Samson and Delilah 

Mara and her husband Manoa are both upstanding and religious Israelites living under the harsh and unjust rule of the Philistines. Much to their regret, they have not been able to have ... See full summary »

Stars:

Dennis Hopper, Elizabeth Hurley, Eric Thal

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Thal	...	Samson
Elizabeth Hurley	...	Delilah
Michael Gambon	...	Re Hamun
Dennis Hopper	...	Generale Tariq
Diana Rigg	...	Mara
Daniel Massey	...	Ira
Paul Freeman	...	Manoach
Ben Becker	...	Principe Sidqa
Jale Arikan	...	Noemi
Debora Caprioglio	...	Rani
Alessandro Gassmann	...	Amrok (as Alessandro Gassman)
Pinkas Braun	...	Harach
Sebastian Knapp	...	Yoram
Karl Tessler	...	Jehiel
Luke Mullaney	...	Amram

Storyline

Mara and her husband Manoa are both upstanding and religious Israelites living under the harsh and unjust rule of the Philistines. Much to their regret, they have not been able to have children. One day, a mysterious stranger appears to Mara and promises her that she will bear a son whom she is to call Samson. The stranger tells her that as one chosen by God Samson will fight the Philistines, will have immense strength at his disposal, but that he may never cut his hair (or drink alcohol); otherwise this gift will be lost. Samson is born and as foretold he grows into a boy with amazing strength. As time passes, Samson becomes an attractive young man and young women begin to interest him more and more. Naomi, a pretty but rather melancholic girl, falls deeply in love with him. During a walk Samson learns the young woman's story. When she was a small child, her village was exterminated by the Philistines and her whole family butchered. Since then Naomi has not only been in mourning, but...

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Plot Keywords:

tv mini series | samson character | delilah character | character names as series title | three word series title | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Sebastian Knapp portrayed an Apostle in two television movies about Jesus of Nazareth, but had different roles. Matthew in Jesus (1999) and John in The Bible (2013).

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Quotes

Principe Sidqa: He must be stopped. The dignity of your throne is at stake.
Re hamun: Do not mistake my throne for your pride.

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Connections

Followed by The Friends of Jesus - Thomas (2001)

User Reviews

When the Son of the Sun met Desire

Although their story in the Old Testament only spans three chapters in the Book of Judges, the popular tale of Samson and Delilah is stretched out into a three hour entry mini series here. All the characters (many not mentioned by name in the scriptures) are elaborated upon, as is the situation between the Israelites and the Philistines. The Gaza court is well (if a bit predictably) portrayed: Michael Gambon as wise King Hanun is constantly bickering with his hotheaded (and red bearded) son Sidqa (Ben Becker). Well cast Liz Hurley plays the part of Delilah both slutty and posh as the king's niece, while top billed Dennis Hopper portrays the smart and sarcastic General Tariq. Hopper gets some of the best lines, but fails to give them that George Sanders delivery and is the only one looking out of place in these settings and costumes.

Delilah only really figures in the last part of Samson's story, but there are enough scenes featuring her and the Philistines to justify her name in the title. Actually, the two main characters almost meet in part one, where she turns out to be the main reason why Samson fought that animatronic lion from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. In the title role, Eric Thal is a virtual babe magnet himself, rescuing the outspoken Naomi (Jale Arikan) before choosing a Philistine bride (Deborah Caprioglio) to the dismay of his parents (reliable Diana Rigg and Paul Freeman). Screenwriter Alan Scott put great emphasis on Samson's search for a purpose in life, making him comes across a very modern (i. e. constantly worried) hero.

One point repeatedly made in the Book of Judges is the lawless nature of this time period (between 1200 - 1000 b.c.). This is addressed in a new sub plot concerning the brothers Jehiel and Amram. They betray Samson in order to become rulers themselves, leading to the familiar scene involving the jawbone of an ass. Most of these action sequences are filmed with skewed angles, making Samson look even more like a comic book superhero. To this effect they could not show him mishandling 300 foxes to burn down enemy crops (as it was written). Unfortunately the chapter about tearing the town gates from their hinges is more implied than shown, but this does lead to an interesting bit of foreshadowing for Dennis Hopper's character in the temple.

Director Nic Roeg makes effective use of flashbacks during two crucial scenes, adding greater meaning to both of them. First the love scene between Samson and Delilah is interwoven with scenes from the lion fight and secondly Samson relives his ultimate betrayal when forced to 'witness' the defeat of the Israelite army. The latter scene also resolves the plot strand concerning Jehiel and Amram in a satisfactory way and indeed every character arc is neatly resolved before the end. Shame about all those bouncing foam pillars during the climax though.

8 out of 10

Details

Official Sites:

Five Mile River Films

Country:

Germany Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Samson and Delilah

Filming Locations:

Ouarzazate, Morocco

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beta Film, Lube, Lux Vide

Technical Specs

Runtime:

172 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1