Tag: bible

Delilah…who’s your favourite

Delilah of the Bible is one of the most famous female characters ever and has been often portrayed on screen, at the movies or on TV. Which of the following Delilahs is your favourite? Now, this is not a critique of the movies themselves, meaning one could like a Delilah and not necessarily care for the final movie…or like the actress and like the movie but her portrayal is not the ultimate one.

Hedy Lamarr in SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949)

Liana Orfei in HERCULES, SAMSON & ULYSSES (1963)

Rosalba Neri in THE GREAT LEADERS OF THE BIBLE (1965)

Belinda Bauer in SAMSON AND DELILAH (1984; TV)

Elizabeth Hurley in SAMSON AND DELILAH (1996; TV)

Caitlin Leahy in SAMSON (2018)

My favourite, of course, is Hedy Lamarr. Then it’s Rosalba Neri, who’s really good in that role. And in third it would be Elizabeth Hurley, not necessarily because of her portrayal but because of the direction, by Nicolas Roeg, makes the whole project interesting.

I like Liana Orfei and I really like HERCULES, SAMSON & ULYSSES but her portrayal is more campy or comical than tragic. As for Belinda Bauer, well, she’s my least favourite for sure. I can’t say anything of Caitlin Leahy.

Note: I didn’t include Suzzanna from SAMSON AND DELILAH (1987) because that movie is insane.

Blu-ray: THE BIBLE: IN THE BEGINNING…

I recently purchased a double Blu-ray set of THE ROBE (1953) and THE BIBLE: THE BEGINNING…(1966). It only cost $17. Great deal. The print for THE ROBE is excellent. No complaints. The print for THE BIBLE is also great but the issue, or issues, is with the movie itself. While THE ROBE is a classic ‘Hollywood’ movie, THE BIBLE, directed by John Huston, is anything but. When I purchased the double BR set, I thought that I would finally see that movie correctly since the previous versions I had were so dark that it was nearly impossible to watch the whole thing. Well, unfortunately, the Blu-ray edition is exactly the same: many dark scenes. This means Huston filmed it this way. It’s not all like that but it’s often scenes after scenes of dark moments. It’s a very odd way to approach a subject. The film looks good, even if the overall final product is a tad anemic.


George C. Scott as Abraham. Well, I think that’s him.


Don’t know where his hair and beard begins and ends vis a vis background.


I know electricity didn’t exist back then but wow, can someone turn on the lights?

Huston, who was a genuine director, probably saw that these epics were too bright, too colourful and wanted to imbue this project with a more earthy, serious, and realistic tone but damn, he went a little bit too far here.