Gregory Peck, Gwen Verdon, James Robertson Justice

The story of how King David brought sorrow to his land when he fell in love with a married woman and arranged her husband's murder.

Flixster Users

51% liked it

278 ratings

Unrated

Directed by: Henry King

Release Date: August 10, 1951

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: February 7, 2007

Stats: 24 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Photos


None yet... Got one?

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (24)


  • November 9, 2009
    Preposterous biblical extravaganza, it is so overproduced, a gaudy production, exaggerated sets and costumes. It isn't the least bit convincing, the acting is wooden by all, even Gregory Peck. Phony and awful.
  • August 13, 2009
    Biblical adaptations always appeal to me as a kind of shortcut to actually reading the Bible. But after watching the film, I usually realise that (1) much of it is either inaccurate or the product of invention and (2) it would have taken me less time to read the relevant bible ch...( read more)apters instead.

    This is exactly what I discovered after enjoying this biblical romance: the whole story takes about two pages in my RSV Ignatius Holy Bible, which would have taken me about a quarter of an hour to read carefully; and the whole ending is completely made up.

    At the risk of spoiling the film, the main divergences with the biblical account are a major inversion in the narrative (in 2 Samuel, Nathan tells the story of the lamb before David's son falls ill and dies; here, we jump directly to the end of David's seven-day penance, the son dies, and Nathan tells his story); and the invention of a whole subplot in which the people rise against David, demanding that Bathsheba be lapidated, and David goes to the Tabernacle, does additional penance, and is vindicated by God. In 2 Samuel, David's son dies, and then it is written: "Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him, and sent a message by Nathan the prophet; so he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord" (24-25.)

    This said, the added bits, if purely invented, did not seem to me to betray the Old Testament theology, contrary to many modern films which not only reinvent the facts, but make up completely bogus theologies, either as strawmen, or for shock value, or because the screenwriters want to show how clever and original they can be. So the truth of the story is preserved, if not the facts. What the screenwriter probably tried to do was to reconstruct the psychology of David from the Psalms that are attributed to him (a perilous exercise.)

    What seemed wrong, however, was David deliberately touching the Ark of the Covenant as a way of testing God. This was an act of desecration, which showed more defiance of God's commandments than trust in his mercy.

    The Tabernacle itself probably does not conform to the biblical descriptions, which are rather detailed. In particular, I seem to have spotted that the altar to burn incense had four rings, rather than two as described in Exodus 30, 4. But that's nitpicking.

    The flashback in the last sequence I also found to be a mistake from a dramatic point of view. It might be interesting to edit it out and see whether the film does not work better that way.

    For a comparison, I suggest the TV movie "David" starring Nathaniel Parker and Sheryl Lee. It covers the whole story of David (with Jonathan Pryce as Saul and Leonard Nimoy as Samuel), and is therefore longer (190') but I seem to remember that it was more faithful to the original. (The Old Testament titles in this series are rather good, while the New Testament ones are generally mediocre, quite unexplainably.)
  • August 11, 2009
    wow what a movie 2 watch....i have just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch.....its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie.....i think that gregory peck, gwen verdon, james robertson justice, raymond massey, kieron moore, j...( read more)ayne meadows, susan hayward play good roles/parts throughout this movie....i think that the director of this drama/biblical/swords-sandals movie had done a great job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie....i think that the fight scenes were pretty kewl throughout this movie its a good movie 2 watch n its enjoyable
  • September 5, 2008
    good sword n sandal flick
  • May 13, 2008
    The holes in Holy Scripture are left up to interpretation. What were the character's motivations for their crimes? How did the events of the Bible play out? The interpretation in this movie is by far interesting. A take that I did not consider. It's a good piece of art that does ...( read more)not conflict with the Bible. It even quotes the Psalms several times. I enjoyed it. Plus, Gregory Peck is muy caliente!
  • July 3, 2007
    A great Bibical story.

Critic Reviews


No recent reviews.

Comments


This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "David and Bathsheba" !

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Robe
    The Robe (67%)
  • Sodom and Gomorrah
    Sodom and Gomorrah (100%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

David and Bathshe... : Watch Free on TV


David and Bathsheba Trivia


  • Who played David in "David And Bathsheba"?   Answer »

Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for David and Bathsheba. Want to create one?

Video Clips


No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?