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Samson and Delilah

Samson and Delilah (1996)

December. 08,1996
|
5.8
| Adventure Drama TV Movie

Biblical strongman Samson falls prey to the voluptuous Philistine temptress Delilah.

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StyleSk8r
1996/12/08

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

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Aiden Melton
1996/12/09

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

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Tymon Sutton
1996/12/10

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

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Lela
1996/12/11

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

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terryhyche-43598
1996/12/12

This movie can be graded differently. If you are looking for a movie that stays true to the content of the bible, this movie is very subpar. They rewrite many scenes of the bible. I understand maybe adding scenes (like filler scenes) but to take parts from the bible and then re-write them can be upsetting. If you are looking for a movie that somewhat tells the story as a whole of sampson, then i can see giving it 5 or 6 stars. I unfortunately saw the 1949 version and because of such, I couldn't help but compare these two, and it made this movie look like a kids play. Three boring hours this movie was. Two of the three hours was pure talk.

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MARIO GAUCI
1996/12/13

This is the third version of the Biblical tale that I've watched - or fourth, if you include the peplum SAMSON (1961); the best of the lot, clearly, remains Cecil B. De Mille's 1949 spectacular.Since this is part of a series of made-for-TV films highlighting famous stories from the Bible, one is surprised to find a celebrated and talented director such as Nicolas Roeg involved - though they all managed to attract a vast array of international and upcoming stars. That said, Roeg's career has been steadily on a downhill slide ever since the mid-80s - surely one of the saddest declines in recent memory! This film was actually written by the director's frequent collaborator Allan Scott (including the masterpiece DON'T LOOK NOW [1973]), but the magic is seldom in evidence on this particular occasion - and the end result is as bland as its TV origins suggest...Even so, it's not entirely worthless if clearly overly-padded at a length of nearly 3 hours: while the look of the film is curiously drab, the star cast offers compensations - best of all, perhaps, are Dennis Hopper (as a prescient Philistine General), Michael Gambon (the Philistine ruler) and Daniel Massey (as a learned Jewish elder). Still, though Liz Hurley is ideally cast as Delilah, her performance is too modern - and, consequently, the character's ultimate redemption lacks conviction; as for Eric Thal's Samson, the script may have made him more conflicted than Victor Mature's take in the De Mille version - but again, rather than evoke the traits one should associate with this Biblical character, the actor's boyish looks merely bring to mind the pumped-up heroes of juvenile sword-and-sorcery films and TV series of recent vintage...Incidentally, I only rented this because my father had been whining about "The Bible Collection" on DVD for months (I brought him MOSES [1995] at the same time but, even if it featured Ben Kingsley, Frank Langella and Christopher Lee, opted not to watch it myself); eventually, he too - who had caught many of Hollywood's classic historical epics when new - was ultimately unimpressed, and readily admitted that these newer incarnations offered no competition!

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mtr0118
1996/12/14

When I first saw this Made For TV version of Samson and Delilah, I enjoyed it's background and also some of the details Nicholas Roeg decided to include. I liked the way it followed the other Bible Series that Lorenzo Minoli and RAI-It produced in the late 1990's. Eric Thals' Samson was really impact-full and stellar even though my hat goes off to Victor Mature's effort in Demille's 1949 film. What really was outstanding was in the temple scene Samson yells "At last, o God of Israel!" when he destroys his enemies plus himself due to being blind. Elizabeth Hurley's Delilah was not that bad even though perhaps Jessica Alba would have done a glamorous job. Too bad that she wasn't offered the role.Anyone who enjoyed this film may want to watch the 1984 TV version with Anthony Hamilton,Belinda Bauer, and Max Von Sydow.

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Marcin Kukuczka
1996/12/15

Biblical epics, since there have been many of them made so far, can be divided into three main subcategories: the high camp spectacles, the loose and distorted interpretations, and the truthful biblical productions. While the best example of the first group are the films made by the showman named Cecil B DeMille, the best example of the third group is SAMSON AND DELILAH (1996), one of the new international biblical productions. Among other new productions, including ABRAHAM (1994) with Richard Harris, MOSES (1995) with Ben Kingsley and JEREMIAH (1998) with Patrick Dempsey, this movie stands out as particularly entertaining, not because it is directed by Nicholas Roeg (who is a good director), but because of its very specific content, exceptionally interesting and up-to-date.The story of Samson is the story of strength, calling, love, suffering, revenge, lust, treason, and, finally, forgiveness. When I was a child and listened to biblical stories, I was particularly touched by this very one. Then, as a boy, I was interested primarily in Samson's strength. It appealed to me as a story of a man who could win alone over the army. Yet, when I grew up, I noticed that there is something more than the story of a giant. I noticed some remarkable psychological aspects of his life story. Samson loved his people, the Israellites, but, since he loved the stranger flesh, lust drove him to his enemies, the Phillistines. When lust turned into love, treason appeared... and we all know how miserable his fate with short hair and blinded eyes was...This very specific content is a pearl for making a movie. While Cecil B DeMille focused primarily on spectacle in his 1948 movie, Nicholas Roeg focuses on the psychological aspect. In this film, a viewer may lose the time distance because of some very profound, universal thoughts presented. "I think that I know myself so well but sometimes, I think that I do not know myself whatsoever" ... The best and richest reflections are the ones by Generale Tariq (Dennis Hopper), a Phillistine, who, though being an eminent person on the royal court at Gaza, claims to be the wrong person in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Although he is reasonable, he doubts his deeds and "the great victory" over such a weak enemy. He is also the only Phillistine who predicts the end - "Go, boy! Leave the gates of Gaza immediately!" which he says just before the temple falls, and it falls so realistically in the film! This role is wonderfully played by Dennis Hopper. Delilah (Liz Hurley) first sees the benefits galore from betraying Samson, but as their love proceeds, she hesitates to dare treason. In the end, she totally regrets but it is too late... Prince Sidqa (Ben Becker) is a proud young man who, unlike his teacher of fighting Generale Tariq (Dennis Hopper), sees the victory in slaying rather than tactics. The Israellites are rather primitive people, not only because they don't use iron, the new weapon of their masters, but because they cannot manage alone, without Samson. "God desires war now", which they shout after the claimed sign in the sky. Yet, there are proper characters. Nevertheless, it is clear that the Phillistines are showed as people searching for something rather than knowing everything. Therefore, the reality of that period is very accurate in the film in spite of the fact that some characters are fictitious.The performances are particularly remarkable. Dennis Hopper, already mentioned, is very appealing in the role of Tariq; Liz Hurley is a beautiful Delilah with a huge potential in acting talent; Eric Thal is accurate as Samson since he looks very good and portrays a real man of strength betrayed and conquered; Ben Becker gives an authentic performance as Prince Sidqa expressing his pride and extremely sick ambition; yet, Michael Gambon portrays the king, Re Hamun, as someone who is not an absolute monarch but someone open to advice, particularly the advice of Tariq. Therefore, SAMSON AND DELILAH may be considered to be a masterwork of performances. The reality of the biblical period (more than 1,000 years before Christ) in the times of judges is presented accurately. The costumes as well as some details from people's every day life make a wonderful journey to that, such a distant period (consider the iron used by Phillistines). There is also a historical emphasis on different lifestyles and believes of primitive at that time but monotheistic Israellites and modern but polytheistic Phillistines.See SAMSON AND DELILAH. You don't have to be a fan of the Bible! The story is so great that it cannot be treated as the biblical story only. And that is what the film does. Strength, power, lust, murder, revenge, treason, forgiveness... Isn't that universal? 7/10

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