David and Bathsheba (1951)

20th Century-Fox
Director: Henry King
Starring: Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward

For many years Hollywood created big business and boundless rewards in the production extravagant biblical epics. With bright technicolor, lavish sets, excessive costuming, and top studio talent 20^th Century-Fox hopped on the wave to cash in on the trend with a well-known Old Testament story that would be sure to attract of both Christian and Jewish faiths to theaters. A tale that is not only scripture based, but also mixed in a bit of sex with a tad of violence, this cinematic splurge is a spectacle that quickly became the studio’s top grossing feature of the year

  

David and Bathsheba is a biblical epic dramatizing the King of Israelites’ struggles with faith and leadership when he is stricken with a lustful affair. King David (Gregory Peck) is the establish, well-loved king of God’s chosen people when he sets eyes on Bathsheba (Susan Hayward), the wife of one of his finest soldier’s, Uriah (Kieron Moore). Despite knowledge that this relationship would displease the Lord, David initiates the lustful affair with an equally reciprocating Bathsheba. In attempt to cover up their affair David has Uriah dispatched to the army’s front lines to perish, allowing the two to wed, but soon it becomes clear God is very unhappy with their union. Divine punishment comes in form of drought and suffering within the land, and an overall displeasure from the Israelites towards its once beloved king. A distraught David throws himself at God’s most holy vestige, the Ark of the Covenant, in sorrow with idea that it will claim his life, as had been witnessed with other men prior. However, contact with the holy relic delivers David reminders of his divine role, an enlightenment that rights his course of his hallowed path, with hints towards prosperity to come.

 

The film provides all the color, majesty, large set pieces, and aura of a classic biblical epic of this period in Hollywood, but lacks the distinctive punch that audiences come to expect from such a spectacle of the silver screen of this genre. David and Bathsheba focus more on the internal struggle of a holy leader with his desires over that of his heavenly calling. Where it lacks is in the large vistas of biblical wilderness, the grand swarms of extras to flesh out its purposed massive meaning, and above all else the massive action that comes to be expected of a film this size. Gregory Peck plays the fiercely devout man with the internal struggle, but is overly stiff many times. Susan Hayward’s role as the seductive Bathsheba is more of fizzle than steamy once past her initial beauty. The rushed nature of the ending delivers the only moment of climax, the all too familiar David and Goliath story in flashback, leaving one wishing for more of that ilk than what played in the prior 90+ minutes. One cannot feel but a little let down by this feature in an age when Cecil B. DeMille was producing some of the largest and flashiest biblical dramas in cinema history in the same decade.

 

In a primarily Christian country, in a business that with heavy influence from people of Jewish roots, following the greatest global conflict the world had ever experienced, and in an age of blossoming economy like never before, a religious epic served as a groundswell of promising business. Having observed the massive success of Paramount’s Samson and Delilah directed by DeMille in 1949, Fox’s Darryl Zanuck saw a biblical epic would do his studio well.

 

With Fox owning the rights to a number of stories focused on the story of King David, treatments were fleshed out to tell of his story as a young boy that became a great scriptural leader. Contemplating such an all-encompassing plot would make far too long of a movie the story was whittled down to concentrate on just a portion of his life. Decided upon was to focus on his relationship with Bathsheba in order to bring romance and sex appeal to the proposed movie, further padding the tale to make what they thought would be more interesting for movie audiences.

 

Directing duties were given to legendary filmmaker Henry King. His past experiences in epics and religious based features appear to align him well in shaping the adaptation of this tale from the book of II Samuel to the screen. His recent work alongside star Gregory Peck continued to manifest him as a well-liked director among actors. His experience with Technicolor aided his eye in creating a place and time that was vibrant. However, all this experience sadly could not help where the writing was a bit lacking.

 

The production received the usual feature film spectacle treatment with a large budget, location shooting, and Technicolor. Fox stuck to studio talent in the casting of the film with Gregory Peck being one the most successful male draws of the time playing the legendary Old Testament king. Peck was a fine leading man, but as an all-American male figure, his portray can feel like a falter here as all the production could do is clothe him in perceived period garb with a large star of David on his chest to signify him as the great Hebrew leader. Producers at least stayed away from painting the faces of its white actors, a trend that would not stand the test of time. Peck’s role as David is commanding, but stiff at best.

 

Susan Hayward was tasked to play the seductress Bathsheba. An alteration from the biblical story where Bathsheba is more passive, here she is made appear equally the accomplish in a tale where David simply lusts within the source material. Bathsheba as a character is a hollow one at best, built to be little more than eye candy for the feature, lacking in genuine substance, giving Hayward very little to work with other than her flattering wardrobe. At best her performance is forgettable, but her name are the marquee allowed enough to pad the interest of movie goers in the latter half of 1951.

 

The rest of the cast which consisted of likes such as Kieron Moore, Jayne Meadows, Raymond Massey, and James Robertson Justice do not serve much in remembrance either in a feature that fell short of great scenes. Filmed on location in Arizona in late 1950 and early 1951, the setting and art decoration would play larger roles in the ultimate product of the film.

 

With the draw of Technicolor and the recreation of a biblical story audiences were earnest to visit the theater to watch this feature, making it easily the greatest box office draw for Fox in 1951, and third highest grossing film of the year. Critical reviews were mixed citing the pace and story as the weakness of the picture, but that would not hinder the drawing power of the feature at the time. Albeit, the film’s legacy would be far shorter that the other biblical features during this period in Hollywood history.

 

Of course, as any Technicolor biblical epics, the film received its share of award nominations in categories akin to such a production, including Academy Award nods for cinematography, costume design, and art direction. The only worthy nomination would go to Alfred Newman for his epic score, one of many nominations in his long, storied career.

 

As you may well tell, David and Bathsheba is not the best biblical epic. Its slow, lacks any humor to lighten the mood, is not romantic, lacks great religious pull, is in need of more action, and falls short of being timeless. However, it is a reminder of how audiences of the period greatly enjoyed such features and some of the very best were yet to come in this decade. The film is watchable, but just not memorable. If anything, it makes one want to watch the other great films like it, reminding us the attraction we have to movies when it delivers the great stories of the past.