Tuesday, May 31, 2016

By the Gods!

Delilah (Rosalba Neri) and Prince of Gaza (Paolo Gozlino) in GREAT LEADERS OF THE BIBLE

This version of the fabled story is the second part of a film made with two short stories taken from the bible (the first story is Gideon). Not bad but this Italian version, which is just about one hour long, showcases the fundamental problem with the story of Samson & Delilah : there's simply not enough to warrant a full length feature. Even the 1949 Hollywood version by Cecil B DeMille was stretched and padded to the point of being almost a parody. It's a story that can easily be told in 15 minutes. Rosalba makes an interesting Delilah but the fellow who plays Samson, Anton Geesink, gives an even more boring take on the famous role than Victor Mature. But the true star of this short segment is Paolo Gozlino. Every time he's on screen, you can't take your attention away from him.

1 comment:

Scott Ochiltree said...

Hedy Lamarr may not have looked as authentically Middle Eastern as Rosalba Neri (here in very heavy makeup), but Hedy was great in the role of Delilah.

Indeed, she always gave a first rate performance.