The Green Pastures (film)
| The Green Pastures | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Marc Connelly William Keighley |
| Screenplay by | Sheridan Gibney |
| Based on | The Green Pastures & Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun 1930 play & 1928 novel by Marc Connelly & Roark Bradford |
| Produced by | Jack L. Warner |
| Starring | Rex Ingram Oscar Polk Eddie Anderson Ernest Whitman |
| Cinematography | Hal Mohr |
| Edited by | George Amy |
| Music by | Erich Wolfgang Korngold |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $3,300,000 (estimated by 1939) |
The Green Pastures is a 1936 American film depicting stories from the Bible as visualized by black characters. It starred Rex Ingram (in several roles, including "De Lawd"), Oscar Polk, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. It was based on the 1928 novel Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun by Roark Bradford and the 1930 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Marc Connelly.
The Green Pastures was one of only six feature films in the Hollywood Studio era to feature an all-black cast. Elements of the film were criticized by civil rights activists at the time and subsequently. The film had a copyright notice in 1936 that was renewed in 1963. The film will become public domain in the United States in 2032 under current copyright law.
Warner's paid $100,000 for the stage play's film rights.