David and Bathsheba

"Mighty as Goliath!"

1951 2h 3m EN

😐

5.8

MID

🍅

60%

FRESH

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★5.8TMDB · 75🍅60%Rotten Tomatoes★6.1IMDB · 2,854

DramaRomanceHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

King David enters into an adulterous affair with the beautiful Bathsheba, which has tragic consequences for his family and Israel.

“Mighty as Goliath!”

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Cast

Gregory Peck
King David
Susan Hayward
Bathsheba
Kieron Moore
Uriah
Raymond Massey
Nathan
James Robertson Justice
Abishai
Jayne Meadows
Michal
John Sutton
Ira
Dennis Hoey
Joab

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Henry King
Writers: Philip Dunne
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Henry King, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward and Kieron Moore carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Mighty as Goliath!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0043455 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Henry King directs. Leon Shamroy behind the camera. Alfred Newman scores. Barbara McLean cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
275 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Henry King, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward and Kieron Moore carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Mighty as Goliath!".
8IMDB entry: tt0043455 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 75 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Original score: Alfred Newman
Editing: Barbara McLean
Costume design: Edward Stevenson
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,170,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: David and Bathsheba (1951)
Rotten Tomatoes: 60% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 2,854 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Nominated for 5 Oscars. 3 wins & 10 nominations total

Also by

Henry King

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-07-02
★ 8/10
I have to admit that I greatly enjoy the swords-and-sandals genre, whether of Christianity or of other types. This was solidly directed by King and had strong performances by Peck, Hayward and Massey, and was greatly touching at the end when David discovers the overwhelming and incredible power of forgiveness, particularly he of himself. Heartily recommended--it deserved its five Oscar nominations, even though it wasn't much of a cinematic year, to be sure.
CinemaSerf2023-02-12
★ 6/10
Right from the opening bars of Alfred Newman's (overpowering) score, this has Darryl F. Zanuck all over it. Rousing music, grand structures, glittering costumes and a cast that, well, must have had spare capacity on their contracts. Taken - at times verbatim - from the biblical books of Samuel, this installs Gregory Peck as the famed King David (he of Goliath fame) who is rather unhappily wed to Michal (Jayne Meadows) with two children about whom he is, at best,"relaxed". Each day from his terrace he espies the glamorous wife of the captain of his guard, and one evening gets his loyal factotum Abishai (James Robertson Justice) to summon "Bathsheba" (Susan Hayward) to come and have dinner. Fairly promptly, we realise that the two have the hots for each other and with her husband "Uriah" (Kieron Moore) almost always away defending king and country, opportunity for the pair beckons readily. She becomes pregnant and so the king has to think on his feet. Can he bring the husband back and perhaps pass the baby off as his? If not - he must marry her and that means finding a legitimate way to dispose of poor old "Uriah". Needless to say, and as pointed out by the sagely "Nathan" (Raymond Massey), the Lord is less than pleased with this sinful behaviour and soon the rivers are running dry and the populace are on the verge of starvation and revolution. Can David appease his vengeful God? Can he save his (now) wife from a stoning? Cecil B. DeMille this isn't, and Peck - I thought - is hopelessly mis-cast. He is way too wooden and has too much of a decent American about him to carry this off. Hayward is better, she carries her role a bit more naturally but JRJ as an Hebrew butler and Massey as an harbinger of doom don't really work at all. What this did point out to me, as did the bible verses when I read them aeons ago - was just how unpleasant the "Lord" could actually be to his flock. Here are David and Bathsheaba having all the fun and yet it is the innocent people, the children, the animals who are punished. Surely he could have found a more direct way of retribution? Anyway, this film does look good but proceeds far too slowly and lethargically to really engage and at just shy of two hours, I was well and truly ready for the Heavenly chorus at the end.