The Story of Ruth is a 1960 American historical romance film directed by Henry Koster, shot in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color, and released by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay, written by Norman Corwin, is an adaptation of the biblical Book of Ruth. The film stars Stuart Whitman as Boaz, Tom Tryon as Mahlon, Peggy Wood as Naomi, Viveca Lindfors as Eleilat, Jeff Morrow as Tob, and introduces 19-year-old Elana Eden as Ruth.
Plot At approximately 8 years old, Ruth is sold by her father, as his strongest and prettiest daughter, to a priest of Chemosh, to be trained in the service of the Moabite deity. Months later, deemed the most attractive and unblemished candidate, Ruth is selected from a lineup of child priestesses in training to be sacrificed during the annual ritual to Chemosh. As soon as she is selected, a large blemish appears on Ruth's arm, and she is deemed unsuitable. Another child is sacrificed in her place.
Years later, Ruth is a favored priestess serving as spiritual teacher of a young Moabite girl, Tevah, being prepared for that year's sacrifice to Chemosh. Unhappy with the ritual crown created for Tebah, high-priestess Eleilat, along with Ruth, instruct Mahlon, a Judean artisan, to revamp the crown with jewels and glitter. Mahlon delivers the crown to Ruth at the temple, and he begins to question her about the existence of Chemosh. Ruth starts out mocking Mahlon's “invisible god,” but ends up becoming intrigued and doubtful of her religion as time draws near for Tebah's sacrifice. Ruth ultimately falls in love with Mahlon and disgraces herself at Tebah's sacrifice by screaming in horror as the child is ceremonially stabbed on an altar by the high priest. Ruth flees but is captured and punished.
The Moabites blame and condemn Mahlon, his father Elimelech, and brother Chilion for Ruth's heresy. Chilion and Elimelech die in the prison, while Mahlon is condemned to the quarries for life. Ruth comes with mercenaries to free Mahlon, but he is mortally wounded as he flees the quarry. He marries Ruth in a cave soon afterwards, and promptly dies. Naomi (married to Elimelech), Orpah (married to Chilion), and Ruth are now widowed. Orpah returns to her Moabite family, and Ruth chooses to accompany Naomi to Bethlehem, famously proclaiming "Whither thou goest, I will go.”
Moav and Judah are ancient enemies, and Ruth is initially met with hostility. Upon arrival, they witness Boaz, a close kinsman of Elimelech's, punish a Moabite who has poisoned a water hole by forcing him to drink the poisoned water. When Boaz learns that Naomi has returned, he sends provisions to them, respecting his obligation as a kinsman. Believing Boaz to be fiercely anti-Moabite, Ruth compels Naomi to refuse the provisions. Captivated by Ruth's beauty, Boaz arranges for another kinsman, Tov, to take Boaz's provisions to Naomi and Ruth. Tob initially doesn't want to oblige, but after seeing Ruth, Tov agrees to Boaz's arrangement, taking credit for generosity. A wise Naomi is skeptical of Tob's uncharacteristic caring. Meanwhile, Boaz visits Naomi and Ruth to convince them to accept his help. After Boaz assists Ruth against a mob of hostile women at a well, Ruth becomes aware of his noble nature. Eventually, Boaz and Ruth fall in love, but Tob claims his right under the Jewish Laws to marry Mahlon's widow as closest kinsman.
Two Moab agents arrive in Judah seeking Ruth. Pretending to be from Reuben, they claim to have witnessed Ruth worshipping Chemosh in secret at Naomi's farm. As a member of the Council of Elders, Boaz must sit in judgment of Ruth. At trial, Ruth admits to having been a Moabite priestess who last participated in ritual sacrifice only months before, shocking those in attendance—including Boaz, who does his best to defend her. The Moabite agents are exposed as false witnesses when Naomi asks them to name the 12 tribes of Israel and Ruth asks them to recite the Ten Commandments, which they cannot do. Nor will they bless Jehovah and curse Chemosh, as Ruth challenges. Ruth is acquitted.
Tob refuses to give up his claim to Ruth, despite her informing him that she loves Boaz. Naomi suggests to Ruth a way out of her obligation to marry Tob. At their wedding ceremony, Ruth informs Tob in front of the guests that she sought out Boaz where he was sleeping at the harvest festival. Humiliated, Tob renounces Ruth. Boaz then declares he will marry Ruth, and both declare to the officiating elder that only vows of love passed between them. They are married, becoming the progenitors of a great king and a prophet who many worship as the messiah.
Cast
Elana Eden as Ruth Stuart Whitman as Boaz Tom Tryon as Mahlon Peggy Wood as Naomi Viveca Lindfors as Eleilat Jeff Morrow as Tob Thayer David as Hedak Les Tremayne as Presiding Elder Eduard Franz as Jehoam Leo Fuchs as Sochin Lili Valenty as Kera John Gabriel as Chilion Ziva Rodann as Orpah Basil Ruysdael as Shammah John Banner as King of Moab Adelina Pedroza as Iduma Daphna Einhorn as Tebah Sara Taft as Eska Jean Inness as Hagah Berry Kroeger as Huphim Jon Silo as Tacher Don Diamond as Yomar
Production Development and writing In February 1952, film director Herbert Kline bought Song of Ruth, a screenplay written by Frank and Doris Hursley. Kline had already signed Aline MacMahon for the part of Naomi and was looking for film stars to play the roles of Ruth and Boaz. Kline planned to film the story that summer in color and on location in Israel.
In September 1957, The New York Times announced that The Story of Ruth was one of the five films Samuel G. Engel was preparing as an independent producer at 20th Century-Fox. Engel hired Shimon Wincelberg to write the film's screenplay. By January 1958, the script had been reassigned to Michael and Fay Kanin, who only wrote treatments for the film. The following month, The Song of Ruth was mentioned as one of Fox's religious projects and future releases. Frank G. Slaughter wrote a screenplay based on his 1954 novel The Song of Ruth: A Love Story from the Old Testament. Norman Corwin began writing an entirely new screenplay after summer 1958. In January 1959, the film's working title was The Loves of Ruth and Engel hired Eleanore Griffin to write additional dialogue for Corwin's original story. Corwin submitted his final draft of the script on September 1, 1959.
On November 30, 1959, Murray Schumach wrote a special article on the film for The New York Times, which was published on December 1. He revealed that the story of Ruth had been avoided for years by Fox producers because they did not know how to build up its box-office appeal, even though treatments for it had been prepared by "skilled writers", including Maxwell Anderson. Engel told Schumach that he initially found it difficult to turn the story into a film: "It is a sweet pastoral love story. It has an underlying theme of tolerance. It has the beauty of a lovely tone poem. But even if it was blown up, I couldn't see it as a movie." Engel then considered adapting the story into a musical film. He said, "I saw it as a movie with music. Boaz would be an older man, like Ezio Pinza in South Pacific with music by Rogers and Hammerstein. It could be beautiful, I thought. Boaz could sing something like 'Some Enchanted Evening.' But then I figured it would be dull and I backed away from it." Fox continued to receive several treatments and each time it offered Engel the chance to produce the story. Engel was interested in the Old Testament and Jewish commentaries on the Bible, and when Corwin wrote his treatment, Engel determined that he and Corwin had to write their own Midrash of the Book of Ruth. They made Ruth the main focus of the story, turned her into an idol worshiper, and gave her a reason for wanting to go to the Land of Judah. They also added romantic "complications" to the love story of Ruth and Boaz. The kinsman who relinquished his right to marry Ruth is built up in the film as a "serious rival" to Boaz. Engel and Corwin had a free hand in creating an on-screen Moabite culture because of the limited knowledge of the ancient kingdom of Moab. Engel concluded the article by saying, "It is all treated with the greatest respect, of course. After all, you must remember that Ruth was the great-grandmother of David and an ancestor of Jesus."
Casting In October 1958, Sophia Loren and Haya Harareet were the two top choices for the role of Ruth. In August 1959, Ernst Lubitsch's daughter, Nicola, made a screen test for 20th Century-Fox. Susan Strasberg, another contender for the role, was tested that same month. Other actresses who tested for the role were Susan Kohner, Tina Louise, Diane Baker, and Millie Perkins. In September, Israeli actress Elana Cooper and Swedish actress Ulla Jacobsson arrived in Los Angeles to test for the role. Myrna Fahey, who had recently signed a contract with Fox, was also tested. Columnist Mike Connolly reported that Fox was "having as much trouble casting a big star for Cleopatra as it is finding an unknown for The Story of Ruth." Connolly also said that Fox was spending $6,000 per screen test and that Jacobsson was one of the top choices. By October, Joan Collins and Nina Shipman had also made screen tests. In October 1959, Cooper was cast as Ruth, changed her name from "Elana Cooper" to "Elana Eden," and signed a "term pact" with the studio.
Helen Hayes and Irene Dunne were offered the role of Naomi before Peggy Wood was cast.
In late November 1959, Viveca Lindfors joined the cast.
The 20th Century-Fox studio assigned the role of Boaz to its contract actor Stephen Boyd, but Boyd turned it down. He denied rumors that said he refused the part because he did not like the script or did not want to act in another "costume spectacle" after Ben-Hur. Boyd's reason was that he did not think he was right for the role: "I'm an actor who knows exactly what I'm capable of playing. I'm not ready for the role of Boaz. If someone asked me today to star in a film version of Hamlet, I'd say the same thing—'I'm not ready.' I wouldn't know what to do with Hamlet, and I don't know what to do with Boaz. I think the picture would be much better without me. It's a good script—a great script. It's a great role—for someone else, not me." Stuart Whitman replaced Boyd as Boaz in December 1959.
Filming Production began in late November 1959 and ended in mid-February 1960.
In May 1960, Engel said he would probably reteam Eden and Tryon in his next Fox project, The King Must Die, a $5,000,000 film adaptation of Mary Renault's novel about Theseus. He planned to follow The King Must Die with Joshua, a sequel to Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments with Tryon playing the title role.
Release On June 17, 1960, The Story of Ruth premiered at the Paramount Theatre in New York City and on June 30, 1960, in Beverly Hills at the Fox Wilshire Theatre.
In 2006, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released The Story of Ruth on DVD with special features, including a preview, a trailer, and several Movietone News shorts concerning the film.
In 2013, the DVD was re-released with new cover art but the same features as the 2006 release.
Reception
The Story of Ruth received favorable reviews upon release. Time considered the film "commendably unepic". Variety called it "a refreshingly sincere and restrained Biblical drama, a picture that elaborates on the romantic, political and devotional difficulties encountered by the Old Testament heroine". Daniel A. Poling, editor of The Christian Herald, described the film as "[g]loriously cast and faultlessly directed".