Samson and Delilah (1949)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Pretty Good

Copyright 25 October 1949 by Paramount Pictures Corp. New York release at both the Paramount and Rivoli Theatres, 21 December 1949. U.S. release: 28 March 1951. U.K. release: 26 March 1951. Australian premiere at the Majestic (Adelaide): 21 September 1951. Australian release: 12 October 1951. 127 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Considerable liberties have been taken with the biblical account, principally to whitewash Samson and to introduce Delilah much earlier into the narrative. As a result, many familiar details have been omitted or altered. Samson killing thirty men for their garments is changed to a comic robbery, Samson burning the Philistine fields by tying torches to the tails of three hundred foxes in revenge for his wife being given to another is eliminated. And after Samson slew a legion of Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, twenty years elapsed - during which Samson virtually ruled Israel - before Delilah entered the picture. After betraying him, however, she disappears from the bible narrative and it is most unlikely that she ever saw Samson again.COMMENT: The biblical picture was principally seen by Hollywood as an excuse for spectacle and sex. What censor could dare object to Delilah's sauntering around most seductively in skin-tight shapely garments when this is the very image the Bible itself portrays? And who better to saunter and caper about than the exotic Hedy Lamarr?It must be admitted that Mature looks the part of Samson too. But aside from the urbane George Sanders, the rest of the players are somewhat wanting both in style and appearance and also in acting ability. They are up against some laughably banal dialogue, it is true, and decked out in costumes that are often ridiculously unflattering, no-one could envy them their task. But for stiffness, hamminess or sheer ineptitude, the enormous roster of players assembled here would be hard to beat.The sets too often look phoney and unreal - despite all the money obviously lavished on the production - and the pace is sometimes figetingly slow. De Mille's direction has so little of his customary dash and style that the shot everyone remembers is not the temple crashing down (with its obvious special effects) or even the fight with the lion (obvious doubles for both star and beast are all too evident), but the dolly shot from the ant city to a corner of the Saran's palace!Fortunately, aside from its two stars, Samson and Delilah has two other redeeming assets - George Barnes' lustrous color photography and Victor Young's melodic score. Both artists were nominated for Academy Awards, but incredibly both missed out - Barnes to Robert Surtees' King Solomon's Mines; Young to Franz Waxman's Sunset Boulevard. Special effects were also nominated, but lost to the far more deserving Destination Moon. Even more incredibly Samson and Delilah won Academy Awards for its sets and costumes. Excluding the magnificent creations Hedy Lamarr slinks around in, the costumes are ridiculous. The Philistine helmets are the oddest we've ever seen (couldn't the art department afford feathered plumes?) and even the scruffiest extras and the most poverty-laden villagers are trussed in garments as new and fresh as minted gold.OTHER VIEWS: Took almost two years to reach my city. Presumably Paramount wanted more time to fire publicity guns. But ballyhoo didn't help. The initial engagement (at road-show admission prices) ran a disappointing seven weeks before being replaced by a double bill of Appointment With Danger and The Great Missouri Raid. The reason for this lukewarm boxoffice is not hard to find. The plot is so well-known it has no novelty or suspense, the characters are cardboard cut-outs and their dialogue is as trite and banal as a dime-store romance. Although Sanders is delightfully suave and Lamarr provocatively sensuous, Mature is a thick-lipped Samson and Wilcoxon a wooden Philistine. True, the action scenes are handled with customary De Mille efficiency and the photography is attractively colored (though most of the real Palestinian backgrounds were left on the cutting-room floor) and there's plenty of on-screen evidence of a $3 million budget - but are these enough to justify both a hike in ticket price and 128 minutes of sluggish running-time? - J.H.R. in "The Gang's All Here!"

I have read several reviews here about this C.B. DeMille picture and I concur with many of the assertions. George Saunders was excellent in his portrayal. Interesting that he tended to slump a bit; I noticed this because his physical presence seemed to be potentially equal to Victor Mature's. I enjoyed Victor Mature in this role although his character really did not seem to be that interested in the beauty of Delilah. I think the camera and the audience did notice Hedy Lamar. The rhythm and cadence of her speech seemed to have been dictated noticeably by her Austrian origins. I always found her to be part of each scene; I believed her character. I think if Hedy had been 10 years younger and brought to Hollywood in the silent era she would have been a major star. She knew how to move, and how to hold a position. Her image was sexual. Just watch her in each scene. She is very beautiful. And she is direct. Angela Lansbury looks quite amazing as well. And Angela shows what a fine actress she is and will be for many years. But Hedy is where is the camera is happiest looking. As I watched this film I thought of how slow the development of man's potential was moving. At the start of the film we hear about the struggle of the Jewish people. And I thought of how life looked the same in 1500 B.C. (10 commandments era) and 1000 B.C.(the time of this film) and even 1000 A.D. (!) No new ideas had helped the ascent of man begin to find its ever-present potential. Without going into all the various ologies, itys and isms I would just say that Samson was his era's version of the Hulk. Stories to be told around campfires to encourage, entertain and inspire.

The acclaimed Cecil B. DeMille had to be one of the corniest directors who ever lived. Here is his very colorful biblical semi-epic, SAMSON AND DELILAH, a flawed film but with occasionally powerful moments, starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr as the two title leads. Basing its story on the Bible's Book Of Judges, Samson is a rugged and self-absorbed 'Danite' whose people are dominated by the Philistines. Yet he wishes to marry the Philistine Semadar (Angela Lansbury), the older sister of the stealthy Delilah, who loves Samson and wants him for herself. Samson harbors a faith in what Philistines call "his invisible god", who Samson believes has given him the gift of super-human strength through his long hair. The Philistines consider the unbeatable Samson to be a lingering thorn in their sides, so once Delilah is spurned, she sets her price to seduce Samson and learn the secret of his brute power, and render him helpless. But her undying love for him is something that will return to haunt her.We should consider that this film was made in 1949 and it certainly seems antiquated now, and even in comparison to other biblical movies done as early as ten years after. For one thing, it begs to be shot in Widescreen, but this was not the norm in its day. It's perhaps a bit too long, can be monotonous at times, and is better in its second half than its first. But the best moments are truly exciting, such as Samson's killing of a lion with his bare hands (still looks pretty good today, quickly edited to limit its shortcomings), Samson single-handedly fighting an entire army of Philistines armed only with the jawbone of an ass, and the satisfying grand finale where Samson mightily brings down the Temple of Dagon. Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr surely look just right for their roles, and I don't think Mature's performance is bad in the film (though his character seems rather selfish and unagreeable and thus not as heroic as he should be). George Sanders gets a lot of praise for his understated playing of The Saran of Gaza, but it's a bit too laid back under these conditions for me. **1/2 out of ****

First seen in 1949 when I was still a kid, and again on DVD last night, deMille's "Samson and Delilah" has actually improved with age. Although this was a standout success in 1949, the fact is that quality movies were commonplace in 1949; seldom and few in 2010. (Resident Evil 3D" does nothing for me, thanks.With perfect photography, an exceptional script, inspired direction, you can add onto that the casting of Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, George Saunders -- each perfect for the part, each giving the performance that marked their career.The special effects were magnificent (unlike today's boring computer generated foolishness) and give a spectacular conclusion to the story.Try to imagine the unholy mess that today's anti-religious and talent-free empty-heads would make. Never mind.As others pointed out, this is the kind of picture to see on the giant screen. I'd like to add that it's the kind to enjoy in the magnificent movie palaces of yesteryear -- as we did at Loew's Capitol in Washington, DC in 1949 (plus a stage show). Most of these, like the Phillistine temple in the movie, have been converted to rubble and dust. However, you can enjoy "Samson and Delilah" on exceptionally high quality DVD made in South Korea. Look for it. The price and postage are low and shipment is quick. If Paramount Pictures is asleep-at-the-wheel about issuing a DVD, just look elsewhere.