weezeralfalfa Cecil DeMille's take on this well-known Old Testament story is quite entertaining and beautifully photographed in 3-strip Technicolor. I checked out the story in the Bible to get an idea how much DeMille had elaborated on it. Quite a bit, as I had anticipated! The relationship between Sampson and Delilah is much more complex than that described in the bible. It's a mutual love-hate relationship. Quite against the advice of his family and friends, Sampson decided to marry a Philistine princess: Semadar(Angela Lansbury). While preparing for the wedding, Semadar's younger sister, the beautiful Delilah, made herself known to Sampson. They rode a chariot out into the desert to a lion's den, and Sampson grappled with a lion, finally strangling it. Delilah was most impressed, and they kissed. However, when given a choice between the two, Sampson still chose Semadar, perhaps because of her golden hair. Delilah was very disappointed, and vowed to see Samson brought to his knees. Semadar, along with her father, was soon murdered by her own people. Delilah blamed Sampson as the indirect cause, making her hate him more, and yet still loving him at times. Semadar's death reopened the question whether Delilah might take Semadar's place in Sampson's life. Delilah was offered a fortune by the Philistine council, if she could learn the secrete of Sampson's extraordinary strength. Sampson came to her and, at first, offered false leads. Eventually, he told her that his faith in God and his long hair was the source of his strength. Thus, Delilah gave him a sedative in his drink, putting him in a deep sleep, then cut his hair. When he awoke, he was bound and surrounded by spears. After Delilah left, the Saran(George Sanders), ordered that Samson be blinded by a red-hot knife, before being bound to a grain mill stone, as oxen were.Delilah enjoyed seeing Samson doing slave labor, but was horrified when she discovered that Sampson had been blinded, for she still had feelings for him. She secretly told him she would be his eyes from now on. A Hebrew woman who had long hoped Samson would marry her, showed up and requested that she be allowed to take Sampson home. But, Delilah responded that she would not allow any other woman to romance Sampson, even now that he was blind. During the public humiliation of Sampson in the temple of Dagon(Philistine god), Sampson requests that Delilah lead him to the pillars that held up the back portion of the temple, including the idol of Dagon. This she does, and he tells her to leave the temple. But she refuses. If he succeeds in toppling the temple, clearly he will die, and the implication is that she wishes to die with him.Given all the Philistines that Sampson had killed prior to the temple collapse, it's a wonder he wasn't killed immediately after his capture. But that wasn't what Delilah wanted, and she seemed to rule his destiny at this point. Of course, the strange claim by Sampson that his strength was derived from his hair is silly. If he lost any strength from the cutting of his hair, he soon regained it in pulling the grindstone around and toppling the temple. It's strange that his head wasn't shaved, to keep him weak.In this period , Victor Mature was the ideal person to play Sampson, despite the problems DeMille had with him. He was beefy, well spoken, and definitely looked Mediterranean. This was the first of a string of films over the next 5 years rooted in the ancient world that Mature would star in...Hedy Lamarr was perfect as Delilah, although I don't consider her quite the beauty some others do. She also had a Semitic look, aside from her blue eyes. The other major actors were also good. Angela Lansburg didn't have that much to do.

PWNYCNY This is a great movie, utterly impossible not to like. A hero with flaws betrayed by a woman who later has regrets and wants to atone. Victor Mature plays Samson and Hedy Lamarr Delilah. The chemistry between the two is immediately apparent. This drives the entire story and provides its emotional power. The story itself is intense. It is about political oppression and redemption. Lamarr gives a powerful performance as Delilah. Her character undergoes a dramatic transition from sinister vixen to s strong and dignified woman. By the end of the movie, she is a figure worthy of admiration. Although both Samson and Delilah are principal characters, the movie ultimately is about Delilah, the agent throughout Samson's destiny is realized. This movie is outstanding.

JoeKarlosi The acclaimed Cecil B. DeMille had to be one of the corniest directors who ever lived. Here is his very colorful biblical semi-epic, SAMSON AND DELILAH, a flawed film but with occasionally powerful moments, starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr as the two title leads. Basing its story on the Bible's Book Of Judges, Samson is a rugged and self-absorbed 'Danite' whose people are dominated by the Philistines. Yet he wishes to marry the Philistine Semadar (Angela Lansbury), the older sister of the stealthy Delilah, who loves Samson and wants him for herself. Samson harbors a faith in what Philistines call "his invisible god", who Samson believes has given him the gift of super-human strength through his long hair. The Philistines consider the unbeatable Samson to be a lingering thorn in their sides, so once Delilah is spurned, she sets her price to seduce Samson and learn the secret of his brute power, and render him helpless. But her undying love for him is something that will return to haunt her.We should consider that this film was made in 1949 and it certainly seems antiquated now, and even in comparison to other biblical movies done as early as ten years after. For one thing, it begs to be shot in Widescreen, but this was not the norm in its day. It's perhaps a bit too long, can be monotonous at times, and is better in its second half than its first. But the best moments are truly exciting, such as Samson's killing of a lion with his bare hands (still looks pretty good today, quickly edited to limit its shortcomings), Samson single-handedly fighting an entire army of Philistines armed only with the jawbone of an ass, and the satisfying grand finale where Samson mightily brings down the Temple of Dagon. Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr surely look just right for their roles, and I don't think Mature's performance is bad in the film (though his character seems rather selfish and unagreeable and thus not as heroic as he should be). George Sanders gets a lot of praise for his understated playing of The Saran of Gaza, but it's a bit too laid back under these conditions for me. **1/2 out of ****

dimplet The best part of this movie is reading the reviews here, which are quite insightful, particularly: jpdoherty from Ireland, and jmbelf from Maryland.Yeah, it was entertaining when I was a little kid, which says something about the level of sophistication of the targeted audience of the time. What I find interesting is the possible relation between Samson and Delilah in 1949 and Quo Vadis in 1951. I guess the studios saw a potential audience in Biblical tales around that time. And you've got to admit the Good Book knows how to tell a tall tale or two, so it made sense to mine this. What is odd is how the studios seemed to turn gold into leaden dialogue.I thought Quo Vadis was hokey, but this takes the cake. Next to Samson and Delilah, Quo Vadis looks positively Shakespearean. I love Hedy Lamarr, a love at first sight when I saw her in the semi- silent Ecstasy. Yummmmmm, Hedy! She sure looks great here with her blue eyes, but she doesn't sound so great. Her acting is a bit odd. It's lively, but not really believable. As to the legendary Cecille B. DeMille, one look at this, and it is clear he hadn't quite made the transition from silent movies. And the outdoor sets have a tacky pre-Star Trek TOS look of fiberglass rocks and sand coated canvas. Angela Lansbury and George Sanders deliver competent performances. Victor Mature does not impress me. George Reeves would have been a hoot in the lead; it needs someone who knows how to do the strongman smile. All Mature knew how to do was frown. I wonder if some Hollywood execs kicked themselves after seeing Reeves as Superman, and said that should have been our Samson! My advice if you are considering watching Samson and Delilah is to make sure you do it before you turn 12. If you are an adult with a normal IQ, it may be too late.