Samson and Delilah

In land ruled by the Philistines, Samson of the Israelites is known for his strength. He wants to marry a Philistine woman, the wedding turns into a massacre, and from that day he fights an army alone. Unable to stop him, the Philistines send the woman's younger sister Delilah to learn the secret of his strength. Delilah already loves him and already hates him. The film turns the biblical story into melodrama: the subject is not faith but a discarded woman's revenge. The temple at the end sums up DeMille's whole manner, with its enormous set, its crowds and its collapse. Cecil B. DeMille directed. Hedy Lamarr plays Delilah and Victor Mature plays Samson, with George Sanders and Angela Lansbury in support. There is a well-known story behind the lion. Mature refused to wrestle the tame studio lion, and when DeMille told him it had no teeth he said he did not want to be gummed to death either. The scene uses a stuntman with the real animal, cut against close-ups of Mature struggling with a lion skin. It took five Academy Award nominations and won two, for art direction and costume design. With twenty-eight million dollars domestically it was Paramount's biggest success since 1923. Who it is for: anyone who likes classic biblical epics and the visual abundance of the studio era. Who it is not for: anyone wanting restraint. The dialogue is ornate, historical accuracy is never a concern, and Samson stays one-dimensional throughout.