At approximately 8 years old, Ruth is sold by her father, as his strongest and prettiest daughter, to a priest of Chemosh, to be trained in the service of the Moabite deity. Months later, deemed the most attractive and unblemished candidate, Ruth is selected from a lineup of child priestesses in training to be sacrificed during the annual ritual to Chemosh. As soon as she is selected, a large blemish appears on Ruth's arm, and she is deemed unsuitable. Another child is sacrificed in her place.
Years later, Ruth is a favored priestess serving as spiritual teacher of a young Moabite girl, Tebah, being prepared for that year’s sacrifice to Chemosh. Unhappy with the ritual crown created for Tebah, high-priestess Eleilat, along with Ruth, instruct Mahlon, a Judean artisan, to revamp the crown with jewels and glitter. Mahlon delivers the crown to Ruth at the temple, and he begins to question her about the existence of Chemosh. Ruth starts out mocking Mahlon’s “invisible god,” but ends up becoming intrigued and doubtful of her religion as time draws near for Tebah’s sacrifice. Ruth ultimately falls in love with Mahlon and disgraces herself at Tebah’s sacrifice by screaming in horror as the child is ceremonially stabbed on an altar by the high priest. Ruth flees but is captured and punished.
The Moabites blame and condemn Mahlon, his father Elimelech, and brother Chilion for Ruth’s heresy. Chilion and Elimelech die in the prison, while Mahlon is condemned to the quarries for life. Ruth comes with mercenaries to free Mahlon, but he is mortally wounded as he flees the quarry. He marries Ruth in a cave soon afterwards, and promptly dies. Naomi (married to Elimelech), Orpah (married to Chilion), and Ruth are now widowed. Orpah returns to her Moabite family, and Ruth chooses to accompany Naomi to Bethlehem, famously proclaiming "Whither thou goest, I will go.”
Moab and Judah are ancient enemies, and Ruth is initially met with hostility. Upon arrival, they witness Boaz, a close kinsman of Elimelech’s, punish a Moabite who has poisoned a water hole by forcing him to drink the poisoned water. When Boaz learns that Naomi has returned, he sends provisions to them, respecting his obligation as a kinsman. Believing Boaz to be fiercely anti-Moabite, Ruth compels Naomi to refuse the provisions. Captivated by Ruth’s beauty, Boaz arranges for another kinsman, Tob, to take Boaz’s provisions to Naomi and Ruth. Tob initially doesn’t want to oblige, but after seeing Ruth, Tob agrees to Boaz’s arrangement, taking credit for generosity. A wise Naomi is skeptical of Tob’s uncharacteristic caring. Meanwhile, Boaz visits Naomi and Ruth to convince them to accept his help. After Boaz assists Ruth against a mob of hostile women at a well, Ruth becomes aware of his noble nature. Eventually, Boaz and Ruth fall in love, but Tob claims his right under the laws of God to marry Mahlon’s widow as closest kinsman.
Two Moab agents arrive in Judah seeking Ruth. Pretending to be from Reuben, they claim to have witnessed Ruth worshipping Chemosh in secret at Naomi's farm. As a member of the Council of Elders, Boaz must sit in judgment of Ruth. At trial, Ruth admits to having been a Moabite priestess who last participated in ritual sacrifice only months before, shocking those in attendance—including Boaz, who does his best to defend her. The Moabite agents are exposed as false witnesses when Naomi asks them to name the 12 tribes of Israel and Ruth asks them to recite the Ten Commandments, which they cannot do. Nor will they bless Jehovah and curse Chemosh, as Ruth challenges. Ruth is acquitted.
Tob refuses to give up his claim to Ruth, despite her informing him that she loves Boaz. Naomi suggests to Ruth a way out of her obligation to marry Tob. At their wedding ceremony, Ruth informs Tob in front of the guests that she sought out Boaz where he was sleeping at the harvest festival. Humiliated, Tob renounces Ruth. Boaz then declares he will marry Ruth, and both declare to the officiating elder that only vows of love passed between them. They are married, becoming the progenitors of a great king and a messiah.
In 1957, Simon Windelburg was announced as the film's screenwriter.[3]Michael Kanin and his wife, Fay Kanin, who were later hired to write the screenplay, wrote treatments for the film.[3]Frank G. Slaughter wrote a screenplay based on his 1954 novel The Song of Ruth: A Love Story From the Old Testament.[3]Norman Corwin wrote an entirely new screenplay after summer 1958.[3] Corwin submitted his final draft of the script on September 1, 1959.[3] Production began in late November 1959 and ended in mid-February 1960.[4]
In a November 30, 1959, Special to the New York Times from Hollywood, (appearing on December 1) headlined “Story of Ruth is Being Filmed,” Murray Schumack reported on his interview with Engel, who at one time considered doing the story as a musical, along the lines of South Pacific. Explaining the problem of building the box-office appeal of a Biblical story, Engel said: “It is a sweet pastoral love story. It has an underlying theme of tolerance. It has the beauty of a lovely tone poem. But even if it was blown up, I couldn't see it as a movie,” Engel told Schumack.—except as a musical. “But then I figured it would be dull…” In the end, he and Corwin decided to concentrate on the character of Ruth. However, Schumack reports, “Love ran too smoothly in the Bible.” Complications were needed. They also had a free hand in creating Moabite culture. “It is all treated with the greatest respect of course,“ Engel said. “after all you must remember that Ruth was the great-grandmother of David and an ancestor of Jesus.”[5]
This is Elana Eden, whom Buddy Adler, Henry Koster, and I have selected to portray the coveted title role in The Story of Ruth. Elana Eden comes to us from the Holy Land following worldwide search in which literally over a score of young, talented actresses were tested. Elana is a graduate from the renowned Habima Theatre. She was chosen by us because we feel she possesses the necessary qualifications for this exacting role and because of her natural qualities, which most faithfully exemplify this beloved biblical heroine.
The Story of Ruth received favorable reviews upon release. Time considered the film "commendably unepic".[16]
Variety called it "a refreshingly sincere and restrained Biblical drama, a picture that elaborates on the romantic, political and devotional difficulties encountered by the Old Testament heroine".[17] and described Elana Eden's portrayal as "a performance of dignity", projecting "an inner strength through a delicate veneer".[17]Variety also noted Peggy Wood's "excellent characterization of Naomi" and said that her "timing is always sharp".[17]
Daniel A. Poling, editor of the Christian Herald, described the film as "[g]loriously cast and faultlessly directed".[18] He believed Eden's portrayal of Ruth was "worthy of an Oscar",[18]
Carl Lane, writing for the Evening Independent, praised Eden's performance: "...a flesh and blood Ruth of passion and compassion, of tenderness and dignity, a woman of whom the viewer tells himself on leaving the theater: 'This is Ruth as she must have been. She could have been no other.'"[19] He also praised Wood: “(She)...creates an unforgettable character. Patience, faith, wisdom, all mature within her as the story progresses."[19]
Boxoffice wrote: “This personal and human tale benefits by the realistic portrayals of the beautiful Israeli actress Miss Eden and the mature Miss Wood, who play together with touching affinity."[20]
In his June 18, 1960, assessment for The New York Times, Bosley Crowther observed: “It should be apparent to anyone who has ever read the Biblical Book of Ruth that to get a screen play from it a writer would have to do a lot of reading between the lines, then put his imagination to rather extensive use. As it stands, it is…a temptingly stimulating book. … But, unfortunately, (Corwin's) interlinear reading appears to have been on the innocent side and his use of imagination circumspect and dull. “ Instead of finding “… something softly feminine and romantic, Mr. Corwin has made her out to be a somewhat metallic former high priestess of a pagan theology who backslides her own religion and is married to a Judean because of his more comforting god. The two talk religion, not sweet nothings, when they get alone beneath the stars. And you might think this same writer could have arranged for Ruth something sweet and perhaps a little racy with her late husband's kinsman, Boaz, after she has been made a widow and fled to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law. But Mr. Corwin has … concocted a rather stiff and pompous dramatic account of how the great-grandmother of King David got over being a Moabite and got herself married to a Judean by lying beside him on the threshing floor. (Mr. Corwin has not even let her go to that modest extreme. He has kept the two at arm's length, with only a tender look passing between.) And Mr. Engel and Henry Koster.. have followed a stiff and pompous line in putting a potentially romantic and poetic story on the screen. Their style, decorative and dramatic, is ornate, heavy and grim, pretentious of deep spiritual meaning but without convincing throb of flesh or soul. ”[21]
Awards
The Story of Ruth won:
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Best Picture of the Month Award for July 1960. The bronze plaque was scheduled to be presented to producer Samuel G. Engel at the Greater Los Angeles Press Club on July 27, with director Henry Koster and stars Elana Eden and Tom Tryon also present.[22]
The Parents' Magazine Family Award Medal for July 1960.[23] The award was described by Movietone News as "one of the most sought-after accolades that can be awarded to film drama". Elana Eden and 20th Century Fox president Spyros Skouras attended the award presentation, which was filmed by Movietone News.[24]
In Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning fantasy drama The Shape Of Water (2017), the Amphibian Man, spellbound, watches The Story Of Ruth in a poorly attended cinema after having escaped from an apartment above.[citation needed]
References
^Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN978-0-8108-4244-1. p. 252
