David y Betsabé

I've always believed that David and Bathsheba was a film originally intended for Tyrone Power at 20th Century Fox, although Gregory Peck does give a good account of himself as King David, the monarch with a wandering eye.

A whole lot of biblical subjects get covered in this film, adultery, redemption, sin, punishment and generally what God expects from his followers.

When you're a king, even king in a biblically prophesied kingdom you certainly do have a lot of prerogatives not open to the rest of us. King David has many wives, including one really vicious one in Jayne Meadows who was the daughter of Saul, David's predecessor. But his eyes catch sight of Bathsheba out in her garden one evening. Turns out she's as unhappily married to Uriah the Hittite as David is to quite a few women. Uriah is one of David's army captains. David sends for Bathsheba and him being the King, she comes a runnin' because she's had her eye on him too.

What happens, an affair, a pregnancy, and a carefully arranged death for Uriah in a battle. But an all seeing and knowing Deity has caught all of this and is not only punishing David and Bathsheba, but the entire Kingdom of Israel is being punished with drought, disease, and pestilence.

The sexist law of the day calls for Bathsheba to have a stoning death. David shows weakness in his previous actions, but here he steps up to the plate and asks that the whole thing be put on him. He even lays hands on the Ark of the Covenant which was an instant death as seen in the film.

My interpretation of it is that God admires guts even if you're wrong and he lets up on David and forgives them both. Bathsheba becomes the mother of Solomon and she and David are the ancestors of several successors in the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah until they're both conquered.

Susan Hayward is a fetching Bathsheba caught in a loveless marriage with Uriah played by Kieron Moore. The only thing that gets Moore aroused is a good battle. I liked Kieron Moore's performance as a brave and rather stupid horse's rear.

No one can lay the law down like Raymond Massey. His Nathan the Prophet is in keeping with the John Brown character he played in two films, same intensity.

So when His own law called for death, why did God spare Bathsheba and keep David on the throne. Maybe it was the fact He just didn't want to train a third guy for the job. He'd replaced Saul with David already.

But I think the Christian interpretation might be that this was a hint of the New Testament forthcoming, that one might sin and receive mercy if one asks for it penitently. I'll leave it to the biblical scholars to submit interpretations.

Watch the film and you might come up with an entirely new theory.

I am quite surprised at the quite low rating for David and Bathsheba. True, it does get rather ponderous in its pace and some scenes go on for too long, but for me actually it is quite an interesting film. The film does look great, the photography is colourful and just lovely, while the sets and costumes are surprisingly evocative. As is Alfred Newman's score, which is also very beautiful and stirring.

I also thought Henry King did a credible job directing the film, and the script is quite literate and thoughtful. The story is interesting on the whole, some scenes as I've said do drag and don't serve as much purpose to the story as much as it would have liked, but the famous fight with Goliath flashback is cleverly staged and the last fifteen minutes moved me. The acting is fine, Gregory Peck oozes with nobility here and I am still trying to get over how handsome he looks. Susan Hayward is both ravishing and sensitive, while Raymond Massey is excellent as the prophet Nathan.

All in all, not a perfect film, but interesting. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Nothing to complain about here: one of the big Hollywood Biblical films of the 1950s, featuring grand sets, grand passions and even grander actors. This one's all about King David, as played by Gregory Peck (one of my favourites), and his affair with Bathsheba (the alluring Susan Hayward).

Of course, it wouldn't be an epic without some action, and most of it appears in flashback form here (including the classic David and Goliath sequence, without which any story of David wouldn't be complete!). The emotions are torrid and the acting strong, with Peck particularly on good form playing a complex guy it would be easy to hate in the wrong hands.

Much of the film is talky but it held my attention at all times and I didn't feel it dragged at all. The solemn sequences towards the end, involving the Ark of the Covenant, are particularly engaging, finishing up what has been a strong and well-acted story throughout.

...Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.. (Leonard Cohen,"Hallelujah")

"David and Bathsheba" may be a slow-moving movie,but it is faithful to the Bible,which many others works are not ("Samson and Delilah" ,"Salome" or "Salomon and Sheba" ).Most of the plot comes from Samuel,2: 11-12.The problem is that the story was too short and flashbacks were included (Death of Saul,Goliath -the worst scene in the whole movie- (Samuel,1:17).It was a good idea to have David say to Bathsheba "Goliath? He grows a little bit every year" :with the appearance of the giant,the sentence loses all its meaning .

Gregory Peck is certainly a better David than Richard Gere in the eighties version where Bathsheba was no more than an extra.Susan Hayward is gorgeous but ,maybe because it was the Holy Writ,it's difficult to admit that these people are eaten with desire .

From a Swords & sandals film from "50-60 decades the expectations are so clear than it seems nothing new to say. the Biblical movies from the same period are predictable, too. in this case, the things are different. because the axis is the dialogue. because the fight scenes are not the basic ingredient and the love story, well known, is gived in the right way. Gregory Peck gives a real different David and his admirable performance represents the lead motif for see the film who is not exactly a correct adaptation of the book of Samuel, but a precise exploration of vulnerabilities of power, sin and responsability. David of Peck is not the hero or the statue. and the fine manner to present a fascinating portrait of a relation who seems so familiar is one of the great virtues of Henry King.