King David (film)
| King David | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Bruce Beresford |
| Produced by | Martin Elfand |
| Written by |
Andrew Birkin James Costigan |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Carl Davis |
| Cinematography | Donald McAlpine |
| Edited by | William M. Anderson |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates | March 29, 1985 |
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country |
United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $21 million |
| Box office | $5,111,099 |
King David is an American 1985 drama film about the second king of Israel, David. It was directed by Bruce Beresford and starred Richard Gere in the title role.
Synopsis
The film follows the life of David, drawing mainly from biblical accounts, like I and II Samuel, I Chronicles, and the Psalms of David.[1]
Cast
- Richard Gere as "David"
- Edward Woodward as "Saul"
- Alice Krige as "Bathsheba"
- Denis Quilley as "Samuel"
- Niall Buggy as "Nathan"
- Cherie Lunghi as "Michal"
- Hurd Hatfield as "Ahimelech"
- Jack Klaff as "Jonathan"
- John Castle as "Abner"
- Tim Woodward as "Joab"
- David de Keyser as "Ahitophel"
- Ian Sears as "Young David"
- Simon Dutton as "Eliab"
- Jean-Marc Barr as "Absalom"
- George Eastman as "Goliath"
- Arthur Whybrow as "Jesse"
- Christopher Malcolm as "Doeg the Edomite"
- Valentine Pelka as "Shammah"
- Ned Vukovic as "Malchishua"
- Gina Bellman as "Tamar"
- James Coombes as "Amnon"
- James Lister as "Uriah the Hittite"
- Jason Carter as "Solomon"
- Genevieve Allenbury as "Ahinoam"
- Massimo Sarchielli as "Palastu"
- Aïché Nana as "Ahinoab"
- Ishia Bennison as "Maacah"
- Jenny Lipman as "Abigail"
- Roberto Renna as "Zabad"
- Marino Masé as "King Agag"
- George Eastman as "Goliath"
- Anton Alexander as "Runner"
- Tomás Milián as "Akiss" (uncredited)
- John Barrard as "Benjamite Elder"
- Michael Müller as "Abinadab"
- Mark Drewry as "Ishbosheth"
- John Gabriel as "King Jehosaphat"
- Lorenzo Piani as "Guardian"
- Nicholas van der Weide as "Young Solomon"
- Shimon Avidan as "Young Absalom"
- Peter Frye as "Judean Elder"
- David Graham as "Ephraimite Elder"
- David George as "Messenger"
- Nicola Di Gioia as "Hebrew"
- John Hallam as "Philistine Armour Bearer"
Production
It was filmed in 1984 in Matera and Craco both in Basilicata, and Campo Imperatore in Abruzzo, the Lanaitto valley (Oliena) in Sardinia, Italy, and at Pinewood Studios in England.[2]
Reception
The film was not well received by the critics, with the New York Times calling it "...not a good film...". Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 'rotten' 14% rating.[3] Richard Gere's performance in the film earned him a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor, which he lost to Sylvester Stallone for Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV.
Aftermath
Years later, Bruce Beresford said of the film:
I think there are a few things in it that are interesting. But, I think there are so many things that are wrong. We never liked the script... we never really caught the friendship between David and Jonathan. There weren't enough scenes between them. And David, himself - I think Richard Gere was miscast. He is a wonderful actor but he is much better in contemporary pieces.[4]
See also
- List of historical drama films
- Kings (U.S. TV series)
- List of films based on military books (pre-1775)
References
External links
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