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

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

References

External links