Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Every Gift is Also a Burden", April 2, 2004
This film includes a lot of embelishment as well as fictional characters to fill out the story of Samson, taken from Judges Ch. 13 through 16, but the essence of the story is intact. A man who loved the God of his fathers, but also the women of his enemies, the Philistines, and finds his real strength only after he has lost everything.
Samson is portrayed as man who never cries, not even as a baby at his bris (circumcision), or his father's death, but the feelings of lust and revenge weave continually through his story, and there are many brutal scenes, making this film not recommended for children.
As Samson's mother Mara, Diana Rigg is superb; she is a "type," like Sarah/Isaac, Rachel/Jacob, Hannah/Samuel, and Elisabeth/John the Baptist, all barren women who miraculously give birth to a son that becomes a leader/savior of his people.
Eric Thal is effective as Samson, very big and brawny, and he looks great on horseback. He also carries off the end parts too, which could easily have become cartoonish.
Michael Gambon is terrific as the wily old King Hamun of the Philistines, and in the most bizarre casting, Dennis Hopper as a laid back general. Elizabeth Hurley's Delilah is a cool, calculating vixen, and beautiful enough to make the most of Samson's weakness. Max Von Sydow does the narration throughout the film.
The Philistine interiors are very imaginitive, with their grotesque gods and massive columns, and the devastation of them well filmed. The fight with the lion is cleverly done also, with lots of grunts and roars from man and beast.
Filmed on location in Quarzazate, Morocco, it has a marvelous score by Marco Frisina, the excellent cinematography of Raffaele Mertes, and well paced direction by Nicolas Roeg.
"David," "Solomon," "Jeremiah," and "Abraham", are my favorites of these above average made for TV Bible stories, and this film, though not one of the best, is highly entertaining with some good acting. Total running time: 182 minutes.
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38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not your usual Bible-epic, September 26, 2000
This Italian production is not your usual Bible-epic. With striking set design, beautiful art direction and oftentimes alarming attention to period detail, this is pretty realistic stuff. And pretty brutal. A lot of this can be attributed to British art-house director Nicolas Roeg, who has made "Samson and Delilah" perhaps his most ambitious film to date. At 180 minutes there is nary a dull moment. Roeg afficianados will appreciate the customary Roeg flourishes: shocking edits, liberal use of the zoom lens, intentional placement of humor and a general atmosphere of mysticism and otherworldliness. The performances are all around solid. Dennis Hopper turns in a clever and decidedly Hopper-esque performance as a reluctant Philistine general. Eric Thall, as Samson, comes across as vulnerable and humane yet entirely believable when coerced to flights of rage. His long hair doesn't look fake, chalking up another high mark for this film's realism. And Elizabeth Hurley as Delilah? Well, what more needs to be said? She really delivers with her greedy seduction of Samson and subsequent guilt. Not to mention, that in her Delilah garb, she is absolutely gorgeous. All in all a surprising and entertaining movie for Nicolas Roeg and all involved. Be sure to keep rolling for the credits as not to miss the Ennio Morricone-scored end titles. A short and haunting piece that is very appropriate.
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30 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining but Inconsistent, November 16, 1999
I pulled out my Bible while watching Samson & Delilah. There were several inconsistencies and the order of some events were completely wrong. Samson seemed very weak. He was straining to lift things that he shouldn't have had a problem with and even though they didn't show him lifting the city gates, it would seem ironic that he could do that by himself, but strain to lift up an average sized man.I found this film a bit dissappointing, especially after watching Joseph. I began to collect the entire Bible Collection set and Samson & Delilah was my second. If you are looking for a video to rely on completely to display Bible truth, this is probably not the video for you.
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