In The Beginning (2000)

From the people who created the made-for-TV special-effects extravaganzas Merlin and Arabian Nights comes In the Beginning, the story about the travels and travails of the tribe of Abraham (Martin Landau). Set around the year 2000 B.C., the narrative opens with "Genesis 12," wherein the Lord has kicked Abraham and company out of their country to a land of milk and honey to be named later. In order to keep up the morale of his followers while on the road, Abraham gives a sermon that sums up God's creation of the universe. By illustrating this sermon with stock footage and special-effects shots, the producers are obviously making a connection between sermons of old and popular entertainments of today. From there, the twists and turns of the Old Testament are treated like a soap opera. Family dramas take center stage, whether it's God testing Abraham by telling him to kill his son in sacrifice, Joseph (famous for his amazing Technicolor dream coat) gaining power in Egypt after being sold to slave traders by his brothers, or one of the many other stories of brothers fighting (Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, etc.). The events that have been visualized in movies before (the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, to name but two) pale in comparison to their earlier incarnations, but the bigger picture is that In the Beginning works best as the Bible for beginners. --Andy Spletzer Amazon.com

THE BIBLE STORY BOOK COME TO LIFE

In The Beginning DVD

When I was growing up my Mother gave me a book called the Bible Story Book. It had a child's summary of the great stories from the Bible in it. This DVD gives you the same thing, but in movie fashion. From Adam and Eve to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments.

Highly recommended for people who want their children to learn the Bible / Torah

Gunner March, 2008



March 24, 2008

greatest story ever told!

the movie is a summary of the bible's (old testament) greatest stories. I enjoy movies that spend more time telling the story and not the special effects. a movie for the whole family! its nice to see famous actors and new ones portraying out of the box characters. December 28, 2007

Family viewing at it's best

This movie was a wonderful family movie. It brought about numerous discussions of biblical history. We would very strongly recommend it. November 24, 2007

In The Beginning DVD

This movie is a must-see for all the 10 Commandment fans! This movie takes minimal Hollywood liberties in order to develop the characters but it is close to being Biblically accurate. It takes Bible history and brings it to life. From children to seniors-it keeps everyone intrigued! October 18, 2007

Great Acting, Great Sets, Costumes and Scenery! Faithful to Scripture, Overall!

I like this DVD. Martin Landau is once again good in yet another Bible movie for him. The best treat is Jacqueline Bisset as the prettiest Sarah that I have seen in a Bible DVD!

They show Abraham telling Bible stories to his people, then they move into the Abraham story, and on through the story of Joseph. It's an acceptable made-for-TV attempt with familiar actors and a decent attempt to be true to the essence of the Bible stories.

This film from 2000 is from Hallmark/FHE/Artisan, who made a monster the year before, with their 1999 version of NOAH'S ARK, starring Jon Voight and Mary Steenburgen. STAY AWAY from that version of Noah's Ark! But it is really surprising that a year later they made this one, IN THE BEGINNING, which is actually quite good. September 2, 2005

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