Samson And Delilah 1949 Film

[Berniece Domnick]

Samsonand Delilah is a 1949 American romantic biblical drama film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and released by Paramount Pictures. It depicts the biblical story of Samson, a strongman whose secret lies in his uncut hair, and his love for Delilah, the woman who seduces him, discovers his secret, and then betrays him to the Philistines. It stars Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr in the title roles, George Sanders as the Saran, Angela Lansbury as Semadar, and Henry Wilcoxon as Prince Ahtur.

Pre-production on the film began as early as 1935, but principal photography officially commenced in 1948. The screenplay, written by Jesse L. Lasky Jr. and Fredric M. Frank, is based on the biblical Book of Judges and adapted from an original film treatment by Harold Lamb, also drawing from Vladimir Jabotinsky's 1927 novel Samson the Nazarite.

Upon its release, the film was praised for its Technicolor cinematography, lead performances, costumes, sets, and innovative special effects.[5][6][7] After premiering in New York City on 21 December 1949, Samson and Delilah opened in Los Angeles on 13 January 1950. A massive commercial success, it became the highest-grossing film of 1950, and the third highest-grossing film ever at the time of its release. Of its five Academy Award nominations, the film won two for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.[8]

Samson, a Danite Hebrew placed under Nazirite vows from birth by his mother Hazelelponit, is engaged to a Philistine woman named Semadar. At their wedding feast, Samson loses a bet with his wedding guests because of Semadar and attacks 30 Philistines to strip them of their cloaks to pay his betting debt.

After paying his debt, Samson searches for Semadar, only to learn that her father Tubal married her to a Philistine once Samson left the wedding to pay his debt. A fight breaks out between Samson and the Philistines, which results in the death of Semadar and Tubal. Samson becomes a hunted man, and in his fury he begins fighting the Philistines.

The Saran of Gaza imposes heavy taxes on the Danites, with the purpose of having Samson betrayed by his own people. The Saran's plan works, and frustrated Danites hand over Samson to the Philistines, much to the joy of Delilah, Semadar's younger sister. Samson is taken by Prince Ahtur. He was, in other words, the military governor of the land of Dan, and a regiment of Philistine troops. En route back to Gaza, Ahtur decides to taunt Samson. Samson rips apart his chains and ropes and begins to combat the Philistines, toppling Ahtur's war chariot and using the jawbone of a donkey to club the Philistine soldiers to death.

News of the defeat of Ahtur at the hands of Samson reaches the Saran. The Saran ponders how to defeat Samson. Delilah comes up with the idea of seducing Samson, thus having him reveal the secret of his strength and then deliver him for punishment. Her plan works; she cuts his hair, which gives him his strength. To fully neutralize him, Samson is blinded by his captors and put to slave work, and is eventually brought to the temple of Dagon for the entertainment of the Philistines and the Saran. However, Delilah has been in love with Samson ever since his engagement with Semadar, and his blindness and torture make her feel deep remorse over her betrayal. She initially had betrayed him because she wanted to avenge the deaths of her father and sister, which she thought were caused "because of Samson."

Delilah later attends the public torture of Samson wielding a whip, which she uses to guide him to the temple's main support pillars. Once he stands between them, he tells Delilah to flee, but she remains, unseen by him, as he pushes the pillars apart. The pillars give way and the temple collapses, burying Samson, Delilah, and all the Philistines, including the court. In the end, the temple lies in rubble, and Saul and Miriam, his two closest Danite Hebrew friends, are left to mourn Samson's death.

In April 1934, Paramount Pictures announced that its next "big picture" and DeMille's follow-up to Cleopatra (1934) would be Samson and Delilah, starring Henry Wilcoxon and Miriam Hopkins in the title roles.[9][10][11] The film was eventually postponed and DeMille decided to produce and direct The Crusades (1935).

In May 1935, Motion Picture Daily informed that Samson and Delilah was "slated to start five weeks after the completion of The Crusades."[12] Paramount bought the film rights to the music and libretto of the 1877 opera Samson et Dalila.[12] DeMille paid $10,000 to historian Harold Lamb to write a film treatment of the biblical story of Samson and Delilah, which DeMille regarded as "one of the greatest love stories of all time."[13] Jeanie MacPherson was also hired to do research and collaborate with Lamb on the screenplay.[12][14] DeMille considered filming it in the new three-strip Technicolor.[15] After the release of The Crusades, Paramount negotiated a new contract with DeMille and cancelled Samson and Delilah in 1936.[16]

Ten years later, on August 15, 1946, DeMille publicly stated that Samson and Delilah would be his next project after Unconquered (1947).[17] DeMille later recalled in his autobiography that the Paramount executives had doubts about financing a "Sunday school tale."[18] They approved the project when DeMille showed them a sketch by artist Dan Groesbeck depicting a "big, brawny" Samson and a "slim and ravishingly attractive" Delilah.[19] He initially planned to film it in 1947,[17] but in October 1947, he said he would produce the film the following year with a "budget to be based on the anticipated world gross at that time."[20]

In spring of 1948, DeMille hired illustrator Henry Clive to paint the "ideal Delilah" on canvas.[13][21] He had studied paintings of Delilah by Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, Gustave Dor, and Solomon Joseph Solomon, but wanted her to look modern.[13] DeMille said his Delilah "must have a dangerous capacity for vengeance. Warm, soft, cunning. A combination of Vivien Leigh and Jean Simmons with a dash of Lana Turner."[13] In July, he hired Henry Noerdlinger as a research coordinator.[22]

Adding to his dramatization of the biblical story, DeMille bought the rights to Samson the Nazirite (published in the United States as Judge and Fool), a 1927 novel by Vladimir Jabotinsky, who portrayed Delilah as the younger sister of Samson's Philistine wife.[3][23] He felt the novel "made possible a connected drama" for the film.[23] .mw-parser-output .templatequoteoverflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequoteciteline-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0

When DeMille first commenced production on the film in 1935, Dolores del Ro, Paulette Goddard, and Joan Crawford were suggested for the part of Delilah.[25] DeMille chose Paramount actress Miriam Hopkins as Delilah and his new star Henry Wilcoxon as Samson.[26]

Burt Lancaster was the original choice to play Samson, but he declined due to a bad back.[33] Body builder Steve Reeves was also considered and DeMille lobbied long and hard to get the studio to pick up Reeves,[29] but both DeMille and the studio wanted Reeves to tone down his physique, which Reeves, still young and new to the industry, ultimately refused to do.[34] DeMille finally decided to cast Victor Mature as Samson after admiring his performance in the film Kiss of Death (1947).[33][35]

Phyllis Calvert was originally cast as Semadar, but she relinquished the part due to illness.[28] Therefore, DeMille cast Angela Lansbury in the role in July 1948.[28] When Lawrence Perry of The Pittsburgh Press interviewed Lansbury on September 24, 1949, he told her that the Bible does not describe Delilah as having a sister.[36] Lansbury replied, "Anyway, if Delilah didn't have a sister, Mr. DeMille has supplied one."[36]

Kasey Rogers auditioned and was screen-tested for the role of Miriam, the Danite girl who loves Samson.[37] But DeMille told her, "You're too pretty and you're too young", and Rogers was cast as a Philistine spectator in the temple scene and credited in the film as Laura Elliot.[37] Rogers was given a close-up and several lines, including "Why can't I lead you like that?" and "It [the column] moved!" The role of Miriam was given to stage actress Olive Deering, who received sixth billing after the five main stars.

Principal photography began on October 4, 1948 and ended on December 22, 1948.[3] The scenes involving the plowed field were shot on January 4, 1949, and added scenes and closeups were shot between January 18 and January 21, 1949.[3]

The film's special effects were supervised by Gordon Jennings.[38] The most spectacular special effect in the film is the toppling of the temple of Dagon, the god of the Philistines.[38] It is the penultimate scene in the film, cost $150,000, and took a year to shoot.[38] The bottom portion of the temple was constructed full-scale.[38] A separate 37-foot high model with a 17-foot high Dagon statue was built for the photographic effects.[38] The model was destroyed three times to shoot it through different camera angles.[38] Footage of the full-scale set was merged with footage of the scale model using a "motion repeater system" fabricated by Paramount, which enabled the exact repetition of camera moves.[38]

Victor Mature was frightened by a number of the animals and mechanical props used in the production, including the lions, the wind machine, the swords and even the water. This infuriated DeMille, who bellowed through his megaphone at the assembled cast and crew: "I have met a few men in my time. Some have been afraid of heights, some have been afraid of water, some have been afraid of fire, some have been afraid of closed spaces. Some have even been afraid of open spaces -- or themselves. But in all my 35 years of picture-making experience, Mr. Mature, I have not until now met a man who was 100 percent yellow."[39]

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