David and Bathsheba (1951)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The acting in this movie is really good.

In the 1950s, Hollywood was in love with making religious epics. The films made money and all sorts of salacious material could be mixed in...all in the name of Christianity! It was much worse in the 1940s, when the films were often much more sexual and inappropriate. Instead, in the 50s the sex was a bit more implied and the dialog a bit goofier. For every excellent religious film from Hollywood, such as "Ben Hur" or "Demetrius and the Gladiators" there were some really awful films like "Solomon and Sheba" or "David and Bathsheba". Perhaps it's because the prior films were not based on Biblical stories but were more about Biblical times--- so staying faithful to the Bible was not a serious issue. With the latter two films, however, there just isn't much in the Bible about these folks. "Solomon and Sheba" was based on just a few verses and "David and Bathsheba" only a small portion of one book. So, to make up for this, the writers took creative liberty with the stories-- embellishing them wildly and giving them some laughably bad and stilted dialog. As for "David and Bathsheba" it's also burdened by ridiculous casting. After all, Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward?!?! Yup...there sure must have been a lot of extremely well coiffed red-heads back in the times of King David!!So what does the film have going for it? Well, it's in color and the print looked really nice.

It would have been nice if the screen writer would have read the Bible first... This is ridiculous and much of the dialogue ludicrous... I found myself laughing. Michael berating her husband. She would have been dead for entering his chambers without an invitation. But my two favorite stupid lines: 1st Bathsheba: "Perhaps you would prefer truth to honesty, Sire". Time to get out the thesaurus! And 2nd, King David: "That soldier who laid his hands on the Ark - he was only trying to be helpful". Seriously stupid lines! Some of the movie is cute like David showing off for Bathsheba by trying to hit a tree with a rock in his sling. But overall, it's a love story of sorts, with adultery, murder, battles and David freaking out - but not Bible based. Susan Hayward is lovely and of course a great actress although I've never thought of Bathsheba as a red-head! Ha! Gregory Peck is charming as ever and makes a handsome David. It's a nice story just not based on fact. If you want to see real Bible stories watch the new Bible Series (2013).

Boring and often tedious, this picture was a disappointment to me.Despite its great stars, Gregory Peck, when supposing to look pensive, looks more like a raving lunatic. Susan Hayward has done far better work than this. Sometimes, she appeared hesitant.Raymond Massey stole the show as the prophet.The very best part of the movie was the excellent, haunting musical score. It really got you in the mood for some of what was to come.This is definitely a film of temptation and ultimate redemption. Perhaps, it would have been better had they spoken more about Goliath. Goliath would not have been satisfied with the film. Perhaps, he was needed to put an end to all of it.Surprised to have seen Jayne Meadows, of all people, as David's wife due to political reasons. She was nasty and definitely had her moments in the film.Gregory Peck must have been used to assuming another Jewish role, for 4 years before, he played Phil Green, a non-Jew masquerading himself as a Jew to get material for an article on anti-Semitism in the magnificent "Gentleman's Agreement." As for Susan Hayward, she proved her mettle in Judaism 4 years later, as Jewish singer Lillian Roth in the phenomenal "I'll Cry Tomorrow." In fact, we could have all cried when we saw this 1951 film. Of course, Hayward would be crying much more for a David in 'Tomorrow.' The irony of a film career, may it never end.

I've always believed that David and Bathsheba was a film originally intended for Tyrone Power at 20th Century Fox, although Gregory Peck does give a good account of himself as King David, the monarch with a wandering eye.A whole lot of biblical subjects get covered in this film, adultery, redemption, sin, punishment and generally what God expects from his followers.When you're a king, even king in a biblically prophesied kingdom you certainly do have a lot of prerogatives not open to the rest of us. King David has many wives, including one really vicious one in Jayne Meadows who was the daughter of Saul, David's predecessor. But his eyes catch sight of Bathsheba out in her garden one evening. Turns out she's as unhappily married to Uriah the Hittite as David is to quite a few women. Uriah is one of David's army captains. David sends for Bathsheba and him being the King, she comes a runnin' because she's had her eye on him too.What happens, an affair, a pregnancy, and a carefully arranged death for Uriah in a battle. But an all seeing and knowing Deity has caught all of this and is not only punishing David and Bathsheba, but the entire Kingdom of Israel is being punished with drought, disease, and pestilence.The sexist law of the day calls for Bathsheba to have a stoning death. David shows weakness in his previous actions, but here he steps up to the plate and asks that the whole thing be put on him. He even lays hands on the Ark of the Covenant which was an instant death as seen in the film.My interpretation of it is that God admires guts even if you're wrong and he lets up on David and forgives them both. Bathsheba becomes the mother of Solomon and she and David are the ancestors of several successors in the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah until they're both conquered.Susan Hayward is a fetching Bathsheba caught in a loveless marriage with Uriah played by Kieron Moore. The only thing that gets Moore aroused is a good battle. I liked Kieron Moore's performance as a brave and rather stupid horse's rear. No one can lay the law down like Raymond Massey. His Nathan the Prophet is in keeping with the John Brown character he played in two films, same intensity. So when His own law called for death, why did God spare Bathsheba and keep David on the throne. Maybe it was the fact He just didn't want to train a third guy for the job. He'd replaced Saul with David already. But I think the Christian interpretation might be that this was a hint of the New Testament forthcoming, that one might sin and receive mercy if one asks for it penitently. I'll leave it to the biblical scholars to submit interpretations.Watch the film and you might come up with an entirely new theory.