So-so rendition upon the Biblical story dealing with the long haired strongman who fatally falls in love with tempter Delilah . Middling rendition based on the bouncing judge Samson (Eric Thal) who defeated Philistines, but was betrayed by Delilah (Elizabeth Hurley) robbing him his strenght by shearing his hair . Samson is born and as foretold he grows into a boy (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) with amazing strength. As time passes, Samson becomes an attractive young man and young women begin to interest him more and more. Samson was a valiant and hunk judge from the tribe of Manasseh. His violent and troublesome existence is told in the Bible, books 13 to 16, book of Judges. Here are narrated the usual episodes about his life as his loving affairs, fight against a roaring lion , removing enormous doors, firing land and harvests, his impressive battle thousands of Philistine soldiers by using a donkey jaw , falling down the temple of Dagon along with the giant sculpture of the pagan idol and many other things . Samson was the strongest man alive in Israel , fighting his two main enemies , ruler Re Hamun (Michael Gambon ) and Generale Tariq (Dennis Hopper) and he unfortunately falls in love for a Philistine girl, but after being rejected by the mighty hero, Delilah discovers his dark secret based on an incredible strength provided by the hair, as she informs his enemies and while shearing his curls. According to the biblical account, Samson was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats such as killing a lion, slaying an entire army with only the jawbone of an ass, and destroying a pagan temple. Samson had two vulnerabilities, however: his attraction to untrustworthy women such as Delilah and his hair, without which he was powerless. One day the Philistine leaders assembled in a temple for a religious sacrifice to Dagon, one of their most important deities, for having delivered Samson into their hands. They summon Samson so that people can gather on the roof to watch. Once inside the temple, Samson, his hair having grown long again, asks the servant who is leading him to the temple's central pillars if he may lean against them . He pulled the two pillars together , and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people . Thus he killed many more as he died than while he lived .
Known Biblical episode, being here decently narrated with some nice scenes and other ones extremely absurd and disconcerting. Spectacularly horny as well as corny tale that uses the habitual landscapes from Ouarzazate, Morocco . Regularly starred by Eric Thal as the corpulent Samson, and gorgeous, charming Elizabeth Hurley playing the tempter , vindictive vixen Delilah. The movie boasts a good support cast, such as : Michael Gambon as the mean and powerful Re Hamun , Dennis Hopper who steals the show as a nefarious villain, Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a very young Sansone , Alessandro Gassman, Daniel Massey, Paul Freeman, Diana Rigg ,Debora Caprioglio , Sebastian Knapp , Pinkas Braun , among others . The motion picture was middlingly directed by Nicolas Roeg . Nicolas was an expert cameraman and filmmaker , he went to Australia for his solo debut as director Walkabout (1971) , which was also his last film as cinematographer, and throughout the next decade he produced a world-class body of work Don't look now (1973); The man who fell to Earth (1976); Bad timing (1980)) that revealed his uniquely off-kilter view of the world, expressed through fragmented, dislocated images and a highly original yet strangely accessible approach to narrative .
Other films dealing with this Biblic figure are the following ones : Samson and Delilah 1950 by Cecil B DeMille with Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, Angela Lansbury, Henry Wilconson. I grandi condottieri or The Biblical Judges 1965 by Marcello Baldi and Francisco Perez Dolz with Anton Geesink, Rosalba Neri, Ivo Garrani, Barta Barri, Fernando Rey. 1984 by Lee Philips with Anthony Hamilton, Belinda Bauer, Max Von Sidow, Stephen Match . Last one was Samson (2018) modern version of the Biblical romance by Bruce MacDonald and Gabriel Sabloff with Taylor James , Caitlin Leahy , Billy Zane , Jackson Rathbone , Greg Kriek , Auret , Lindsay Wagner and Rutger Hauer . Furthermore, this huge figure starred a lot of Sword and Sandals movies or Peplum, usually played by Steve Reeves, Reg Park, Alan Steel, Brad Harris, Gordon Scott and many others.
