David and Bathsheba ** (1951, Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Raymond Massey, Kieron Moore) – Classic Movie Review 5495

Director Henry King’s 1951 biblical film is the second book of Samuel according to screen-writer Philip Dunne, producer Darryl F Zanuck and the 20th Century Fox studio. It was nominated for five Oscars – Best Story and Screenplay, Best Cinematography Color, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Color, Best Costume Design Color and Best Music – but there were no wins.

It stars Gregory Peck as King David, who lusts infatuatedly after Bathsheba (Susan Hayward), the wife of one of his soldiers, starts an adulterous affair, makes her pregnant, and brings on the wrath of God.

But, exciting though that may sound, alas, Alfred Newman’s score is more stirring than the movie. Fox lavishly spent money on it (a high for the day $2,170,000), and it is up there on screen, all shiny and glossy looking in Leon Shamroy’s Technicolor cinematography.

But the movie is all too intensely reverential and sombre, and the acting is uninspired, apart from Raymond Massey’s forceful turn as the Prophet Nathan. Peck and Hayward do their level best and come out honourably enough.

It seems long, but, at less than two hours (116 minutes), it is actually a short running time for a biblical epic, one of the many at this early-Fifties period when they were in vogue.

Also in the cast are Kieron Moore, James Robertson Justice, Jayne Meadows, John Sutton, Dennis Hoey, Walter Talun, Paula Morgan, Francis X Bushman, George Zucco, Gwen Verdon, Teddy Infuhr, Leo Pessin, Gilbert Barnett, John Burton, Lumsden Hare, Holmes Herbert, Robert Stephenson, James Craven and Allan Stone.

It is choreographed by Jack Cole, the Art Direction is by Lyle R Wheeler and George W Davis, the Set Decoration is by Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox and the Costume Design is by Charles Le Maire and Edward Stevenson.

Zanuck thought Peck had a biblical face, so he cast him as David!

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5495

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