Tuesday, March 30, 2021

By the Gods!

Delilah (Hedy Lamar) and Samson (Victor Mature) in SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949)

Is this a movie about hair? 'Gee, your hair smells terrific!'

The story of Samson and Delilah has been told and retold many times at the movies. Has it been done right yet? Many will say that this version is the best one. It was a huge hit. It can't be topped. It helped re-ignite the interest in PEPLUM movies with the general public. I disagree. I like it and watched many times but it is sorta corny in spots. What keeps this one in the minds of people are the two stars. There aren't that many stars today that would be comparable to Lamarr or Mature. 

2 comments:

  1. Most DeMille films seem "sorta corny in spots" to modern age viewers. This is a simply magnificent movie and a benchmark for the biblical films to follow.

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  2. Steve Reeves was considered for the role of Samson by De Mille. It was implied that he was too bulky for the part and didn't want to tone down his physique for the film. I suspect that the real reason was his lack of acting ability at the time. He would have made a terrific looking Samson but they would have had to cast a younger Delilah as well.
    De Mille expressed contempt for Mature when the actor refused to wrestle an old tamed lion.

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