Samson & Delilah (1996)

The timeless story of the hero of the Israelites and the beautiful Philistine who tested his faith

Great presentation!

We really enjoy all of The Bible Collection movies and this was no exception. Great presentation, great Biblical interpretation! November 29, 2008

Solid, But Not Foundation Shattering

More biblical epic than Harlequin romance, 'Samson and Delilah' has a good look and feel. With the exception of two steamy scenes, it sticks to the good book with some decent interpretations added to the dialogue. Overlong at three hours, the camera shots and scene changes, nevertheless, keep it visually appealing. Some of the battle scenes are admirable indeed. Eric Thall and Elizabeth Hurley star in the leading roles, and while they're not Emmy or Oscar contenders, Thall's performance gathers more substance near the end of the story. Dennis Hopper's portrayal of General Tariq isn't a career best, but he ups the quality of the acting, and Michael Gambon gives proper stature to King Hanon. Solid, but not substantial. January 20, 2008

Bringing The Bible To Life

The movie Samson and Delilah was very well done. In this film it shows
that our hero Samson has doubts about his chosen path. That is a feeling every human being can relate too. He goes to the school of hard knocks, and everything works out the way it is suppose to in the end. May 12, 2007

Better than Average Biblical Drama

TNT produced a wonderful series of Old Testament dramas. All are good but some are better than others. This one falls somewhere in the middle.

Samson is a child gifted with superhuman strength. He is an Israelite and his people are under the thumb of the Philistines. He is God's chosen instrument for deliverance.

He would seem a strange choice. He is not exactly a pious individual. He is fairly faithful to his vows but sees nothing wrong with having a good time. This is especially true when having a good time involves a beautiful girl of the Philistines. Over time, he lets the treacherous beauty in on his secret and the result is terrible. He is deprived of that which makes him great to begin with and winds ups as a blinded slave.

The redeeming quality of the story is God's ability to take an imperfect individual and use him for great purposes. Nobody is beyond the pale. That is the central message and it is well done.

On the minus side, there are some non scriptural elements. This is to be expected for a long production of a fairly short biblical story. In my mind, these do not detract from the centrality of the message. Some of the acting is a bit underwhelming but it is by no means bad. All in all, this is a good show.
April 18, 2007

Stay Away From This Movie

Not Very Good Acting. Actually The Acting Is Horrible. And The Movie Itself Strays From Scripture. The Cover Looks Great. But, Don't Let It Fool You. Like I Did. Bummer February 7, 2007

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