David et Goliath (1910) User Reviews

The Comedie Francaise

[boblipton · 5/10 · 13 November 2018]

It's the Bible story of how David fought Goliath. Director Henri Andréani handled about a dozen of these over the course of his career, and so should probably be considered a specialist.... although he directed forty movies in total (mostly shorts) and was an Assistant Director to Abel Gance on the massive 1927 NAPOLEON.

The print I saw was handsomely stencil-colored, mostly green and yellow, but with occasional bits of blue. The most interesting thing about this movie is the casting, from the Comedie Francaise. David is played by Berthe Bovy, who was 23 at the time. She was married to Pierre Fresnay for a few years, acted occasionally in the movies through 1971, and died in 1977, age 90.

The role of Goliath is taken by Louis Ravet, also of the Comedie Francaise. He is obviously a big man, and his size is enlarged by a bit of forced perspective, placing him much closer to the camera than the rest of the cast.

homosexual content, but short and well made

[mrdonleone · 6/10 · 25 April 2009]

what a fun I had, watching this! it's so funny, because it's with a young woman playing David. in the end David touches the chest of another man. does this mean David was homosexual? but David was played by a female, so maybe nothing's wrong here... but what about the ending, then? I laughed till I cried. it's nice to see an old picture like this one. hard to find, I was lucky enough to see it in the film museum of Brussels. well made, even for today. some background like in Caligari, but less surrealistic. some actors that played their parts well. a bad guy (Goliath) who really looks like a bad guy (hairy, big and angry - maybe a bit like Brutus in Popeye the animation series).

we all know how this is going to end, but it's so short (about 17 minutes I guess) that it's no waste of time at all.

so the question that remains is: was David homosexual? I say: who cares? this was a very well made picture.

David et Goliath review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 15 May 2020]

David is clearly played by a young woman, which means that he looks like a rather effeminate boy - especially when squaring up to Goliath. A visually interesting picture which unfortunately ceases to exist just as the mismatched pair are squaring up to one another...

Regarding David and Goliath

[gengar843 · 8/10 · 6 November 2015]

I was also lucky enough to see this film and it is adequate as film goes. Not much to say, it's a well-known Bible story, and the earmarks of very good film-making from 1910 are intact. Also, the restoration, such as it is, was welcome.

Now, regarding another reviewer who couldn't wait to say something subversive, David was not a homosexual. Not only is the Bible explicit that to his dying day he craved a woman, but the Law of God would forbid any outward expression of such thing, especially for a king.

I really resent everything historical being rewritten and revisionist. Go to a Muslim site and say something about Mohammad if you're so brave.