It recounts the first 22 chapters of the Biblical Book of Genesis, covering the stories from The Creation and Adam and Eve to the binding of Isaac.

[4] Released by 20th Century Fox, the film's ensemble cast features Huston, Michael Parks, Richard Harris, Franco Nero, Stephen Boyd, George C. Scott, Ava Gardner, Peter O'Toole and Gabriele Ferzetti.

The screenplay was written by Christopher Fry, with additional material by Orson Welles, Ivo Perilli, Jonathan Griffin, Mario Soldati and Vittorio Bonicelli.

Abraham receives the visit of three angels, who announces Sarah's pregnancy and God's plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah by fire.

Then the angels bring down fire, destroying the city, and Lot's wife looks back and she is turned into a pillar of salt.

Then God miraculously creates a spring from the sand, promising that Ishmael will be a father of a great nation and that he and his descendants may prosper.

Abraham is devastated, but obeys and takes off towards the mountain Moriah, alone with Issac, in order to make the sacrifice there without telling his true intentions to him or his mother.

In a scene unique to this adaptation, Abraham and Isaac make a stop at the devastated ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah, where they ponder the wrath of God.

[10] Ulla Bergryd was an anthropology student living in Gothenburg, Sweden when she was discovered by a talent scout, who photographed her in a museum there, and then promptly hired to play Eve.

[11] In an interview for The Pittsburgh Press, Bergryd recalled the experience: I was especially surprised by the fact that I started to work four days after signing a contract.

[11]Huston originally considered Alec Guinness (who was unavailable) and Charlie Chaplin (who declined) for the part of Noah until he finally decided to play it himself.

[12] The film marks the debut of Italian actress Anna Orso, who portrays the role of Shem's wife.

Filming took place mainly in locations throughout Italy, including Rome, Sardinia, Sicily, Itri, Abruzzo and Mount Vesuvius.

[15] Ulla Bergryd, who was cast as Eve, later recalled, "Paradise was, in fact, an old botanical garden on the outskirts of Rome.

Everything was going beyond any positive expectation, when at a certain point Dino De Laurentiis asked me to make the film directly with him, totally cutting RCA out of the deal.

John Huston initially wanted to score the film with existing music by Igor Stravinsky, but was unable to secure a licensing deal.

[21] De Laurentiis then hired Ennio Morricone, who wrote and recorded about 15 minutes of test cues which Huston approved of.

[22] Morricone's cues were reworked into three of his later scores: The Return of Ringo (1965), Il giardino delle delizie (1967), and The Secret of the Sahara (1988).

[19] Mayuzumi's Academy Award nod made him the first Japanese-born composer to be nominated for a Best Original Score Oscar.

"[24] Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Director John Huston and his associates have wrought a motion picture that is not only magnificent almost beyond cinematic belief but that is also powerful, quaint, funny, thought-provoking and of course, this being the Old Testament, filled with portents of doom.

"[25] Variety noted that "the world's oldest story—the origins of Mankind, as told in the Book of Genesis—is put upon the screen by director John Huston and producer Dino De Laurentiis with consummate skill, taste and reverence.

[28] The Monthly Film Bulletin opined that "the seven or eight episodes are diffusely long, tediously slow, depressingly reverent.

"[29] Episcopal priest and author Malcolm Boyd wrote, "Its interpretation of Holy Scripture is fundamentalistic, honoring letter while ignoring (or violating) spirit.

"[30] In Leonard Maltin's annual home video guide the film is given a BOMB rating, its review stating, "Only Huston himself as Noah escapes heavy-handedness.

[33] According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $26,900,000 in rentals to break even and made $25,325,000 worldwide (as of 11 December 1970), making a loss of $1.5 million.