Noah (2014 film)

Noah is a 2014 American epic film directed by Darren Aronofsky, written by Aronofsky and Ari Handel, and is loosely based on the story of Noah's Ark from the Book of Genesis. The film stars Russell Crowe as Noah, along with Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Anthony Hopkins.

The end of the world... is just the beginning.

Noah

• A great flood is coming. The waters of the heavens will meet the waters of Earth. We build a vessel to survive the storm. We build an ark.
• Fire consumes all. Water cleanses. It separates the foul from the pure. The wicked from the innocent. And that which sinks from that which rises. He destroys all, but only to start again.
• Let me tell you a story. The first story my father told me, and the first story that I told each of you. In the beginning, there was nothing. Nothing but the silence of an infinite darkness. But the breath of the Creator fluttered against the face of the void, whispering "Let there be light." And light was, and it was good. The first day. And then the formless light began to take on substance and shape. A second day. And our world was born. Our beautiful, fragile home. And a great, warming light nurtured its days, and a lesser light ruled the nights. And there was evening, and morning - another day. And the waters of the world gathered together, and in their midst emerged dry land. Another day passed. And the ground put forth the growing things. A thick blanket of green stretching across all creation. And the waters, too, teemed with life. Great creatures of the deep that are no more. Vast multitudes of fish, some of which may still swim beneath these seas. And soon the sky was streaming with birds. And there was evening, and there was morning - a fifth day. Now the whole world was full of living beings. Everything that creeps, everything that crawls, and every beast that walks upon the ground, and it was good. It was all good. There was light and air and water and soil, all clean and unspoiled. There were plants and fish and fowl and beast, each after their own kind, all part of the greater whole, all in their place, and all was in balance. It was paradise, a jewel in The Creator's palm. Then The Creator made Man, and by his side, Woman. Father and mother of us all. He gave them a choice: follow the temptation of darkness, or hold on to the blessing of light. But they ate from the forbidden fruit. Their innocence was extinguished. And so for the ten generations since Adam, sin has walked within us. Brother against brother, nation against nation, Man against Creation. We murdered each other. We broke the world, we did this. Man did this. Everything that was beautiful, everything that was good, we shattered. Now, it begins again. Air, water, earth, plant, fish, bird and beast. Paradise returns. But this time there will be no men. If we were to enter the garden, we would only ruin it again. No, the Creator has judged us. Mankind must end. Shem and Ila, you will bury your mother and I. Ham, you will bury them. Japheth will lay you to rest. You, Japheth, you will be the last man. And in time you, too, will return to the dust. Creation will be left alone, safe and beautiful.

Tubal-cain

• The Creator does not care what happens in this world. Nobody has heard from Him since He marked Cain. We are alone. Orphaned children, cursed to struggle by the sweat of our brow to survive. Damned if I don't do everything it takes to do just that. Damned if I don't take what I want.
• I am a man, made in your image. Why will you not converse with me? … I give life, I take life away, as YOU do. I am like you, am I not? Speak to me.
• I told you: I’m not afraid of miracles.
• The ark, the beasts, and all of your women are now mine. I will build a world in my image!

Og

• The Creator formed us on the second day, the day He made the Heavens. We watched over Adam and Eve, saw their frailty and their love. And then we saw their fall, and we pitied them. We were not stone then, but light. It was not our place to interfere, yet we chose to try and help mankind. And when we disobeyed the Creator, He punished us. We were encrusted by your world. Rock and mud shackled our fiery glow. Still, we taught mankind all we knew of Creation. With our help, they rose from the dust, became great and mighty. But then they turned our gifts to violence. Only one man protected us: your grandfather Methuselah. We were hunted, most of us killed. Those who lived were left prisoners in these stony shells, marooned upon this barren land. We begged the Creator to take us home, but He was always silent. And now you claim that you have heard His call. Samyaza cannot accept this. A man? When it is men who broke the world? But I look at you, and I see a glimmer of Adam again. The man I knew. The man I came to help.

Dialogue

Tubal-cain: I have men at my back and you stand alone and defy me?

Noah: I am not alone.

---

Ila: This is the end of everything.

Noah: The beginning. The beginning of everything.

---

Ila: I have to know. Why did you spare them?

Noah: I looked down at those two little girls and all I had in my heart was love.

Ila: Then why are you alone, Noah? Why are you separated to your family?

Noah: Because I failed him, and I failed all of you.

Ila: Did you? He chose you for a reason, Noah. He showed you the wickedness of Man and knew you would not look away. And you saw goodness, too. The choice was put in your hands because he put it there. He asked you to decide if we were worth saving. And you chose mercy. You chose love. He has given us a second chance. Be a father, be a grandfather. Help us to do better this time. Help us start again.

Cast

• Russell Crowe - Noah
• Jennifer Connelly - Naameh
• Ray Winstone - Tubal-cain
• Douglas Booth - Shem
• Emma Watson - Ila
• Logan Lerman - Ham
• Anthony Hopkins - Methuselah
• Leo McHugh Carroll - Japheth
• Frank Langella - Og (voice)

Quotes about Noah

• [Ila] falls in love with Shem who is Noah’s older son. It’s a very dark film, and I think it’s a very youthful, innocent, hopeful love story, which brings a kind of light to the eclectic chaos. So yeah, it’s a really special love story. […] [What was it like working with Crowe?] Amazing. I didn’t think anyone else could have played this role. It needed an actor that you believed physically would be able to build something of the magnitude of the ark, and he was someone who could be both a warrior, and also have complicated internal walls. He just felt very believable to me; he pulled off something that would be very difficult.
  • Emma Watson, interview with Yahoo! OMG! Philippines (Jan 24, 2014)