MasterFantastic

While the title is somewhat unflattering, it's my perception of what Paris Hilton was and perhaps still is. Admittedly, it's a little hard for me to take anything Paris Hilton says at face value--at first.

However, perceptions change. This was a revealing documentary, revealing in the sense that she suffered trauma and abuse as a young girl and then teenager, that she put on a public false front to conceal the hurt, that she surrounded herself with yes-people who catered to her every whim, and that part comes through quite well in this film.

At the same time, though, what we see in her public face is that which we remember. And what we remember more than anything else is an image of a vapid, spoiled, not-too-bright socialite who comes from old money, who doesn't have to worry about where her next dollar is coming from, who flaunts her success to everyone willing to listen to her, and who makes it appear that she doesn't care what anyone else thinks because she's rich, rich, rich!

Still, she likes animals, so that's one point in her favor.

Yet...after watching this documentary, in spite of some of the revelations of her friends, her entourage, her relatives, and her own observations, I never really caught who the real Paris Hilton was and is. She's always come across as the living embodiment of spoiled WASPy privilege, and revelations in this documentary aside, she's not done much to alter my perceptions of her. I don't wish her ill; I wish that on no one.

But I have a feeling that this youtube flick is simply another way for her to reinvent her public persona, to gain more followers to someone who should have grown up years ago, and to show another side of her personality without ever revealing who she truly is.

So says George Sanders, the evil king of the Philistines, during the climax scene. But before we get there, there's the reenactment of how Samson came to be. In typical C. B. DeMille fashion, this film offers spectacular special effects (for its time), a solid musical score, decent acting, and a climax scene that literally brings down the house.

We all know the story of Samson, and while some 'facts' are played around with, Samson and Delilah still stands as one of the best biblical movies ever made, the story of a flawed hero who wanted to serve his people--the ancient Hebrews--and yet marry a Philistine woman (nicely played by a very young and sweet Angela Lansbury). That their marriage went unfulfilled leads to Samson changing from wastrel and playboy to an avenging hero. It's a story of faith lost and faith found, and rarely has a spectacle managed to entertain as well as uplift in its own way.

The acting is surprisingly good. Victor Mature always had sort of a dopey look about him and he used to make fun of his career, but here, he's quite restrained and offers a solid portrait of a flawed, doomed hero. Hedy (not Hedley) Lamarr is beautiful, slight Austrian accent and all. Granted, she was never that great an actress (although she was superb in The Strange Woman) but here, all she had to do was look at the camera and everyone forgave her. And she and Victor Mature had a surprisingly good chemistry onscreen.

George Sanders as the king was excellent as always, Henry Wilcoxen as his faithful subordinate, and was that George Reeves (TV's Superman) in a cameo as a soldier? Yes, I believe it was.

The fight against the thousand Philistines was well staged. Granted, somewhat hokey, but with good special effects, a thrilling musical score, slow motion (not often used in American cinema at that time) it has yet to be topped.

Of course, the final act is a showstopper and it stands alone. There have been other remakes, but none stands against this version of the Philistine temple being destroyed. Sanders raising his cup of wine before he's crushed and uttering "Delilah" sums up the entire proceedings, a statement of a woman who betrayed both sides, yet found faith and love in her final moments. This is a flick worth seeing over and over. It's that much fun.