Samson

There have been twenty-three film adaptations of the plays of Henri Bernstein and 'Samson', first presented in Paris in 1907 has been filmed no less than four times. This version, the only one with 'sound', is courtesy of master film-maker Maurice Tourneur with a powerhouse performance by Harry Baur in the first of their fruitful collaborations.

Bernstein is guaranteed to offer a dose of harsh reality and behind the gloss and glamour lies a deeply cynical depiction of the arrogance and greed of the upper echelons of French society, a class that the playwright knew only too well. He himself spent the war years living it up in New York at the Waldorf Astoria with little or no interest in the war.

The film begins innocuously enough but from the moment that Baur as wealthy financier Brachart realises that he has been cuckolded, it takes on a far darker hue as he seeks revenge on his wife's lover and builds to a thrilling if somewhat melodramatic climax. The Samson of the title, like his Old Testament namesake, shakes the columns of the temple, not of the Philistines but of the Paris Stock Exchange, ruining both his rival and himself.

The superlative Monsieur Bauer goes through the gears here, from mild-mannered to maniacal, combining pathos and villainy. Strong support from stalwarts Gaby Morlay, André Luguet, Gabrielle Dorziat, André Lefaur and an especially touching Suzy Prim.

A little known but fascinating opus that boasts excellent production values and suffice to say, immaculate direction by Monsieur Tourneur.

Watching this morality tale unfold calls to mind Henry Ford's observation: "Money doesn't change men. It merely unmasks them."