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The Green Pastures

Play trailer Poster for The Green Pastures 1936 1h 33m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A preacher in a small African-American church in Louisiana tells his Sunday school class stories from the Bible as if the characters were part of a local fish fry. He starts with the creation of the world by God, known as "De Lawd" (Rex Ingram), and tells how God went on to create heaven, which is just like their farmland, and then created man and woman, followed by their fall and finally the coming of Jesus Christ. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
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The Green Pastures

Critics Reviews

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TIME Staff TIME Magazine 10/18/2019
[Rex Ingram] doubles ably as Adam and the Prophet Hezdrel. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety 03/26/2009
The Green Pastures is a simple, enchanting, audience-captivating... cinematic fable. Go to Full Review Tom Milne Time Out 06/24/2006
Constructed as a series of Sunday School Bible stories linked by spirituals, it has enormous charm in its folklorish fancies... What is offensive is the way in which the depths of plangent suffering that inspired the spirituals are totally ignored. Go to Full Review Ruth A. Duckett New York Age 12/10/2020
Weren't the children of the Sunday school scene adorable? Weren't the Spirituals inspiring? And above all wasn't Rex Ingram -- divine? Go to Full Review Ralph Matthews Baltimore Afro-American 07/15/2020
This is all a lot of tommyrot, as the only thing it is keeping with is the white man's idea and desire to see the poor black man in rags, squalor, and privation. Go to Full Review Aurelio Pego Cine-Mundial 10/18/2019
It's not easy to make a "divine comedy"... This miracle occurs nonethless in The Green Pastures. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Scott R @ScottR 01/18/2018 Another lost flixster rating. A different take on traditional bible stories. See more 08/11/2015 I love this movie, even with it's questionable stereotypical treatment of African Americans and loads of theological error glosses. It's a beautiful movie. Rex Ingram was amazing. See more 04/05/2015 one of my favorite biblical movies of all time. I love this movie. See more 11/23/2014 Maybe the best of what they used to call 'Race Films'. Hollywood movies by white people with all black casts for black audiences. Usually stories incorporating every unrealistic black stereotype they could think of because... well, that's what people really believed back. This film is better than 98% of the rest for several reasons. One: the direction is outstanding, Two:the script's actually very good, and very funny when looked at as satire, Three: the acting and the cast are amazing, it contains pretty much every A-list black star of the day. You get the feeling watching the movie that the cast got the underlying satire and really played it up. They all seem like they're have great time making it. Check it out, but be prepared for jaw-dropping stereotype portrails. See more 06/17/2009 Terrific all black fantasy film. Eddie Anderson, Rex Ingram and the rest of the cast are terrific. Unique and a very intriguing piece of history. Always interesting. See more 05/12/2009 great move. Loved it See more Read all reviews
The Green Pastures

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Cast & Crew

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William Keighley

Director

Marc Connelly

Director

Rex Ingram

Adam

Oscar Polk

Gabriel

Eddie "Rochester" Anderson

Noah

Frank H. Wilson

Moses
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The Green Pastures

The Green Pastures (1936) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A preacher in a small African-American church in Louisiana tells his Sunday school class stories from the Bible as if the characters were part of a local fish fry. He starts with the creation of the world by God, known as "De Lawd" (Rex Ingram), and tells how God went on to create heaven, which is just like their farmland, and then created man and woman, followed by their fall and finally the coming of Jesus Christ. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
Director
William Keighley, Marc Connelly
Producer
Henry Blanke
Screenwriter
Sheridan Gibney
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 3, 2012
Runtime
1h 33m
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