 The filming of the final "Ave Maria" sequence was plagued by  mishaps. To achieve the effect of moving through the scene, several  panes of painted glass were used. The whole setup was over 200 feet  long, and had to be redone three times. The first time the wrong  lens was placed on the camera, and the subsequent film showed not  only the artwork but the workers scurrying around it. The second  time around, an earthquake struck the studio, and the shot was once  again scrapped. The next morning, the shot was redone, the film was  shipped to the lab, processed, and couriered to the premiere in New  York where it was spliced into the final print with only four hours  to spare.