Samson and Delilah (1949)

When strongman Samson rejects the love of the beautiful Philistine woman Delilah, she seeks vengeance that brings horrible consequences they both regret.

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Jesse Lasky Jr. (screenplay) (as Jesse L. Lasky Jr.), Fredric M. Frank (screenplay)

Stars:

Hedy Lamarr, Victor Mature, George Sanders

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hedy Lamarr	...	Delilah
Victor Mature	...	Samson
George Sanders	...	The Saran of Gaza
Angela Lansbury	...	Semadar
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Ahtur
Olive Deering	...	Miriam
Fay Holden	...	Hazelelponit
Julia Faye	...	Hisham
Russ Tamblyn	...	Saul (as Russell Tamblyn)
William Farnum	...	Tubal
Lane Chandler	...	Teresh
Moroni Olsen	...	Targil
Francis McDonald	...	Story Teller (as Francis J. McDonald)
William 'Wee Willie' Davis	...	Garmiskar (as William Davis)
John Miljan	...	Lesh Lakish

Storyline

Though his people, the Israelites, are enslaved by the Philistines, Samson, strongest man of the tribe of Dan, falls in love with the Philistine Semadar, whom he wins by virtue of a contest of strength. But Semadar betrays him, and Samson engages in a fight with her real love, Ahtur, and his soldiers. Semadar is killed, and her sister Delilah, who had loved Samson in silence, now vows vengeance against him. She plans to seduce Samson into revealing the secret of his strength and then to betray him to the Philistine leader, the Saran.

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Plot Keywords:

impaled by spear | long haired man | samson character | delilah character | character names as title | 

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Taglines:

HISTORY'S MOST BEAUTIFUL AND TREACHEROUS WOMAN! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 September 1950 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$28,800,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite this hallowed Biblical account of their battle against the Philistines (the pronunciation of which is almost jokingly varied throughout the film), the oppressed people represented by Samson are NEVER once referred to as either "Israelites," "Hebrews" or "Jewish" people. They are only referred to only as Danites, tribal members from the city of Dan. This omission--or avoidance--occurred in an era when Hollywood studio chiefs were very sensitive to the fact that the film industry was generally considered to be "run by Jews."

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Goofs

A boy in Samson's village is named "Saul." Samson hints or predicts that one day he will be king of Israel. The script states repeatedly that Samson was a "Danite" (member of the Tribe of Dan). The Bible states King Saul was a member of the Tribe of Benjamin and grew up near Jerusalem (not in Dan's territory).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Before the dawn of history, ever since the first man discovered his soul, he has struggled against the forces that sought to enslave him. He saw the awful power of nature rage against him. The evil eye of the lightning... The terrifying voice of the thunder... The shrieking, wind-filled darkness enslaving his mind with shackles of fear. Fear bred superstition, blinding his reason. He was ridden by a host of devil gods. Human dignity perished on the altar of idolatry. And tyranny ...

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Crazy Credits

As Samson and Delilah (1949) starts, the title is written on scroll, that is opened, to be read. The remaining opening credits, after the scroll and title, are normal. Closing credits are normal, also.

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Connections

Referenced in Love's Brother (2004)

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Soundtracks

The Fat Philistine Merchant
(uncredited)
Written by Victor Young and Jesse Lasky Jr.

User Reviews

Still worth looking at

Yeah...so some people may think it's corny and outdated. However, there is something about this movie, in spite of some of the poorer technical gimmicks...yet I still love it. I think that Lamarr does a great job as Delilah and don't understand why some think otherwise.I think she is/was the perfect Delilah..and Mature did a great job as Samson. Sanders was really terrific in his role and Lansbury carried out her part very well also. Call it what you will..but I find it is still worth watching; the color, costumes, Samson knocking down the Temple.. (love that scene!Good special effects for the time.) Whatever it is..I find myself watching it every now and then and still enjoy it as much as when I first saw it..