Samson and Delilah (1949 film)
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| Samson and Delilah | |
|---|---|
 French movie poster for Samson and Delilah |
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| Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Written by | Fredric M. Frank Vladimir Jabotinsky (book, scr.) Harold Lamb Jesse Lasky, Jr. |
| Music by | Victor Young Ray Evans (song) Jay Livingston (song) |
| Cinematography | George Barnes Dewey Wrigley Victor Young |
| Editing by | Anne Bauchens |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 31 October 1949 |
| Running time | 128 min. |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Samson and Delilah (1949) is a film made by Paramount Pictures, produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr as the title characters. Angela Lansbury, George Sanders and Henry Wilcoxon are also featured.
The story of Samson and Delilah is adapted from the Biblical Book of Judges.
Wildly successful at the box-office, DeMille's Biblical epic is known for the beauty of its leading lady and the spectacular toppling of the temple.
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[edit] Plot of the Film
Samson, a Hebrew placed under Nazirite vows from birth by his mother, is engaged to a Philistine woman named Semadar. During a fight at their wedding feast, Semadar is killed and Samson becomes a hunted man. Semadar's sister, Delilah, plots to deliver Samson up for punishment. To do so, she cuts his hair, which he feels gives him his strength. Falling in love with him, Delilah regrets her act after Samson is blinded by his captors. He is brought to the temple for entertainment, where he topples the structure, destroying his enemies.
[edit] Cast
- Hedy Lamarr - Delilah
- Victor Mature - Samson
- George Sanders - The Saran of Gaza
- Angela Lansbury - Semadar
- Henry Wilcoxon - Ahtur
- Russ Tamblyn - Saul
- Olive Deering - Miriam
- Edgar Dearing - Tax collector
- Fay Holden - Hazeleponit
- Julia Faye - Haisham, Delilah's maid
- William Farnum - Tubal, Delilah's Father
- Lane Chandler - Teresh
- Moroni Olsen - Targif
- Francis McDonald - Story Teller
- Wee Willie Davis - Garmiskar
- John Miljan - Lesh Lakish
- George Reeves - Wounded Messenger
- Nils Asther - Prince
- Mike Mazurki - Leader of Philistine Soldiers
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Academy Award for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Color (Hans Dreier, Walter H. Tyler, Sam Comer, Ray Moyer, winners)
- Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Color (Edith Head, Dorothy Jeakins, Elois Jenssen, Gile Steele, Gwen Wakeling, winners)
- Academy Award for Best Cinematography (nominee)
- Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (nominee)
- Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (nominee)
- Golden Globe for Best Color Cinematography (nominee)
[edit] Trivia
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- Burt Lancaster was the original choice to play Samson, but he declined due to a bad back. Body builder Steve Reeves was also considered and DeMille lobbied long and hard to get the studio to pick up Reeves, but both DeMille and the studio wanted Reeves to tone down his physique, which Reeves, still young and new to the industry, ultimately refused to do. Almost a decade later, Reeves found fame and cult status as another legendary strong man, Hercules, performing many of the same feats as Victor Mature in the Samson film. DeMille did not like Victor Mature and was outraged when Mature refused to wrestle the tame lion.
- Director DeMille had a cameo in Sunset Boulevard in a scene where the character of Norma Desmond meets with him on a film set. The film being shot is Samson and Delilah.
- When asked if he had yet seen Samson and Delilah, Groucho Marx, referring to co-stars Mature and Lamarr, reportedly said, "I'm not interested in a movie where the man's tits are bigger than the woman's!"
- Nancy Olson, under contract to Paramount Pictures, later claimed she was considered for the role of Delilah. Instead, she accepted what would become her most memorable role, starring in Sunset Boulevard. Ironically, DeMille's cameo in Sunset Boulevard shows him filming a scene from Samson and Delilah.
- This movie gave radical early Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky his sole Hollywood filmmaking credit.
- It was remade in Bollywood as Aurat (1953 film) starring Prem Nath and his real-life wife Bina Rai.[1]
- Olive Deering would reprise her role of Mariam in the fourm of an ancestor in The Ten Commandments.
