"He'll not kneel to any god but his own."
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.
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.
- MasterFantastic
- Sep 24, 2020