If Cecil B. DeMille were alive today he would probably be considered one of the most fraudulent moviemakers in history. To offer this mocking dramatization of biblical truth as a serious movie, I mean. C.B. hyped it as a love story for the ages. As it is, C. B. is now where the barbs of critics like myself can no longer reach him.
To his credit, C. B. was one of the very few chosen directors who was able to transition from the silent era to talkies. That he was able to do so did not necessarily demonstrate that he had much talent, merely that he was a survivor, or lucky, or both. Look at the academy awards if you don't believe me. Do you think those winners are really representative of the best work? Hmmmm...
The directing of Samson and Delilah is quite ordinary, starting with a picture of creation, a papier-mache globe spinning in a cloud of steam with a voice over describing the chaos and oppression that came when man began to dominate the scene, idol worship, enslavement, etc. We are brought to the time of the Philistines. We see their legs marching across the screen, complete with gold spray painted "bronze" armor.
To be fair, DeMille does direct one scene well, where he shows the passage of time after Samson is imprisoned. A field in the foreground goes from sowing, to green shoots, to fully ripened golden grain. A very effective way to show the passage of six months or so.
The costuming is by the famed Edith Head. A lot of the props are so-so, but the costumes of the lead actors, in particular George Sanders, are stylish and uncommonly beautiful. Also the sets, as in most any DeMille epic, are beyond reproach.
Alas, the casting was NOT beyond reproach. Hedy Lamarr, with her meager talent and minuscule charms, failed miserably as femme fatale. Lamarr was horribly miscast as the sultry temptress Delilah. I couldn't believe she had top billing?! All the revealing costuming lavished on her by Head left me desiring her to put some clothes on! There was really nothing to see! I've seen more curves on 2 X 4.
Similarly, Angela Lansbury, while sometimes a competent actress, was totally out of her depth as a sex bomb, Samson's original love. She reminded me more of a tepid vanilla pudding than a tawny sex kitten. Ho hum.
Moving right along, the supporting actors did better acting, but not much. Debonair George Sanders, as always, did a good job as the villain, "The Saran", who ruled those parts. Former screen legend Henry Wilcoxon, a shadow of his former glory, played the Saran's general, "Ahtur". He would have better remained a legend than to make this picture. He reminded me of an aging athlete trying to get one more season in... and making a fool of himself. Little Rusty Tamblyn did the best of all the supporting actors as a young gadfly, "Saul".
On the other hand, Victor Mature showed incredible talent in playing this unintentional farce, with its contrived campy dialog, with a straight face. It is a credit to Mature's intelligence that he never believed the press about his stardom. He, unlike most Hollywood types, seems to have maintained a healthy skepticism about fame.
The script was laughable, absolute trash, even though it had Harold lamb credited as a writer. I doubt if he listed this on his resume!
Most of the screen time was wasted on Hedy Lamarr, trying vainly to look and act vampish. The moments when Mature was on were worth waiting for, but alas, they were all too infrequent. Maybe C.B. should have titled it "Delilah and Samson".
The best scene was the climax, where blinded Samson is led into the Philistine temple to be publicly reviled. The temple was dominated by the huge stone figure of Dagon, a horribly misshapen anthropomorphic dwarf with fire burning in his belly. As every seven year-old knows, Samson pulled the temple down killing himself and all that were there. End of story.
Biblical accuracy? There was none. Oh wait, yes, there WAS a Samson, AND a Delilah, other than that, it was pure DeMille hokum.
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