The Green Pastures (film)
| The Green Pastures | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by |
Marc Connelly William Keighley |
| Produced by | Jack L. Warner |
| Screenplay by | Sheridan Gibney |
| Based on |
The Green Pastures & Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun 1930 play & 1928 novel by Marc Connelly & Roark Bradford |
| Starring |
Rex Ingram Oscar Polk Eddie Anderson |
| Music by | Erich Wolfgang Korngold |
| Cinematography | Hal Mohr |
| Edited by | George Amy |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $3,750,000 (estimated by 1939) |
The Green Pastures is a 1936 American film depicting stories from the Bible as visualized by African-American characters. It starred Rex Ingram (in several roles, including "De Lawd"), Oscar Polk, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. It was based on the 1928 novel Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun by Roark Bradford and the 1930 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Marc Connelly.
The Green Pastures was one of only six feature films in the Hollywood Studio era to feature an all-African American cast, though elements of it were criticised by civil rights activists at the time and subsequently.[1]
Plot summary
God tests the human race in this reenactment of Bible stories set in the world of black American folklore.
Cast
- Rex Ingram as De Lawd / Adam / Hezdrel
- Oscar Polk as Gabriel
- Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as Noah
- Frank Wilson as Moses
- George H. Reed as Mr. Deshee / Aaron
- Abraham Gleaves as Archangel
- Myrtle Anderson as Eve
- Al Stokes as Cain
- Edna Mae Harris as Zeba
- James Fuller as Cain the Sixth
- George Randol as High Priest
- Ida Forsyne as Noah's Wife
- Ray Martin as Shem
- Charles Andrews as Flatfoot
- Dudley Dickerson as Ham
- Jimmy Burress as Japheth
- Billy Cumby as Abraham / Head Magician / King of Babylon
- Ivory Williams as Jacob
- David Bethea as Aaron
- Ernest Whitman as Pharaoh
- Reginald Fenderson as Joshua
- Slim Thompson as Master of Ceremonies
- Clinton Rosemond as Prophet
- Hall Johnson Choir as Vocal Ensemble
Reception
In spite of criticisms about its racial stereotyping, The Green Pastures proved to be an enormously popular film. On its opening day at New York's Radio City Music Hall, tickets sold at a rate of 6,000 per hour. The film was held over for an entire year's run at some theaters. It remained the highest grossing all-black cast film until the release of Carmen Jones in 1954.
References
- ↑ G. S. Morris, "Thank God for Uncle Tom – Race and Religion Collide in The Green Pastures", Bright Lights, Issue 59, February 2008.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Green Pastures (film). |
- The Green Pastures at the TCM Movie Database
- The Green Pastures at the Internet Movie Database
- The Green Pastures at AllMovie
- The Green Pastures at the American Film Institute Catalog