Films set in the 11th & 10th century BCE
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- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsHedy LamarrVictor MatureGeorge SandersWhen strongman Samson rejects the love of the beautiful Philistine woman Delilah, she seeks vengeance that brings horrible consequences they both regret.
- DirectorLee PhilipsStarsMax von SydowBelinda BauerStephen MachtThe long haired biblical strongman Samson falls in love with beautiful temptress Delilah in Philistine.
- StarsDennis HopperElizabeth HurleyEric ThalMara and her husband Manoa are both upstanding and religious Israelites living under the harsh and unjust rule of the Philistines. Much to their regret, they have not been able to have children. One day, a mysterious stranger appears to Mara and promises her that she will bear a son whom she is to call Samson. The stranger tells her that as one chosen by God Samson will fight the Philistines, will have immense strength at his disposal, but that he may never cut his hair (or drink alcohol); otherwise this gift will be lost. Samson is born and as foretold he grows into a boy with amazing strength. As time passes, Samson becomes an attractive young man and young women begin to interest him more and more. Naomi, a pretty but rather melancholic girl, falls deeply in love with him. During a walk Samson learns the young woman's story. When she was a small child, her village was exterminated by the Philistines and her whole family butchered. Since then Naomi has not only been in mourning, but she harbors an unbridled desire for retaliation. She tries to convince Samson to join a group of young people planning an insurrection. Samson with his incredible strength could be a symbol, a hero, of this uprising! Initially Samson rejects the idea, but when Naomi provokes a confrontation with the Philistines he naturally hurries to her rescue. Soon the news spreads, not only to the Israelite villages but also to the Philistine royal palace in Gaza, that an Israelite by the name of Samson has killed several Philistines with his bare hands. When King Hanun, his hot-tempered son Sidqa and General Tariq hear this, they are anything but enthusiastic. They deliberate about what can be done to restrain this Samson before a revolt breaks out. Delilah, the king's beautiful, seductive and scheming niece insists on being present during these conversations. Samson is still not fully aware of the role he is supposed to play for his people. God has not yet given him a sign. One day he sneaks into a Philistine camp without having an exact plan on how he is going to proceed against them. Here he sees Delilah for the first time and is immediately fascinated by her. Just at this moment, a wounded desert lion bounds enters the camp and attacks Delilah. Without hesitating, Samson confronts the lion unarmed and after a terrible struggle, overpowers it with his bare hands. For reasons unfathomable to the Philistines who witness this, General Tariq lets the Israelite Samson go free. Like Delilah, the experienced general has been impressed by the scene and is curious to find out what sort of person Samson is. Back in the royal palace Tariq, who has grown wise with age, suggests concluding peace with the Israelites to King Hanun. The General, however, cannot put this idea across against the fierce resistance of Prince Sidqa, who is planning to take Samson prisoner. To accomplish this he bribes two Israelites, Jehiel and Amram childhood companions of Samson's. The pair, sons of Samson's friend and mentor Ira, are jealous of Samson because they would like to assume the leadership of the Israelites themselves. They see their position endangered by Samson and are only too happy to get rid of him. Initially, the plan seems to work and Samson is caught in a trap. Thanks to his strength, he succeeds in breaking free and fleeing from his captors. With Yoram's help Samson manages to hide in Ira's home. When Samson and Ira learn that Jehiel and Amram, of all people are behind the attempt on Samson's life, Ira disowns his sons. Angered and dissapointed by the betrayal of his own people Samson flees into the desert. There, he comes upon the corpse of the lion he killed and sees that bees have nested in it. Samson is so hungry that he contravenes God's command and eats the impure honey. From now on Samson will stray from the path of righteousness and will only find his way back after taking many risks and suffering much pain. In the desert, Samson encounters Amrok, an Israelite, who has been raised by the Philistines like one of their own. Amrok invites Samson to the village of his foster-father Harach, where Samson, much to his amazement, is very warmly received. Samson is surprised to be received in such a friendly manner by Harach and his family. His concept of the Philistines as enemies threatens to collapse, especially after he sets eyes on Rani, Harach's pretty and delightful daughter. Samson and Rani are immediately strongly attracted to each other and after Harach and even King Hanun have declared their consent, Samson and Rani decide to marry. A solemn wedding banquet is to crown the ceremony. The King even sends thirty Philistines to preside at the function. During the course of the festivities, the atmosphere becomes very lively and Samson poses a riddle promising the one who guesses the answer thirty sheep and festive attire. After being put under pressure by Mahal, the leader of the Philistine wedding group, Rani discloses the answer to the riddle. Angered and disappointed by this betrayal, Samson slays the thirty Philistines so that Mahal can have their clothes as a reward. Samson's vengeance is not yet over: in his anger he sets the fields of the Philistines on fire, conjuring up an even greater disaster. Following orders from Prince Sidqa, Mahal kills Rani and Harach for having betrayed their people As Samson visits the town Rani came from, Amrok tells him about the atrocities committed by Mahal. Samson, deeply moved by all this suffering, suddenly has a vague premonition that all is not well at home and decides to return to his parents. He arrives home to find his father Manoa on his deathbed. Shortly before Manoa passes away, father and son who have been estranged ever since Samson's marriage to Rani, reconcile. After Manoa's death, Samson hastily sets off again. He knows the Philistine henchmen cannot be far off and his does not want to endanger his mother. When Samson finally arrives in Gaza he sets about searching for the traitor Mahal, and once he has found him, kills him. The Philistines are alarmed when they hear that Samson is supposedly in the city. To cut off all routes of escape, they close the city gates. They are dismayed when they discover that the gates, weighing tons, have been lifted off their hinges and that Samson has disappeared. Since Samson apparently cannot be captured by conventional means, the royal court decides to use a woman's charms instead. Delilah is promised jewels and wealth to seduce Samson and worm out of him the secret of his supernatural strength. The inevitable comes to pass: Samson falls in love with the bewitching Delilah. The enchantress plays her part well and after much cajoling and teasing, she gets Samson to disclose his big secret: If his long hair were to be shorn he would lose all his strength. Although Delilah has to struggle with her feelings she finally cuts off his hair, thus enabling the Philistines to take Samson prisoner. Once they have him captured, they blind him for good measure. While languishing in prison, a blind and helpless Samson finally becomes conscious of his numerous mistakes and presumptuousness and recognizes God's greatness. Through his sufferings, the once proud and reckless youth matures into a humble and truly religious man. While performing forced labor every day, he prays that his hair will soon grow back so that he can fulfil his calling. In the meantime the Israelites under the leadership of Jehiel and Amram, instigate a revolt against the Philistines. This uprising is mercilessly crushed by General Tariq. Naomi is among the few survivors. She desperately wants to see Samson one more time. Overcoming all feelings of bitterness Naomi goes to Delilah to ask for her help. Delilah, whose conscience gives her no peace, is prepared to help Naomi, if Naomi can convince Samson to forgive her. A sumptuous feast is held in the temple of the Philistine god, Dagon. The highlight of the festivities is to be the presentation of the tamed and helpless Samson. During the course of the festivities, Delilah manages to speak to Samson. Blind and unsuspecting, and assuming she is Naomi, Samson gives Delilah a kiss of forgiveness on the forehead. The time has now come for him to complete his task. Samson, who has regained his strength, braces himself against the pillars of the temple and brings the walls of the whole temple tumbling down. While young Yoram, Naomi and Delilah are able to flee at the very last moment, the massive walls forever bury Samson, King Hanun and his son Prince Sidqa, General Tariq and countless Philistines beneath them.
- StarsFernando PavãoMel LisboaThaís FersozaSamson is a courageous man, strong, fearless, a Hebrew who fights many armies of his people enemies, and savage beasts; also, he keeps to himself the mysterious secret of his strength. He was born as the promise of being the rescuer of his people who were oppressed and persecuted. Delilah hear about the triumph of Samson, she is a Philistine woman who has a exuberant beauty and is extremely ambitious. She was chosen by Inarus, prince of Gaza to be another of his courtesans in palace. In search of power, Dalila calls attention for being pretty and soon becomes the favorite among all the courtesans. Samson is unbeatable, wins many battles and brief anger its main enemy, the Philistine. The prince Inarus got infuriated as much as the Hebrew warrior's victory on his army - so well armed and prepared - that the prince allows Delilah to persuade Samson in order to discover the secret of his strength.
- DirectorFrank ZamaconaStarsClifton ForbisOlga BorodinaEric JordanThe definitive Delilah of our day, Olga Borodina has been praised by Allan Ulrich in the San Francisco Chronicle for her "gloriously voluptuous singing." The Russian mezzo-soprano reprises her seductive performance as the tantalizing temptress in an eagerly awaited revival of Saint-Saëns' biblical epic. Tenor Clifton Forbis, whose powerful voice has thrilled audiences from Vienna to Los Angeles, plays the Old Testament hero loses his heart, his hair and finally his strength. Patrick Summers returns to the San Frnacisco Opera podium to conduct the lavish production.
- DirectorBruce MacdonaldGabriel SabloffStarsTaylor JamesBilly ZaneLindsay WagnerAfter losing the love of his life to a cruel Philistine Prince, a young Hebrew with supernatural strength defends his people, sacrificing everything to avenge his love, his people, and God.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsElana EdenStuart WhitmanTom TryonInspired by the scriptural tale. Moabitess priestess Ruth is drawn both to a Judean man and to his talk of a forgiving God. After tragedy strikes, she begins a new life in Bethlehem.
- DirectorStephen Patrick WalkerStarsSherry MorrisCarmanEleese LesterThis movie is an adaptation of "The Book Of Ruth" from the bible. Powerful themes of tolerance and acceptance gained through love and understanding shine in this production.
- DirectorFeng YuehIn-hyeon ChoiStarsDai LinShin Yeong-gyunPat Ting HungAdmist a rebellion during the Ching Dynasty in ancient China, a nurse flees the palace with a young prince. As an adult, he convinces the daughter of the usurper to betray her father and to assist in restoring him as the rightful monarch.
- DirectorJerzy KawalerowiczStarsJerzy ZelnikWieslawa MazurkiewiczBarbara BrylskaYoung Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.
- DirectorWilliam V. MongStarsEdward AlexanderCharles PerleyNoah BeeryThis silent movie is about a boy, David who befriends a prince, and begins spending all of his time with the prince, causing his old pal, Jonathan to doubt their friendship.
- DirectorBruce BeresfordStarsRichard GereEdward WoodwardAlice KrigeThe Biblical story of Israel's greatest King.
- StarsLeonardo BrícioGracindo JúniorCláudio FontanaThe story of "David" anointed as a young man to be king of Israel, an action that would give him a turbulent life until his reign was secured. Based upon the text of books of "Samuel".
- DirectorOrlando CorradiBe a part of the story of King David, a shepherd king, who falls in love with Bathsheba in this high quality animated feature for your kids and family. Together, their union produces a son who will one day grow up to become Solomon the Great.
- DirectorT. RajeevnathStarsArunP. BalachandranJoju GeorgeDavid, an orphan, shows prodigious talent with respect to machines. Sunny, an unsuccessful businessman, finds out about his talent and takes advantage of him to make a fortune.
- DirectorDavid Lowell RichAlex SegalStarsTimothy BottomsAnthony QuayleNorman RodwayHe was the chosen king who loved God and committed the acts of sin.
- DirectorBob McNaughtStarsJeff ChandlerBasil SydneyPeter ArneKing Saul of Israel is jealous of the fame and adoration of David, who long ago slew Goliath and brought victory to Saul's armies. Now Saul, egged on by his Edomite counselor Doeg, attempts to have David killed. Saul's son, and David's best friend, Jonathan, conspires to help David, who is reluctant to fight back against his own people the Israelites.
- DirectorFerdinando BaldiRichard PottierOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesIvica PajerEleonora Rossi DragoKing Saul of the Israelites is visited in Jerusalem by the Prophet Samuel who foretells him that a war with The Philistines is inevitable and the shepherd David will become king.
- DirectorRay PattersonStarsRobby BensonHerschel BernardiMichael BellThe trio are enslaved by the Philistines at Sokoh in Judah but escape where they meet the shepherd David who challenge the giant Goliath.
- StarsMaurice RoëvesGina BellmanLina SastriThe tribes of Israel need to defeat the superior might of the Philistines: "Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." (I Samuel, 8:5). And so the prophet Samuel gives the Hebrews their first king, Saul, a simple farmer, who with God's help becomes a brave and mighty warlord who leads the united tribes of Israel against their enemies. Saul, however, has incessant doubts about his mission. Not trustful enough of divine wisdom, he acts of his own accord and thus sins against the Lord. The influential prophet Samuel turns away from Saul in order to select a new king according to God's will: David. He is still a young boy, tending sheep in the fields, when, secretly Samuel oints him as the next king of the Israelites. When David - as courageous as he is intelligent - emerges victorious from his encounter with Goliath, the Philistines' most powerful warrior, he becomes a hero. His fame arouses the jealousy of King Saul, who senses that David is going to dispute his right to be king - and tries to kill him. David flees from Saul, and finds many supporters and loyal companions who believe that he is destined to be king. In exile, David waits for his time to come, since he does not want to take the place of Saul by violence. He is young and in the prime of his strength, while King Saul is a broken man. When Saul falls upon his sword after losing a battle, David's hour is at hand. The new King David conquers Jerusalem. The magnificent city is to become the royal residence for the glorious hero, who now plans to leave the business of war to others in future and to become a King of Peace. However, this temperamental man, with so many years of battle behind him and still in the bloom of youth, is not predestined for a quiet, orderly life at all. Very soon he plunges into an illicit love affair with Bathsheba, a married woman - an affair that threatens to become the king's undoing when it turns out that she is expecting his child. To conceal his adulterous fatherhood, the king sends Bathsheba's husband Uriah - one of his best and most loyal soldiers - to his death, and then marries her. The prophet and royal adviser Nathan announces to David that his act will result in divine punishment: the Lord will not countenance such an outrage. Violence and evil will continue in David's own family and bring disaster upon the heads of the numerous sons born to David from his wives and concubines. Then the child of David and Bathsheba dies. She gives him another son, Solomon, but very soon David suffers another sharp blow of fate: his grown-up son Absalom kills one of his brothers for the latter's rape of his sister. David is far too mild in response to this: not only does he fail to bring the incestuous seducer to justice, he also leaves the fratricide unpunished. The king does not realise that he is gradually losing control over his family, and that his hold on the people is also growing weaker. For David is obsessed with his plan of building the finest and largest temple in the world in Jerusalem. He demands immense sums from the populace for this project, even though God has commanded him to leave the completion of the building to his successors. David's ambitious son Absalom thus finds it very easy to drum up support for a conspiracy against his father. After a fierce battle, culminating in Absalom's death, David makes it back to Jerusalem.
- DirectorTimothy A. CheyStarsMiles SlomanJerald SokolowskiPaul HughesThis epic movie filmed in North Africa and London follows young shepherd David as he takes on the mighty warrior Goliath against all odds.
- DirectorWallace BrothersStarsMatt BerberiMichael Wayne FosterJohn KnoxAt the crossroads of two great ancient empires, a simple shepherd named David transforms into a powerful warrior and takes on a terrifying giant. One of history's most legendary battles is retold in a stylistic, bloody tale of courage and faith.
- DirectorMarcello BaldiStarsNorman WoolandGianni GarkoLuz MárquezDavid of Bethlehem slays the giant and becomes a rival to King Saul.
- DirectorHenry KingStarsGregory PeckSusan HaywardRaymond MasseyAfter King David sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing from the palace roof, he enters into an adulterous affair which has tragic consequences for his family and Israel.
- StarsBen CrossRichard DillaneAnouk AiméeDavid, now an old man, is still king of Israel. Among his sons, the ambitious Adonijah and the clever Solomon.
- DirectorShahriar BahraniStarsAmin ZendeganiMahmoud PakniatHossein MahjoubSolomon, Prophet and the King, has asked God to give him an ideal kingdom which has never been given to anybody before. He is told to prepare himself and his subjects with evil and unearthly creatures that haunt the men.
- DirectorJ. Gordon EdwardsStarsBetty BlytheFritz LeiberClaire de LorezThe story of the ill-fated romance between Solomon, king of Israel, and the Queen of Sheba.
- DirectorPietro FrancisciStarsLeonora RuffoGino CerviGino LeuriniThe Queen of Sheba falls in love with the King of Israel. The King of Israel, however, is in love with someone else.
- DirectorKing VidorStarsYul BrynnerGina LollobrigidaGeorge SandersAfter becoming king of ancient Israel, Solomon faces threats coming from his jealous dispossessed brother Adonijah, the Egyptian Pharaoh and the scheming Queen of Sheba.
- DirectorRobert M. YoungStarsHalle BerryJimmy SmitsNickolas GraceQueen of Sheba goes on a secret business trip to meet king Solomon.
- CreatorChris BrancatoAdam CooperBill CollageStarsRay WinstoneOlly RixMohammad BakriA biblical drama centered around a battle-weary king, a powerful and resentful prophet, and a resourceful young shepherd.