Ark of the Covenant: The Bible’s Origins

Jan 2, 2021

1h 30m

★ 8.2

Overview

In Israel, a joint French-Israeli scientific mission is set to unearth the secrets of the hill of Kiryath-Jearim (or Kiryat Ya’arim), converted to the site of a Catholic convent, where, according to the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant was kept for at least twenty years before being brought to Jerusalem by King David, father of King Solomon, who would eventually build the Holy of Holies inside the First Temple to house it.

Genres

Documentary

History

Production Companies

ARTE

Gedeon Programmes

Cinephil

Kan

Ark of the Covenant: The Bible’s Origins Trailers

Cast

Self - Narrator (voice)

Anne Cardona

Self - Archeologist

Israël Filkenstein

Self - Biblist

Thomas Römer

Self - Archeologist

Matthew J. Adams

Self - Archeologist

Christophe Nicolle

Self - Geophysicist

Amotz Agnon

Self - Geophysicist

Yaniv Darvasi

Self - Nun

Marie de l'Arche

Self - Archeologist

Margaret Cohen

Self - Geologist

Naomi Porat

Self - Draftswoman

Tatiana Meltsen

Self - Researcher

Noam Mizrahi

Covering only the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis, vignettes include: Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden until their indulgence in the forbidden fruit sees them driven out; Cain murdering his brother Abel; Noah building an ark to preserve the animals of the world from the coming flood; and Abraham making a covenant with God.

5.8

Moses the Lawgiver

Mar 26, 1976

The epic story of Moses, who led the Israelites out of slavery, parted the Red Sea and received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. This is the edited-down version for theatrical release.

6.9

Into Great Silence

Sep 4, 2005

An intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, high in the French Alps (Chartreuse Mountains). The idea for the film was proposed to the monks in 1984, but the Carthusians said they wanted time to think about it. The Carthusians finally contacted Gröning 16 years later to say they were now willing to permit Gröning to shoot the movie, if he was still interested.

7.5

Tokyo Phoenix

May 20, 2017

In 150 years, twice marked by total destruction —a terrible earthquake in 1923 and incendiary bombings in 1945— followed by a spectacular rebirth, Tokyo, the old city of Edo, has become the largest and most futuristic capital in the world in a transformation process fueled by the exceptional resilience of its inhabitants, and nourished by a unique phenomenon of cultural hybridization.

6.9

Le Temps de cerveau disponible

Mar 17, 2010

Cruelty, psychological and sexual violence, humiliations: reality television seems to have gone mad. His debut in the early 2000s inaugurated a new era in the history of the audio-visual. Fifty years of archives trace the evolution of entertainment: how the staging of intimacy during the 80s opened new territories, how the privatization of the biggest channels has changed the relationship with the spectator. With the contribution of specialists, including philosopher Bernard Stiegler, this documentary demonstrates how emotion has made way for the exacerbation of the most destructive impulses.

7.6

Caligula with Mary Beard

Jul 29, 2013

What is true and what is false in the hideous stories spread about the controversial figure of the Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (12-41), nicknamed Caligula? Professor Mary Beard explains what is accurate and what is mythical in the historical accounts that portray him as an unbalanced despot. Was he a sadistic tyrant, as Roman historians have told, or perhaps the truth about him was manipulated because of political interests?

No Image Available

0.0

Le Festin de Balthazar

Feb 20, 1910

A historical short film inspired by the Biblical story of Belshazzar's Feast.

6.7

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors

Jun 11, 2024

Thousands of terracotta warriors guarded the first Chinese emperor's tomb. This is their story, told through archeological evidence and reenactments.

6.7

Secrets of the Neanderthals

May 2, 2024

This documentary delves into the mysteries surrounding the Neanderthals and what their fossil record tells us about their lives and disappearance.

7.9

Ben-Hur

Nov 18, 1959

In 26 AD, Judah Ben-Hur, a Jew in ancient Judea, opposes the occupying Roman empire. Falsely accused by a Roman childhood friend-turned-overlord of trying to kill the Roman governor, he is put into slavery and his mother and sister are taken away as prisoners.

6.5

The Messiah

Oct 24, 1975

Rossellini takes numerous liberties with the original source material, rearranging and omitting events at will, presenting everything in a highly undramatic fashion. The film begins in the time of the Old Testament, allowing Rossellini to present the story of Jesus in its ancient, historic context.

7.2

Apollo 13: Survival

Mar 8, 2024

Using original footage and interviews, this documentary tells the nail-biting story of Apollo 13 and the struggle to bring its astronauts safely home.

8.4

Nuremberg: The Nazis Facing their Crimes

Oct 25, 2006

The documentary of the Nuremberg War Trials of 21 Nazi dignitaries held after World War II.

0.0

Elie Wiesel Goes Home

Feb 12, 1997

A documentary chronicling the adolescent years of Elie Wiesel and the history of his sufferings. Eliezer was fifteen when Fascism brutally altered his life forever. Fifty years later, he returns to Sighetu Marmatiei, the town where he was born, to walk the painful road of remembrance - but is it possible to speak of the unspeakable? Or does Auschwitz lie beyond the capacity of any human language - the place where words and stories run out?

0.0

Shepherds in the Cave

Jan 2, 2017

An international team of art restorers and archaeologists begin work on the restoration of medieval frescoes inside a network of ancient caves. Faced with local bureaucratic challenges and systemic neglect of archaeological sites, the team encounters a community of shepherds and migrants that have used the caves for centuries and discover a living culture worth preserving most of all.

7.0

Mysteries of The Holy Arks

Jun 1, 2018

The Ark of the Covenant and Noah's Ark are two very different Bible stories with one burning question.

0.0

London Recruits

Nov 22, 2024

The story of the Londoners recruited to be freedom fighters during the South African apartheid during the 1960s.