Genesis: The Creation and the Flood (1994) - full transcript

An all-enveloping darkness. Suddenly, a child's voice, frightened, questioning, pierces the darkness... The first flickering rays of light begin to sculpt mysterious shapes out of the darkness ... Among them, a very old man. He reassures the child, exhorting him to see the wonders of the earth. And it is with this child's eyes that we will witness the creation of the world. Nature comes to life at the first light of dawn, recreating the seven days of the Creation. Adam appears, and is soon joined by Eve. Paradise could be theirs, but as time goes by, they grow restless, inquisitive... They approach the Tree of Knowledge - and discover pain, suffering and mortality. Their sons Cain and Abel play out a story that will continue to darken the Creation until the end of time. And angered by the corruption of Cain's progeny, by the lust and greed ruling the cities, God vows to wipe away his creatures and begin anew. With Noah and his family. The ark is built, the animals led into their pens, and the rain begins beating on the timbers, flooding the land, bringing fear and death. When the rains have devastated the world, the waters recede, the ark touches ground, and the dove sent out by Noah returns with an olive branch - the sign of new life and of a new pact with God.

Boy: Mother, I'm afraid.

Woman: I'm right here,

near you.

Don't be afraid.

Boy: Why is it so dark?

Woman: Because the day

is resting.

The sun has gone to bed,

like we have.

- Boy: Even the sun?

- Woman: Yes, even the sun.

During the night,

all living things go to sleep.

They close their eyes

so they won't see the dark.

Come on, now,

try to close your little eyes.

Boy: But after, will I be able

to open them again?

Woman: Yes, as soon as the dawn

begins to brighten the sky.

Then, we'll see what the new day

has in store for us.

What is the new day

going to bring us?

Man: No one can know...

what is still hidden...

in the womb of the light.

We have to wait...

for the birth

of the new day.

Not till then shall we discover

all the splendors,

the wonders that accompany

the sunrise.

There are but few

who truly know,

who see what is there.

Can you see, Grandfather?

On occasions my eyes

open.

And when they do,

I know that God

has touched me

on the shoulder.

Could you help me to see?

You are a child, my boy.

That makes my help

unnecessary.

The good Lord on high,

reveals His glories openly

to the young and innocent...

the way he would

have revealed it

to the first man

who looked upon Creation,

with awe...

and infinite wonder.

(sheep bleating)

Grandfather: Thus it was,

from the very beginning

of time,

when the good Lord

created

the sky, the sun,

the stars...

and all the vastness

of the Earth.

But, before Creation,

there was blackness,

black darkness yet untouched

by light...

and the darkness

was over the deep.

The darkness of the void

and the unknown...

because, as yet,

nothing existed,

not even the awareness

of the darkness and the void.

(wind howling)

But, behold,

the Spirit of God

was already

breathing over the waters.

And God said,

"Let there be light. "

And there was light.

The Lord God saw

that the light was good,

and divided the light

from the darkness.

The light, God called "day,"

and the darkness, "night. "

Evening came,

morning came...

and that was the first

of the days.

"Behold," the Lord said,

"let the firmament exist. "

I n the firmament,

God separated

the waters that are

of the Earth

from the waters that are

above the skies.

And the Almighty saw

that it was good.

And evening came,

and morning came

to complete

the second day.

On the third day the Creator

summoned all the waters

that are under

the heavens

so that the dry land

appeared.

And the Earth produced

vegetation and plants

of every species, and all kinds

of fruit-bearing trees,

each one with its own seed.

And thus it came to be

that from that day forth

the Earth began to produce

vegetation and all kinds of

plants and fruit-bearing trees

of every species,

each producing its own seed

to spread over the whole Earth.

And again evening came,

and morning came,

the third day.

On the morning of

the fourth day,

Almighty God said,

"Let there be two great lights

in the vault of the heavens,

one for the night,

and one for the day,

to serve as a sign

for the seasons,

for the days,

and for the years. "

And behold,

the Lord God said,

"Let the waters teem

with living beings,

and let birds fly

above the Earth

under the vault

of the heavens. "

The Lord God created all

the living creatures

that frolic in the waters,

each according to

its own species,

and all the winged creatures,

each according to its species.

And evening came,

and morning came,

the fifth day.

On the sixth day,

the Almighty said,

let the Earth produce

living creatures,

cattle, creeping things

and wild animals,

each one according to

its species.

The Creator blessed them,

and said,

"Be fruitful and multiply.

Fill with life the heavens

and the oceans,

And let the Earth be filled

with living beings

of every species. "

(baby crying)

(sheep bleating)

When the Creator

made Heaven and Earth,

no wild bushes, no herbs

of the field had sprung up,

because God had not

yet sent rain upon the Earth,

and there was no human being

to work in the fields.

I nstead, water flowed

out of the ground

and moistened all

the surface of the soil.

(thundering)

(heavy rainfall)

Out of the Earth

the Lord God fashioned man,

making him out of the soil

God had created.

The Creator breathed into

his nostrils the breath of life...

and the man became

a living being.

(baby crying)

Thus the Lord God determined

to create man

in His own image.

God wanted them

in the image of God.

He created humankind,

male and female.

He created them

in the very likeness of God.

Then God blessed them

and said,

"Be fruitful and multiply.

Fill the Earth and rule over

all of Creation. "

And thus it was.

An evening came,

and morning came,

the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the Earth

were brought to completion

and all the creatures

that inhabit the Earth.

And then the Creator

blessed the seventh day

and made it holy,

because on that day

God had completed

all the work of the Creation.

(frogs croaking)

Then, the soil

brought forth life,

and the trees

produced fruit,

enticing to look at

and good to eat.

And the Lord sat the man

in the middle of the garden

so that he might cultivate it

and take care of it.

And then the Lord God gave

the man this command:

"All the fruit that grow here

are for you.

And you may freely eat

of them.

But of all these only one

you shall not touch,

the fruit of the

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

If you eat of that fruit

you will know what is good

and what is evil.

And of that knowledge,

you shall die. "

Boy: So many stars!

Man: Look!

That one is Ishtar.

It is the star

of the morning.

But every dawn

it's the last to fade.

Why is the bright star

called Ishtar?

Everything that lives

and moves in the Creation

has been given its own name,

like the sun,

and all the creatures

that live in its light.

From the time of the Creation,

the Creator saw that the man

was alone on the Earth.

And so God thought,

"I will make the man a helper,

who will be like him. "

And then the Lord,

who had already created

out of dust

the animals of the fields

and all the birds of the air,

brought them in front of Adam,

one by one,

in order that he might name

each one.

And whatever Adam called

each and every living creature,

that was to be its name.

Even fire?

And the fire, too,

and the mountains.

Boy: And the rocks,

grandfather?

- And the plants?

- And the plants.

Grandfather:

With all their fruit,

each thing

had its own name.

But the man

could not find a helper

similar to himself.

So the Lord God caused Adam

to fall into a deep sleep

on the ground.

The Lord approached...

as Adam lay there...

and took one of Adam's ribs

from him.

And from this rib

God fashioned the woman,

and brought her to Adam.

Then Adam said,

"Behold...

this one at last is flesh

of my flesh...

and bone of my bone...

life from my life. "

She is to be called,

"Woman,"

because she was made

from the man.

That is why the man will leave

his father and his mother,

and will be united

with his wife,

and the two...

will become one flesh.

(crickets chirping)

Now both of them

were naked,

the man and the woman.

But because

they were innocent,

they felt no shame.

The serpent was the most subtle

of all the wild creatures

that God had created.

And behold,

he said to the woman,

"Did God really say

you shall not eat

of the fruit of any

of the trees in the garden?"

The woman said

to the serpent,

"We may eat of the fruit

of the trees in the garden,

but the Lord God said,

'You shall not eat

of the fruit

of the tree in the middle

of the garden,

nor shall touch it,

or you shall die. "'

But the serpent flattered

the woman saying,

"No, you will not die

at all.

I n fact, God knows that

the day you eat of that fruit

your eyes will be opened

and you will become

like God,

for you will know

good and evil. "

And thus the woman saw that

the fruit of the tree

was good to eat and pleasing

to the eye

and enticing for the knowledge

it would give.

And so she took the fruit

and ate it.

Then she gave some to the man

who was with her.

And he, too,

ate of the fruit.

Adam and the woman hid themselves

behind the trees

because their eyes

were opened

and both of them realized

they were naked.

And so the Lord God Almighty

summoned Adam

and said to him,

"Why are you hiding?"

Adam answered, "I heard the sound

of Your footsteps

and I was afraid

because now I am naked

and alone. "

And the Lord God said,

"Who told you that you

were naked?

Have you perhaps eaten

of the fruit of the tree

that I forbade you to eat?"

Adam answered,

"The woman gave me that fruit

and I ate some of it.

And now...

now I know fear.

I am alone.

Now I know good and evil. "

Then the Lord God said

to the woman,

"Why have you done this?"

The woman answered,

"The serpent tempted me

and I ate of the fruit. "

And so the Lord God said

to the serpent,

"Because

you have done this

you shall be cursed

among all the beasts.

You shall crawl in the dust

on your belly

because it was you

who caused her to eat.

For all eternity

there will be enmity

between you and the woman,

between your offspring

and hers

and so until the end of time

her descendants

will crush your head,

and you will strike their heel. "

(wind gusting)

To the man God said,

"Because you disobeyed me

the Earth will be full

of suffering for you.

You will earn your bread

by the sweat of your brow

until you return

to the ground

because out of the ground

you were made.

Dust you are,

and to dust you shall return. "

(breathing deeply)

And again the Lord God

said,

"Behold, now man and woman

have become like me,

equal to me because

they know good and evil.

And so they must not be allowed

to reach out their hands

and take the fruit

of the Tree of Life

and eat it,

and live forever. "

And the Lord God expelled Adam

and the woman from the garden

so that they would work the soil

from which they were made.

And at the east of

the Garden of Eden,

God placed the Cherubim,

armed with the fiery,

flashing sword

to guard the way to

the Tree of Life.

Adam named the woman

"Eve"...

because she was the mother

of all those who live.

Their firstborn son,

they named "Cain. "

When Eve gave birth to him,

she said,

"Behold,

I have received

a gift from the Lord.

With God,

I have created

a human being. "

And so it was.

And after Cain,

the woman gave birth to Abel,

his brother.

Abel, the second son,

was a shepherd and kept flocks.

- J ust like us?

- Yes, just like us.

But Cain worked in the fields,

planting the earth.

(water trickling down)

(sheep bleating)

(wind howling)

(blowing in flute)

(blowing in flute)

(wind whistling)

(long tone)

(long tone)

(flute music)

Grandfather: I n the course of time

Cain offered part

of his crop to the Lord.

Abel sacrificed

to the Most High

the finest of the newborn lambs

of his flock.

The Lord God looked with favor

on Abel's offering.

He was not pleased

with Cain's.

Cain was envious of his brother.

He became angry.

His face was downcast

and he withdrew into himself.

(pigs squealing)

Aagh!

Waah!

Waah!

(rain and thunder)

(water dripping)

(water sizzles)

(flute music playing)

The Lord God sought out Cain

and said to him,

"Why are you so full

of anger?

And why is your face

so downcast?

If you were doing

what is right,

surely you ought to hold

your head high.

But if you are acting

wrongly, look,

the Evil One is crouching

at the door,

hungry to get you.

Wicked thoughts and

temptations assail you...

but you can be the master

of them. "

Aaaah!

(flute music playing)

(music ends)

I n spite of the Lord God's

warning,

Cain raised his hand

against his brother, Abel,

and killed him.

The Lord God again

sought out Cain

and said to him,

"Where is Abel, your brother?"

Cain, afraid and in hiding,

replied,

"I do not know.

Am I my brother's keeper?"

The Lord said,

"What have you done, Cain?

The voice of your brother's

blood is crying out

from the depths

of the Earth.

From this day forth you must

leave forever the ground

which witnessed your brother's

death at your hands.

Thus, when you till

the earth,

it will not easily yield up

its fruits to you.

You shall be

a restless wanderer

and you will not cease

to hide yourself

from Me forever. "

Cain said, "This punishment

is greater than I can bear.

Behold,

You banish me from this place

and from Your holy

presence

and I must hide from Your face

for the rest of my days,

far from You.

I must live in danger,

for whoever meets me on the road

will surely kill me. "

But the Holy One did not want

Cain's death, and said,

"Whoever kills Cain will suffer

a sevenfold vengeance. "

And the Lord, in His love,

put a mark on Cain to protect him,

so that no one coming across

him would kill him.

Cain withdrew from the presence

of the Holy One

nd settled in the land of Nod,

to the east of Eden.

Then Cain united himself

to his wife,

and she conceived

and gave birth to Enoch.

And Cain founded a city and

a new civilization.

And he called the city,

"Enoch," after his son.

And these are the descendants

of Cain:

Enoch fathered Irad,

and Irad fathered Mehujael.

Mehujael fathered

Methushael,

who, in turn,

fathered Lamech.

Lamech married two women,

Adah and Zillah.

The second wife, Zillah,

gave birth to Tubal-cain,

the craftsman,

ancestor of all those who work

with copper

and all other metals.

Tubal-cain's sister

was Naamah,

whose name means

"The one loved by all.

The one who is seduced

by the comforts and

pleasures of urban living. "

And Lamech said,

Lamech: All of you,

hear my voice!

Listen to what

I am about to say!

I killed a man

who attacked me!

A boy,

in a moment of rage!

Sevenfold vengeance for Cain,

but for Lamech,

seventy-seven fold!

So now it happens

that violence spreads itself

wider and wider among men.

Behold,

from action to action,

from insult to insult,

humankind shapes

its own history.

Some are perpetrators

of violence,

some are its victims.

Some come out of the East,

others come out of the West.

But in all this movement,

all this confusion,

which is

the right direction?

Then Adam,

the father of all peoples,

was joined again

to his wife.

She gave birth

to a male child,

and she named him

"Seth," because,

she said, "God has granted me

other offspring

in the place of Abel,

whom Cain has killed. "

And Seth had a son whom

he called Enosh.

It was at that time

that people began to invoke

the name of the Lord.

Then Enosh fathered

Kenan,

and Kenan fathered

Mahalalel.

Mahalalel fathered Jared,

and Jared, Enoch.

Enoch fathered Methuselah,

who fathered Lamech.

And Lamech fathered Noah.

(music playing)

(music playing)

(music playing)

Grandfather: Loyalty has disappeared

from among human creatures.

Neighbor lies to neighbor,

the poor are oppressed

by the arrogance of the rich,

and the evildoer

in his heart thinks,

"No one, not even the Lord,

will hold me accountable. "

The Lord God looks down

from the heavens

at the children of Adam

to see if a single one

is still wise,

if a single one

still seeks God.

But many have become

corrupt.

Many have proven faithless

and violent.

They are guilty

of all manner of sins.

Not one of them does

what is right.

All are seeking

their own advantage.

Why, O Lord,

do you keep so distant?

Why do You hide Yourself

in time of trouble?

Hear Me,

all you nations and peoples.

Listen to Me,

all you who inhabit the Earth,

people, high and low,

rich and poor alike.

Do not be overawed

or jealous

when some of you

become rich

and live in ever greater

splendor.

When they die, they will take

nothing with them.

Their wealth will not

go down with them.

Humankind, in all its splendor,

cannot last.

Human beings will never be able

to repay to God

their own ransom,

no matter how powerful

they become.

They will see that

the wise also die,

just as the fool

and the brute,

and leave their wealth

behind for others.

The tomb is their home

forever,

their dwelling place until

the end of time,

even though they give

their names to vast palaces,

and properties.

You who eat from the work

of your hands,

blessed are you for you walk

in the ways of the Lord.

Your wife will be

a fruitful vine

in the inner places

of your house,

and your children round

your table

like shoots

of an olive tree.

Even the sparrow finds

a home,

the swallow,

a nest to place its young.

Blessed are they,

who dwell in the house

of the Lord.

(laughing)

Woman: Tell me, then...

O loved one of my soul,

where will you lead your flocks

to graze?

Where will you stop to rest

at noon?

For sick with love I am.

Your right hand

is under my head

and the other

embraces me.

On my bed,

in the night,

I searched for the one

whom my heart loves.

I searched for him,

but did not find him.

Before the day breeze rises,

before the shadows flee,

return, my love.

Leap joyously,

like a gazelle,

like a young stag on the mountain

of sweet fragrances.

Kiss me with the sweetest kisses

of your mouth.

Your love is sweeter

than any nectar.

Your name

is an inebriating perfume.

Your banner on me

is love.

(noise and commotion)

(festive music)

Grandfather: "Show respect

for my Creation,"

says the Lord.

"Revere everything

that lives

in My holy place.

But unless you honor

My laws

and live your days according

to My commandments,

you will know the terrors

I can inflict.

No light shall enter

your eye.

You shall suffer fever

and disease

and your days shall pass

in agony.

I n vain will you wait to reap

what you have planted.

Your enemies will gather

the harvest.

And if, in spite of this,

you refuse to listen to Me,

I will continue

to chastise you

and will punish you

seven times over for your sins.

I will break your

proud strength

and I will make the sky like

scorching iron for you,

and your soil like flesh

without a shield.

Then you will seek refuge

in your cities,

but there I will send

plague and pestilence,

and you shall fall

into the clutches of death.

And if, in spite of this,

you will not listen to Me,

and continue to go

against Me,

I will go against you

in fury

and punish you

seven times over

for your sins.

You shall eat the flesh

of your children.

I will destroy

your higher places.

I will smash

your incense altars,

and I will pile your corpses

on your foul idols. "

(horse whiney)

(drum beats)

(drum beats continue)

(drum beats)

(wind howling)

Grandfather: Then the Most High

saw that human wickedness

was great on the Earth,

and that the violent heart

of humankind contrived

nothing but evil schemes.

The Lord God regretted having made

human beings on the Earth.

The Holy One was grieved

at heart and said,

"I will rid the face

of the Earth

of the human beings

I created,

and of all the domestic animals,

the crawling creatures,

and the birds of the air.

All,

I will exterminate them,

because I regret

having created them. "

And so the Creator God

spoke to Noah,

"I have decided that the end

has come for all living things,

for the Earth is full

of lawlessness and violence

because of them.

So now I will destroy them

and the entire Earth. "

(wind gusting)

Then the Lord God said

to Noah,

"I am going to send the flood,

the waters on Earth,

to destroy

all living things

with the breath of life

under heaven.

Everything on Earth

is to perish,

but with you, Noah,

I will make a pact.

With you I will establish

my covenant.

Behold,

you will build an ark.

You will make it out

of resinous wood.

You will divide it

into compartments

and caulk it with pitch,

inside and out.

You will fashion a roof

for the ark

raising it a cubit higher

than the rest.

You will build the ark

with three decks,

lower, middle, and higher,

and one side of the ark,

you will make a door. "

This is the story of Noah.

Noah was a good man,

just and honest,

and he walked with the Lord.

Noah fathered three sons,

Shem,

Ham, and Japheth.

And so Noah did exactly

as the Lord had commanded him.

Then the Lord God said

to Noah,

"Go aboard the ark

and with you take your sons,

your wife,

and wives of your sons.

From all living creatures,

from all animals,

you will take into the ark

two of each species

to save their lives

with yours.

There must be

a male and female

of the birds, the cattle,

and of all the creatures

that crawl on the Earth,

according to their species.

Two of each will go aboard

with you,

so that they might live. "

(sheep bleating)

Again the Lord God said,

"Take with you provisions

of every kind

and lay in a store of them.

They will be nourishment for you

and the others in the ark. "

And Noah did this

exactly as God

had commanded him.

(wind gusting)

(rain drops)

(rain pattering)

(heavy rain falling)

Grandfather: Seven days later

the waters of the flood

appeared on the Earth.

All the springs of the great

deep burst through

and the cataracts

of the heavens opened wide.

On the same day Noah entered

the ark with his three sons,

Shem, Ham and Japheth,

his wife

and the wives of

his three sons.

These people and the animals,

each according to his species,

all came to Noah in the ark.

And thus it was,

as God had commanded.

And then the Lord God closed

the door behind him.

(thunder)

(rain pouring down)

(thunder)

(baby cries)

(thunder)

(thunder)

(baby cries)

(sizzle)

(water dripping)

(sizzle)

Noah: The Lord God Almighty

summons the Earth,

from the West to the East,

and the heavens proclaim

His justice.

Our God is coming to sit

in judgement.

Before Him,

devouring fire,

around Him,

raging tempests.

Behold, the Holy One comes

and the Holy One speaks,

"I am the Lord God,

your God.

Not for your sacrificial offerings

does your God reproach you.

Nor for the solemn ceremonies

you ever performed

to the Almighty.

But do not offer me a bull

of your herd,

nor the goat you prize

over others.

They're already mine.

All the beasts

of the forest,

the animals that graze

on the earth,

they're mine already.

I know every bird that flies

to the highest summit,

and all living creatures

of the sea.

They are mine also.

Does God eat, perchance,

the cattle you give

your Lord,

or drink blood from

your sacrificial goats?

Offer thanksgiving.

Let it be your sacrifice

to the Holy One.

I n this way...

fulfill the vows

you've made

to the Most High. "

(water dripping)

(creaking)

(creaking)

(thud)

Grandfather: The flood lasted for

40 days and 40 nights.

The water swelled,

lifting the ark

until it floated

off the ground.

The waters rose higher and higher

on the surface of the Earth

until they covered the highest

mountains under the heavens.

And so it was that all

living things on Earth perished.

Every being with the least breath

of life in its nostrils, died.

Everything on the face

of the Earth was exterminated:

Human beings, birds,

animals, domestic and wild,

and creeping things.

Only Noah was saved,

and with him,

those in the ark.

(chirping)

(rain stops)

Then the Creator

remembered Noah

and all the animals

that were in the ark with him.

And so the Lord God Almighty

sent a wind across the Earth,

and the waters began to subside.

The springs of the deep

and the cataracts

of the heavens were stopped up.

And the rains ceased.

(thud)

And thus the waters began

to withdraw from the earth.

And after 150 days

the ark came to rest

on the mountains of Ararat.

I n the tenth month,

on the first day

of the month,

dry land

began to appear.

And in the distance,

the peaks of the mountains

were to be seen.

Another 40 days passed,

and Noah released a raven

who flew back and forth,

because the waters

had not yet receded

from the face of the earth.

(draining water)

Then Noah released a dove,

but the dove, too,

returned to Noah in the ark,

for there was still water

on the surface of the earth.

Noah waited another

seven days...

and once again

sent out the dove...

from the ark.

I n the evening the dove

came back to him.

And behold, in its beak,

was a fresh olive branch.

And so Noah realized

that the waters were receding

from the earth.

Noah waited another

seven days.

Then,

he set free the dove.

And this time,

it returned to him no more.

And so the Most High

blessed Noah and his family

and said to them,

"As long as Earth endures,

seed time and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

will never cease.

I will now set my bow

in the clouds.

This is the sign

of the covenant

I am establishing between

Myself and the Earth.

The bow will be on the clouds

and I shall see it.

And I shall remember

the eternal covenant

established between God

and every living being.

Every living thing

that has life and moves

will be yours to eat.

Behold,

I give you everything,

as in the past I gave you

the green fruits of the field.

But there

is one exception:

You must not eat flesh

with its life,

that is to say,

with its blood in it.

And I will hold you accountable

for your own life blood, too.

The Lord of life will demand

an accounting

of every living creature.

The Creator of life will demand it

of all human beings.

Whoever sheds human blood

will be accountable for it

because the Lord has made man

and woman in His own image. "