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Samson and Delilah

Samson and Delilah

  • Status: Released
  • 21-12-1949
  • Runtime: 134 min
  • Score: 6.509
  • Vote count: 218

When strongman Samson rejects the love of the beautiful Philistine woman Delilah, she seeks vengeance that brings horrible consequences they both regret.

Hedy Lamarr

Delilah

Victor Mature

Samson

George Sanders

The Saran of Gaza

Angela Lansbury

Semadar

Henry Wilcoxon

Prince Ahtur

Olive Deering

Miriam

Fay Holden

Hazel

Julia Faye

Haisham

Russ Tamblyn

Saul

William Farnum

Tubal

Lane Chandler

Teresh

Moroni Olsen

Targil

Francis McDonald

Story Teller

William 'Wee Willie' Davis

Garmiskar

John Miljan

Lesh Lakish

Arthur Q. Bryan

Fat Philistine Merchant Wearing No Robe

Kasey Rogers

Spectator

Victor Varconi

Lord of Ashdod

John Parrish

Lord of Gath

Frank Wilcox

Lord of Ekron

Russell Hicks

Lord of Ashkelon

Boyd Davis

First Priest of Dagon

Bert Moorhouse

Spectator at Temple

Fritz Leiber

Lord Sharif

Mike Mazurki

Leader of Philistine Soldiers

Davison Clark

Merchant Prince

George Reeves

Wounded Messenger

Pedro de Cordoba

Bar Simon

Frank Reicher

Village Barber

Colin Tapley

Prince

Dorothy Adams

Screaming Temple Spectator (uncredited)

Claire Du Brey

Temple Spectator (uncredited)

Cecil B. DeMille

Narrator (uncredited)

Dick Foote

Soldier at Temple (uncredited)

Byron Foulger

(uncredited)

CinemaSerf

Maybe not one of Cecil B. De Mille's better biblical epics, this, but it's still an enjoyable, if slightly long, watch with Hedy Lamarr on good form as the eponymous temptress. Snubbed by "Samson" (Victor Mature) in favour of her beautiful but fickle sister "Samadar" (Angela Lansbury) whom is subsequently killed, she sets out - with the aid of the Saran of Gaza (George Sanders), to find the secret behind the strength of the handsome, strong and decent man and use it do ensure his disgrace and downfall. De Mille uses a certain amount of cinematic licence with the biblical verses upon which this is based, but that does it no harm - it is a live, fairly action-packed romantic adventure that looks every inch the part. Sumptuous settings and costumes give it a visual richness and Victor Young has written a score than accompanies the grandeur of the visuals well, too. The acting, well that's quite another matter though. Lamarr is efficient, certainly, but Mature and Sanders are both as wooden as a picket fence. They deliver their dialogue as if they were reading it straight from off-screen cue cards. There is a great deal of activity filmed on sound stages that, though colourful, does limit the imagination (especially the terrifying stuffed lion that starts off the whole enterprise in the first place). George Barnes did try quite hard to photograph the legendary denouement creatively, but even that is just too stage bound to be wholly effective. Luckily, for me anyway, it leaves out much of the moralising. It's about power, avarice, betrayal, maybe even love and ultimately redemption but the narrative is left to deliver what messages we choose to receive, rather than having pontificating monologues aimed between our eyes. That helps to keep this a decent example of entertaining, big screen cinema that delivers a feast for your eyes, if not so much for your brain.