Robert J. McNamara