Movie poster for Samson and Delilah

Samson and Delilah is a 1949 film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr as the title characters. Angela Lansbury, George Sanders and Henry Wilcoxon are also featured. Image File history File links SAMSON_AND_DALILA_1949. ... Image File history File links SAMSON_AND_DALILA_1949. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 - January 21, 1959) was one of the most successful filmmakers during the first half of the 20th century. ... Mature in Cry of the City (1948) Victor Mature (born in Louisville, Kentucky; 29 January 1913–4 August 1999) was an Italian-American film actor. ... Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (November 9, 1913 – January 19, 2000) was an actress and communications technology innovator. ... Angela Lansbury, CBE (born October 16, 1925) is a British-born actress, the granddaughter of British Labour politician George Lansbury. ... George Sanders (1906-1972) in Foreign Correspondent George Sanders (July 3, 1906 - April 25, 1972) was an actor in British and American films. ... Henry Wilcoxon (or sometimes Harry and/or Wilcoxin) (September 8, 1905 - March 6, 1984) was an actor born in Dominica, British West Indies, and best known as a leading man in many of Cecil B. DeMilles movies. ...

The story of Samson and Delilah is adapted from the biblical Book of Judges. Book of Judges (Hebrew: ספר שופטים) is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. ...

Wildly successful at the box-office, DeMille's Biblical epic is known for the beauty of its leading lady and the spectacular toppling of the temple, not the acting skills of its players or sparkling dialogue. Mature's fight with a lion is hopelessly fake, but the film endures as a camp classic, still retaining its entertainment value as a product of its time.

Plot of the Film

Samson, a Hebrew, is engaged to a Philistine woman named Semadar. During a fight at their wedding feast, Semadar is killed and Samson becomes a hunted man. Semadar's sister, Delilah, plots to deliver Samson up for punishment. To do so, she cuts his hair, which he feels gives him his strength. Falling in love with him, Delilah regrets her act after Samson is blinded by his captors. He is brought to the temple for entertainment, where he topples the structure, destroying his enemies. Samson or Shimshon (שִׁמְשׁוֹן Of the sun (perhaps proclaiming he was radiant and mighty) or [One who] Serves [God], Standard Hebrew Å imÅ¡on, Tiberian Hebrew Å imšôn) is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Children of Israel mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. ... Samson and Dalilah by Tintoretto (1518 - 1594) Delilah or Dlila (דְּלִילָה, Standard Hebrew meaning [One who] weakened or uprooted or impoverished from the root dal meaning weak or poor. Also: Dəlila, Tiberian Hebrew Dəlîlāh; Arabic Dalilah), was the woman in the valley of Sorek whom Samson loved, and was his...

Trivia

Burt Lancaster was the original choice to play Samson, but he declined due to a bad back. Body builder Steve Reeves was also considered and DeMille lobbied long and hard to get the studio to pick up Reeves, 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; almost a decade later, Reeves found fame and cult status as another legendary strong man, Hercules, performing many of the same feats as Victore Mature in the Samson film. DeMille did not like Victor Mature and was outraged when Mature refused to wrestle the tame lion. Burt Lancaster Burt Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American film actor. ... Stephen L. Reeves (January 21, 1926 – May 5, 2000), was a bodybuilder, actor, and author. ... Hercules and Cacus, by Baccio Bandinelli, 1525 - 1534. ...