In the Beginning (miniseries)

In the Beginning
DVD cover
Written byJohn Goldsmith
Directed byKevin Connor
StarringMartin Landau
Jacqueline Bisset
Billy Campbell
Eddie Cibrian
Diana Rigg
Amanda Donohoe
Theme music composerKen Thorne
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes2
Production
ProducerPaul Lowin
CinematographyElemér Ragályi
EditorsBill Blunden
Barry Peters
Running time189 min
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseNovember 12 (2000-11-12) –
November 13, 2000 (2000-11-13)

In the Beginning is a 2000 American two-part biblical television miniseries directed by Kevin Connor. It stars Martin Landau and Jacqueline Bisset and originally aired on NBC on November 12 and 13, 2000.

Plot

In the Beginning is 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 told Abraham and company to leave 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 attempt to make 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 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.). Many events are visualized such as the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, to name but two.

Cast

References