The Story of Ruth is a 1960 American historical romance film directed by Henry Koster, shot in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color, and released by 20th Century Fox.

The film stars Stuart Whitman as Boaz, Tom Tryon as Mahlon, Peggy Wood as Naomi, Viveca Lindfors as Eleilat, Jeff Morrow as Tob, and introduces 19-year-old Elana Eden as Ruth.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[10][11] 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.

[citation needed] In 2006, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released The Story of Ruth on DVD with special features, including a preview, a trailer, and several Movietone News shorts concerning the film.

[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".

“ 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.

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.

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.

[25][26] 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.