David (TV 1997)

The tribes of Israel need to defeat the superior might of the Philistines: "Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." (I Samuel, 8:5). And so the prophet Samuel ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Markowitz

Writer:

Larry Gross (teleplay)

Stars:

Nathaniel Parker, Jonathan Pryce, Leonard Nimoy

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nathaniel Parker	...	David
Jonathan Pryce	...	Saul
Leonard Nimoy	...	Samuel
Sheryl Lee	...	Bathsheba
Ben Daniels	...	Jonathan
Richard Ashcroft	...	Abner
Gideon Turner	...	Young David
Maurice Roëves	...	Joab
Dominic Rowan	...	Absalom
Edward Hall	...	Amnon
Clara Bellar	...	Tamar
Gina Bellman	...	Michal
Franco Nero	...	Nathan
John Francis	...	Phineas
Mohamad Belfikh	...	Zadok

Storyline

The tribes of Israel need to defeat the superior might of the Philistines: "Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." (I Samuel, 8:5). And so the prophet Samuel gives the Hebrews their first king, Saul, a simple farmer, who with God's help becomes a brave and mighty warlord who leads the united tribes of Israel against their enemies. Saul, however, has incessant doubts about his mission. Not trustful enough of divine wisdom, he acts of his own accord and thus sins against the Lord. The influential prophet Samuel turns away from Saul in order to select a new king according to God's will: David. He is still a young boy, tending sheep in the fields, when, secretly Samuel oints him as the next king of the Israelites. When David - as courageous as he is intelligent - emerges victorious from his encounter with Goliath, the Philistines' most powerful warrior, he becomes a hero. His fame arouses the jealousy of King Saul, who senses that David is going to dispute his...

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Plot Keywords:

king | battle | hero | violence | sword | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Details

Official Sites:

Five Mile River Films TNT

Country:

USA Italy Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bibeln - David

Filming Locations:

Ifrane, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beta Film, Lube Productions, Lux Vide

Technical Specs

Runtime:

190 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of David and Goliath (1960)

User Reviews

Close to the Scripture

Since I, a minister, like to see the Biblical accounts enacted, I like this movie. Though the setting is Israel, Morocco passed for the Jewish country. There was plenty of action and very good acting. I liked Leonard Nimoy as the prophet Samuel, quite a change from his role as Star Trek's Dr. Spock. Jonathan Pryce was mean and evil, as was King Saul himself; but, unlike the real Saul, Pryce was not nearly as tall and heavy. Nathaniel Parker portrayed Israel's monarch almost flawlessly. And Sheryl Lee acted well the part of the tempting Bathsheba. The time setting was correct in this movie, going all the way from Saul's rejection of king (which led Samuel to go to the home of David's father Jesse) to David's being anointed as king, then to the end when God said the young boy Solomon would be the one to whom the temple would go. People may have wondered where David was during the strife taking place in his household, but the Bible does not indicate this. As a basic rule I was pleased with this TV movie about one of the most well-known characters in the Bible