jim_brown-green
Joined Apr 2003
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Reviews5
jim_brown-green's rating
THIS IS A MUST SEE B-MOVIE. Supposedly someone asked Groucho Marx what he thought of this film and he replied that he hated movies where men had bigger breasts than the women.
Too bad there wasn't a more buffed hunk for the male title role. Nonetheless, Hedy was gorgeous, voluptuous, mysterious, desirable, and gave the very lightweight script a bit of weight and class.
A beautiful Angela Lansbury, as Delilah's sister, takes a spear in the gut about 15 minutes into the film. Can't remember if that happens before or after Samson wrestles and brutally kills a totally drugged lion; poor thing could hardly stand up. George Sanders exudes droll malevolence; sort of a practice run for his role in "All About Eve" and impending marriage to ZsaZsa Gabor. Henry Wilcoxin has supporting roles in several of C.B's movies.
Hedy's costumes were fun and just right; right out of Paramount's late-40s Fantasy Factory. For the big temple scene finale, Hedy wore a long blue cape with peacock feathers glued to it that supposedly were plucked from the finely- feathered fowl on C.B. DeMille's estate.
(Trivia: There is a scene in "Sunset Blvd."--both movie and musical--where Nora Desmond meets C.B. DeMille on the set of Samson and Delilah, with tiny cameos by Hedy and big Vic.)
S & D is a fun ±90 minutes of blazing technicolor biblical make-believe based on personages barely mentioned in 3 or 4 verses of one OT book (can't remember which one). The plot--such as it is-- closely follows the very melodic 19th century French opera by Camille Saint-Saëns that also ends with S & D getting crushed under the temple ruins. (Any credit given to Saint-Saëns for plot or score?)
One rumor I heard was that DeMille wanted Hedy Lamarr for the lead in "The Greatest Show on Earth", but she declined (or somebody said "NO!") and Betty Hutton got the role. So glad that Victor Mature was not considered for the Cornel Wilde role in TGSOE. (Imagine Vic on the flying trapeze.)
Wonder if this classic awful epic will ever be remade. How about that newly buffed Brad Pitt, direct from "Troy", for the role of Samson. Can Britney Spears fill the costumes of Delilah? Forgetaboutit. This late 40s technicolor piece of Hollywood glitz is a real gem! Hedy will be eternally gorgeous.
Too bad there wasn't a more buffed hunk for the male title role. Nonetheless, Hedy was gorgeous, voluptuous, mysterious, desirable, and gave the very lightweight script a bit of weight and class.
A beautiful Angela Lansbury, as Delilah's sister, takes a spear in the gut about 15 minutes into the film. Can't remember if that happens before or after Samson wrestles and brutally kills a totally drugged lion; poor thing could hardly stand up. George Sanders exudes droll malevolence; sort of a practice run for his role in "All About Eve" and impending marriage to ZsaZsa Gabor. Henry Wilcoxin has supporting roles in several of C.B's movies.
Hedy's costumes were fun and just right; right out of Paramount's late-40s Fantasy Factory. For the big temple scene finale, Hedy wore a long blue cape with peacock feathers glued to it that supposedly were plucked from the finely- feathered fowl on C.B. DeMille's estate.
(Trivia: There is a scene in "Sunset Blvd."--both movie and musical--where Nora Desmond meets C.B. DeMille on the set of Samson and Delilah, with tiny cameos by Hedy and big Vic.)
S & D is a fun ±90 minutes of blazing technicolor biblical make-believe based on personages barely mentioned in 3 or 4 verses of one OT book (can't remember which one). The plot--such as it is-- closely follows the very melodic 19th century French opera by Camille Saint-Saëns that also ends with S & D getting crushed under the temple ruins. (Any credit given to Saint-Saëns for plot or score?)
One rumor I heard was that DeMille wanted Hedy Lamarr for the lead in "The Greatest Show on Earth", but she declined (or somebody said "NO!") and Betty Hutton got the role. So glad that Victor Mature was not considered for the Cornel Wilde role in TGSOE. (Imagine Vic on the flying trapeze.)
Wonder if this classic awful epic will ever be remade. How about that newly buffed Brad Pitt, direct from "Troy", for the role of Samson. Can Britney Spears fill the costumes of Delilah? Forgetaboutit. This late 40s technicolor piece of Hollywood glitz is a real gem! Hedy will be eternally gorgeous.
That 30 minutes includes the dance numbers by Ann Miller and The Champions (indeed they were). The other 15 minutes is at the end of the film, a gorgeous fashion show designed by Adrian. It's the ultimate display of fantasy 50s feminine fashion. The designers and runway models of today should view this on how it should be done rather than the current crop of strident and pouting stringbeans who posture and pose in the drab and dreary unimaginative rags that pass as au courant fashion.
Grayson and Keel didn't really gel in this confection. Grayson always seems to be pouting, but that seems to have been her basic acting style. Keel is a bit stiff here, but his singing is right on the money. Red Skelton was quite funny back then and hugely popular; alas, his type of humor seems to have lost its appeal over time. Zsa Zsa was never the consummate actress like her sister, Eva (!!!) but her presence here added a daffy charm that soon became the Gabor sisters' trademark.
Still, the star of this flick is Adrian with his array of fab 50s feminine fashions that are definitely "Lovely To Look At". The gowns were especially spectacular and they inspired many a prom dress back then; also, debutante balls, weddings, and beauty pageants.
Glad to see that this film has finally become available. For many years, I believe it had problems being released because of copyrights held by the Jerome Kern estate.
Grayson and Keel didn't really gel in this confection. Grayson always seems to be pouting, but that seems to have been her basic acting style. Keel is a bit stiff here, but his singing is right on the money. Red Skelton was quite funny back then and hugely popular; alas, his type of humor seems to have lost its appeal over time. Zsa Zsa was never the consummate actress like her sister, Eva (!!!) but her presence here added a daffy charm that soon became the Gabor sisters' trademark.
Still, the star of this flick is Adrian with his array of fab 50s feminine fashions that are definitely "Lovely To Look At". The gowns were especially spectacular and they inspired many a prom dress back then; also, debutante balls, weddings, and beauty pageants.
Glad to see that this film has finally become available. For many years, I believe it had problems being released because of copyrights held by the Jerome Kern estate.
"Suddenly, Last Summer" was a 1959 potboiler that a lot of moviegoers ("films" were still called "movies" back then) had no idea of what they had seen other than Liz looking gorgeous in a transparent bathing suit and Kate looking rather creepy sitting in her personal elevator. This film really stretched the Hays code (and the Catholic League of Decency) to the max with its subject matter that had to be delicately handled because most of the themes and language could only be suggested. While it may not be one of Tennessee Williams' best works, it's still a touching tale with Gore Vidal doing a great job on the screenplay to make it barely slide past the censors (although a sizeable chunk of the viewing public didn't have a clue what was transpiring on the silver screen). The acting, directing, and production values are all top notch. Both Liz and Kate were nominated for Oscars, but cancelled each other out. It was also the last of the three films that Taylor and Clift made together. Joseph Mankiewicz's next directing venture was Liz as "Cleopatra". This film is a bit dated but definitely a must see for fans of the participants.