Samson and Delilah is a 1949 American epic film on Blu-ray, produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Hedy Lamarr as Delilah, Victor Mature as Samson, George Sanders as the Saran, Angela Lansbury as Semadar, and Henry Wilcoxon as Ahtur.
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.
Won Oscars for Best Art Direction & Costume Design.
Samson & Delilah Movie Reviews
“As much outrageous fun as DeMille's The Ten Commandments, at half the length. Paramount has released Samson and Delilah, the blockbuster 1949 religious epic directed by master showman Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Hedy Lamarr, Victor Mature, George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, and Henry Wilcoxon. Deliciously overripe and gaudily produced, Samson and Delilah is the kind of marvelously obvious storytelling that people laugh at for all kinds of reasons―then and now―but which is undeniably, insistently entertaining…A gargantuan, contrasting cocktail of overblown, frequently ridiculous romance, faux-pious religiosity and Hollywood spectacle, Samson and Delilah is the kind of showboating blockbuster moviemaking that pleases the masses right down to the bone…while driving self-serious critics nuts. DeMille's reputation has always been in question, with critics either vilifying him for his excesses and blatant calculations, or vilifying him for his excesses and blatant calculations while giving him begrudging respect for creating compulsively watchable entertainment. I've never seen a reason to deplore those qualities in his work, however; what DeMille is able to accomplish here is as viable as "art” (whatever that term really means) as anything showing up on the screen by more critically “acceptable” directors of his time―and it's a hell of a lot more fun…calculated for maximum camp value, Samson and Delilah is can't-miss classic entertainment, and perfect viewing for this Easter season…and not for any so-called religious content. I'm highly, highly recommending Samson and Delilah." DVD Talk
“..The acting is, as with most Golden Era efforts, a tad melodramatic and mannered, but DeMille knew spectacle. He staged excellent battle sequences and the last act demolition still looks pretty good by today's chaotic CG standards…It's epic spectacle of the most hyper melodramatic kind. It's also a well made film full of unexpected delights.” DVD Verdict