ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that to a wider environment in which Western portrayals of figures sacred in Islam have repeatedly elicited suspicion, with this in turn fuelling a Western narrative of Islam as an intolerant faith. It explores the value of looking beyond this controversy and its immediate contexts. Rather than considering only the 2014 reception of the film, comparative assessment of Noah's depiction in Islamic tradition and Aronofsky's film offers a rich resource. The chapter focuses on their respective views of how Noah interacted with his neighbours, particularly the question of whether they could be redeemed and thereby survive the flood. It argues that Islamic tradition in a more thoroughgoing way opens up the potential for a far more fruitful dialogue with the film, highlighting Darren Aronofsky's interpretive choices, even drawing out the film's occasionally mixed messages. It attends more closely to Noah's characterisation in the Qur'an and later receptions influenced by its emphasis upon Noah as preacher.
