Bible, The (La Bibbia, Italy)

Rotolito - Roma. An Italian poster for producer for the first of Dino DeLaurentis’ planned 3-film, 10-hour adaptation of highlights of the entire Bible, Old Testament and New. The Bible: In the Beginning, directed by John Huston, depicts major events in the first 22 chapters of Genesis, including the creation of Adam and Eve, Cain’s murder of his brother Abel, Noah and the ark, the Tower of Babel (depicted in the poster here), Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of his son Isaac. A ponderous 174 minutes in length, the film’s disappointing box office meant the other two films were never made. The Bible marked the end of the biblical epic golden era that began with DeMille’s Samson and Delilah in 1949.