In the Beginning (Full Screen)

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

Martin Landau stars as Abraham in this sweeping historical drama of a man his people and their faith. Centered on one of the oldest and greatest spiritual texts of the Western world In The Beginning is a powerfully rendered film retelling some of the most enduring stories from the Old Testament - those of the Hebrew patriarch Abrahamand his lineage. Sacrificing neither power nor passion this saga begins with creation and Abraham s call to find the Promised Land then seamlessly weaves together the epic quest of a people through the lives of Isaac Rebeccah Esau and Jacob the remarkable rise to power of Joseph. Moses and the burning bush and the origin of Passover. World-class visual effects will awe today s viewers just as the actual biblical events awed those who first witnessed them. As the story culminates with Moses handing the staff of Abraham to Aaron gazing upon the new land there is sense that a new chapter in the life of the Jewish people is just beginning...with renewed hope increased faith and promise for all generations. Actors: Bill Campbell - Eddie Cibrian - Fred Weller - Jacqueline Bisset - Martin Landau. Director: Kevin Connor. Format: DVD. Format Size: Fullscreen. Runtime: 168 mins. Language: English. Region code: Region 1 (United States Canada Bermuda U.S. territories). Discs: 1. Rating: PG. Genre: Drama. Release Year: 2000.