''In Search of Noah's Ark'' is a 1976 American

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

based on David W. Balsiger and Charles E. Sellier Jr.'s book of the same name. Released by

Sunn Classic Pictures Sunn Classic Pictures, also known as Sunn International Pictures, Schick Sunn Classic Pictures, and Taft International Pictures was an independent U.S.-based film distributor, founded in 1971. The company was notable for family films and document ...

, it explores the alleged final resting place of Noah's Ark.

Production notes

''In Search of Noah's Ark'' was produced by

, a

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

-based

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

company that specialized in releasing

low-budget A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced o ...

family films and documentaries. Along with such features as ''

Beyond and Back ''Beyond and Back'' is a 1978 American documentary/"death-sploitation flick"''Beyond ...

'' (1978) and ''

In Search of Historic Jesus ''In Search of Historic Jesus'' is a 1979 American documentary film based on Lee Roddy and Charles E. Sellier Jr.'s book of the same name. Released by Sunn Classic Pictures, the film speculates on the historical accuracy of the biblical depicti ...

'' (1979), the film was one of a series of releases from the company that attempted to present convincing scientific evidence for

Christian theology Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...

. Parts of the film were shot in

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. Most of the city is within Summit County, Utah, Summit County, with some portions extending into Wasatch County, Utah, Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is sou ...

. The film was based on the book by David W. Balsiger. The documentary makes the assertion that Noah's Ark, from the biblical flood narrative, has been found on the slopes of

Mount Ararat Mount Ararat, also known as Masis or Mount Ağrı, is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Eastern Turkey, easternmost Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest p ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, though physical and political difficulties prevent a more extensive study of the alleged vessel. The movie includes a re-enactment of Noah's story as one of its highlights.

Reception

Produced on a low budget, ''In Search of Noah's Ark'' was a commercial success, grossing $55.7 million at the North American box office, making it the ninth highest grossing film of 1976 in the United States.

Follow-up film

On February 20, 1993,

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

aired a

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...

entitled ''The Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark''. Produced by

, it was intended as an updated follow-up to ''In Search of Noah's Ark''. Hosted by

Darren McGavin Darren McGavin (born William Lyle Richardson; May 7, 1922 – February 25, 2006) was an American actor. McGavin began his career working as a set painter for Columbia Pictures. In 1954, he originated roles in Broadway productions of '' My Three ...

, the special features interviews with John C. Whitcomb, Philip C. Hammond, Charles Berlitz, David Coppedge, Carl Baugh and

Tim LaHaye Timothy Francis LaHaye (April 27, 1926 – July 25, 2016) was an American Baptist evangelical Christian Minister of religion, minister who wrote more than 85 books, both non-fiction and fiction, including the ''Left Behind (series), Left Behind ...

. The special included a section devoted to the claims of George Jammal, who showed what he called "sacred wood from the ark." Jammal's story of a dramatic mountain expedition which took the life of "his Polish friend Vladimir" was actually a deliberate hoax concocted with scholar Gerald Larue. Jammal – who was really an actor – later revealed that his "sacred wood" was taken from railroad tracks in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

and hardened by cooking with various sauces in an oven.

References

External links

*
“The Incredible Mysteries of Sun Pictures” on TalkOrigins

{{DEFAULTSORT:In Search of Noah's Ark 1976 films 1976 directorial debut films 1976 documentary films 1970s English-language films Apologetics English-language documentary films Films directed by James L. Conway Films shot in Utah Noah's Ark in film Taft Entertainment Pictures films

Production notes

Reception

Follow-up film

See also

References

External links