Greatest Heroes of the Bible

In the Tower of Babel installment of the mini-series, the narrator describes the builders of the tower as "the descendants of Moses."

That's like saying George Washington lived many centuries before Alexander the Great.

Or that the light bulb was invented before the wheel.

Or that the guided missile was the forerunner of the bow-and-arrow.

Need I say more?

The writers of The Greatest Heroes of the Bible should have at least paid closer attention to the chronologies of Biblical people and events.

I remember this program fondly due to the fact I was an extra in the production. The episodes of the show were filmed between June/July 1978 and lasted for the better part of a year. I know some people who were extras in all of the episodes of the show, meaning they spent their days dressed in various outfits either sweating or freezing their collective butts off! The weather was extreme, as temperatures would reach over 100 degrees during the summer days, when the production would routinely film for close to 12 hours at a time. However, in early January of 1979, I remember standing in the only sand that wasn't covered by snow in 15° weather. It was SO cold in the winter months in Page, (where the production was filmed) that extras were issued thermal underwear - sometimes two pairs!! You may wonder why or how a person who lives in Maryland was in this production... At the time, I lived in Page, Arizona where they have filmed numerous productions over the years. The Lake Powell region looks very much like the desert of the Middle East with lots of sand and rock formations. I think all of the Planet of the Apes movies have been filmed here, as well.

I liked this series a lot, because it marked me a lot. It was exhibited by the Globo TV a nights during the month of December in 1979 (in this time I was with only 8 years and today I am with 32), one year after it it was produced. And me I remember that on this first time, of all the 15 exhibited episodes I just attended "Daniel in the hole of the lions.", episode that had actor Robert Vaughn's participation as king Darius. Then the following year, in 1980, this series was exhibited again by the Globo TV in the "Session of the Afternoon", to the Monday afternoons on Friday, during the week saint, but on this second time in that it was exhibited only 10 of the 15 episodes were exhibited. Two a day, and on Friday, they were exhibited: "Joseph in Egypt" and "Moses." Then in the end of that same year, in the month of December of that same year, in the proximities of Christmas, all the same episodes that had been exhibited in the week saint they were exhibited again and in the same order.

Then, the following years this series was exhibited in SBT, again in the Globo TV, and finally in bishop Edir Macedo Record TV. Of all the fifteen episodes of this series, I didn't only like him/it Salomão's" judgement, and "Sanson and Delilah", and the best episodes in my opinion were " THE flood", "The tower of Babel", "Abrahan's Sacrifice", "Sodoma and Gomorra", "Moses", "The Ten Commandments", "Joshua in Jericho", "Daniel in the Hole of the Lions", "David and Goliath" the History of Esther" and "Daniel in the hole of the lions." This series doesn't have grandiose sceneries as the epics produced by Hollywood in the decades of 50 and of 60, as "Quo Vadis"(1951), "The Ten Commandments" (1956) and "Ben Hur" (1959) both starred by Charlton Heston, "The Robe" (1952), "King of Kings" (1961), "Greateast History Ever Told" (1965), among many other epic productions. But this is a produced series and driven with mastery and sensibility, the sceneries and his/her special effects are modest, but convincing, as the rays that God throws of the heaven in "The Tower of Babel", "Joshua in Jericho", and "The Ten Commandments" and the opening of the Red Sea in "Moses."

The actors' characterizations are in some quite convincing ones, and in other no. For instance, the Philistine generals of "David and Goliah" more they seem noble of Old Rome than Philistines, and the Philistine giant Golias (interpreted by Ted Cassidy) whose helmet is more for the one of Roman centurion than of a Philistine warrior. In short, the episodes were very well produced, but they could have been better elaborated, I say that in relation to the sceneries and to the actors' characterizations. As for the adaptation of the sacred text of the Bible it is very well done and it proceeds with fidelity, in this point the episodes have plenty of emotion. And her soundtrack is also very good. PS: Here in my country (Brazil), this series was exhibited dubbed in the language of here that it is the Portuguese.

I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen the whole of this mini-series, but only the 8 episodes that were placed on tape for a box set (Noah, Soddom and Gamorrah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Ten Commandments, Samson, and David). I would've liked to have seen the rest of it, but I guess there's hope for that some other day. Right now, though, I can only talk about these - and what an interesting topic they make! On one level, I found that I appreciated each story at last to a point, since some details I never read in the Bible but were certainly realistic were brought up. I enjoyed watching Noah standing up to the abusive pagans in his time before the Flood, and showing just how righteous he was by reminding his sons that inaction wasn't an option for him. The specific doubts of the Israelites in the desert were well-played out, and they actually remembered Joseph's Egyptian name, and that the first plague on Egypt made them lose all of their water when it was turned to blood, not just its source in the Nile (most versions I'v seen don't). On the other hand...I feel a bit sorry that I don't feel like giving credit to some of the good actors, since some plots were just too far out there for me to really enjoy. Yes, to those who are looking for entertaining moments, the scenes of Abraham's sons each being threatened by a man whose son he inadvertently killed may be a winner, but for me it was just a major thorn and a distraction in what should have been a quiet but powerful story of faith. I was impressed with the closing narration to Sodom and Gamorrah and shocked to find that I actually have yet to find that anywhere in the Bible (wasn't in the Sodom & Gamorrah section) but most of the episode itself, with another subplot on conspiracy and failed attempts at abduction and murder, really took away from the main story Luckily, the ending scene of destruction was fascinating to watch. Noah's story was probably the best, with few invented subplots (the one that did come up was all of 5 minutes - it was even steeped in good reasoning; the guy who claimed himself for a god stole the sons' birthright then attempted to burn the ark that "went against" him, but luckily he was drowned soon.) and gave good suggestions on how the family would have introduced their daughters-in-law to faith or spent time on the Ark. The worst was definitely Samson and Deliah - John Beck has his hair in a braid so it didn't seem as noticeable that it was long at first, and they made it so that when a child died in an accident he lost his faith! The Ten Commandments, David and Goliath, Joseph, and Moses were OK - a few details were omitted in each except The Ten Commandments (that had another conspiracy subplot, but thankfully it was short), but they were all decent. I'd like to see the other episodes in this someday, even if they all turn out to have ludicrous subplots...there is something good in each one, even if it's just the voice of God calling his follower. I'd recommend this to those who like these sorts of works and can give a little leeway on some fabrication. Most of them evened out on the good and the bad points with me, so I give the series a 6 since most of my episodes get about a 5 or a 6.