just watch it!

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

The Story of Ruth is a beautifully-filmed story of one of the books of the Bible, Ruth. Ruth eventually became the great-grandmother of David. The film, for the most part, faithfully reconstructs the events depicted in this book of the Bible. The director does a fairly good job, as do most of the A and B actors, and the production values are very good. The pace of the film seems to be livelier in the beginning with the life of Ruth among the Moabites, and the romance between Elana Eden as Ruth and Tom Tryon (The Cardinal) son of Naomi, Mahion, plays very well. Although Stuart Whitman as Boaz probably does his best work ever in this film, he is really not a match for Tryon, either physically, or acting-wise. The woman who plays Naomi is a bit hammy, but most of the other actors play their roles well; particulary Jeff Morrow as Tob, the rival of Boaz for the love of Ruth. The pace of this film is quite leisurely; the opposite of most sword and sandal films of the time. But as a first-rate soap, most female viewers, will be very happy with the pacing. I can recommend the film as one of the more interesting stories in the Bible.

A Samuel G. Engel Production. Copyright 1960 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening simultaneously at the Paramount and the Normandie: 17 June 1960. U.S. release: June 1960. U.K. release: 24 July 1960. Australian release: 3 November 1960. 11,836 feet. 132 minutes.SYNOPSIS: In the ancient land of Moab, a young girl named Ruth is trained to be a high priestess to the stone god who demands the sacrifice of innocent children. But when she meets Mahlon, a young Judean goldsmith, and learns of his faith in a merciful god of spirit, she begins to doubt her own beliefs and eventually flees from the Moab altar during a sacrificial ceremony. Mahlon is blamed for her heresies and sentenced to slave labor in the great stone quarries. Though Ruth arranges for his escape, he is mortally wounded before they can reach safety. Before he dies, however, he takes Ruth as his wife and she vows to remain always with his mother, Naomi. The two women cross the River Jordan to Naomi's former home where Ruth meets two of her late husband's kinsmen, Tob and Boaz, both of whom long to marry her. But, because of Judean law, Ruth is obliged to wed Tob, her dead husband's next of kin. On their wedding day, however, Ruth speaks her heart and publicly declares her love for Boaz. Tob relinquishes his claim and Ruth is free to marry Boaz. As they wed, the prophet Jehoam proclaims that Ruth's future grandson will be the father of David, the King. NOTES: First of only two movies and four TV appearances for the actress billed here as Elana Eden. Negative cost: $5 million. VIEWERS' GUIDE: Strictly for adults with the patience of Job.COMMENT: There have always been writers like Bernard Shaw and Eric Linklater who thought it smart to turn historical and bible stories on their heads. Take the tale of Samson, for instance. Instead of portraying him as a strong man, make him a puny weakling. Instead of a patriotic Jew, turn him into a treacherous Philistine. This isn't just clever character metamorphosis, it's also a means of fitting into your story those incidents that seem out of place or inconsistent or otherwise difficult to explain. For example Samson's vicious actions like killing thirty men to strip them of their clothes, or torturing foxes, or burning down grain fields, vineyards and olive orchards. But there seems little excuse for meddling with the story of Ruth. It's not only one of the most beautiful books in the bible, it's also one of the shortest. A simple story of a gentile girl's faith and fortitude, of her love, trust and obedience. Now what does Hollywood do with this inspiring little history? It turns the whole tale upside down by casting a Jewish girl as the foreigner, and a whole tribe of gentiles as the Jews. It makes the innocent young heroine a trainee high priestess of the hideous idol that feasts on the blood of children. Skipping over equally ridiculous but less abominable alterations, it then works up a love interest between the heroine and "Tob", an interest that never existed on either side. In place of a simple, direct, warm love story, we get a stupid triangle situation.Okay, let's not be too critical. Let's just look at the movie as pure fantasy. Yet even in this realm the movie fails to impress. The script moves too slowly, the acting is generally awkward, the direction often clumsy and flat-footed.

The book of Ruth is very short .Hence the necessity for the screenwriters to flesh out her tale ,with varying degrees of success; For instance ,the first part was invented from start to finish.We know nothing of Ruth before she married Naomi's son -in the movie the marriage is not even consummated .Naomi is a priest of a cruel God ,who demands such horrible things as human sacrifice -one of the little girls is immolated before us,a rather unusual scene .And that wicked high priestess Viveca Linfords is making rough all over .It's Mahalon (Tom Tryon) who shows Ruth the straight and narrow and talks to her of the true invisible God .That's a fanciful explanation.Although at the top of the bill,it takes almost an hour before Boaz (Stuart Whitman)appears;once again many events were added:the poisoned source ,Ruth turned away by the woman,and the trial which seems inspired by another biblical episode:Daniel,Suzanne and the two old men who commit perjury and meet the same fate as the one they wanted to inflict on Ruth.All that concerns Boaz is more faithful to the Holy Script ,with the exception of the source:Ruth is allowed to glean in his fields,and the wealthy man protects her.But as far as love is concerned ,Boaz has no rival :no Tob,but Boaz has to buy back Elimelec's parcel (Naomi's husband appears in the first part)from the closest relative who takes off his shoe like we see in the movie.The cast is rather impersonal ;the stand out is certainly Peggy Wood as Naomi,full of compassion,warmth ,tenderness,and a biblical wisdom;her daughter-in -law,on the other hand is a rather static Ruth,and Whitman seems uninspired .A Young student who wants to give an account of the story of Ruth should not go by this movie.It's pure Entertainment,nothing more.

After having missed out on it several times on Italian TV, I've managed to catch up with this - as it turned out - underrated Biblical epic via Fox's pleasing DVD edition. It's a typically lavish production with a nice Franz Waxman score and a decent cast: unknown Elana Eden makes for a convincing heroine; Tom Tryon is the leading man during the first half (until he is killed off), with Stuart Whitman taking over in the second part of the narrative; Peggy Wood is a dignified Noemi; and Jeff Morrow delivers an amusing performance as a perennially drunk Jewish merchant and Eden's suitor.Not knowing much about the Biblical story, the lengthy expository events - akin to the similarly irrelevant ones (of the young Moses in Egypt) depicted in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) - were a welcome addition; as a matter of fact, Viveca Lindfors - a strong presence during these early stages - disappears altogether once the scene shifts to Judea! Typical of most epics of the time, the film feels overlong and could do with some trimming - especially in its more reverent second half - but it's one I wouldn't mind owning on DVD, especially if Fox would consider releasing a collection of their Biblical epics (comprising as well David AND BATSHEBA [1951], THE ROBE [1953], DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS [1954] and THE BIBLE...IN THE BEGINNING [1966]).