Samson and Delilah is a German/Italian/American television film that was first shown on TNT in the United States. It was directed by Nicolas Roeg and broadcast December 8, 1996.
Plot
Samson is chosen by God to destroy the Philistines, who have occupied the land of Canaan. He is given the greatest strength ever known to man as long as he remains true to his vow and its conditions, yet he is not convinced of his purpose, preferring instead to spend his time with Philistine company. He eventually falls in love with a Philistine woman and decides to marry her, but is betrayed by her on his wedding day. He soon learns that she was blackmailed by the Philistine leaders who are plotting his demise, and goes to reclaim her, but she has been murdered along with her entire family.
Meanwhile, one of the king's courtiers, Delilah, is convinced of her ability to bring even the mighty Samson to his knees. She engineers a meeting, andSamson is immediately taken with her. They begin a relationship, and Delilah convinces Samson of her love, ultimately seducing him into telling her the secret of his strength, and renders him helpless. Samson is therefore captured by the Philistines, who blind him and make him into a slave, forcing him to grind grain at a millstone. At a celebration of his defeat, he is brought in chains to be both an example and entertainment for his captors. Unbeknownst to them, his strength has returned through divine intervention, and as he stands between the two pillars that support the building, he asks God for forgiveness. He then pushes against the pillars, collapsing the building and killing those inside, including himself and Delilah.
Cast
Eric Thal as Samson
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Young Samson
Elizabeth Hurley as Delilah
Dennis Hopper as General Tariq
Diana Rigg as Mara
Michael Gambon as King Hanun
Daniel Massey as Ira
Paul Freeman as Manoah
Ben Becker as Prince Sidqa
Jale Arıkan as Naomi
Pinkas Braun as Harach
Alessandro Gassman as Amrok
Debora Caprioglio as Rani
Sebastian Knapp as Yoram
Matt Green as Elder Yoram
Karl Tessler as Jehiel
Leo Gregory as Young Jehiel
Luke Mullaney as Amran
Tobias Saunders as Young Amran
Tim Gallagher as Habor
Mark McGann as Mahal
Luke de Lacey as Philistine Soldier
John Forbes-Robertson as Philistine Doctor
Mary Hanefey as Delilah's Servant
Neil Robinson as Yoram as Narrator
Production
The film was entirely shot in Ouarzazate, Morocco from early March and late June 1996. The Italian actor Giorgio Francesco Palombi was one of the film's stunt performers. He later appeared in TNT's biblical television film David as Goliath of Gath. A male African lion from Thousand Oaks, California's Animal Actors of Hollywood named Sudan was trained by Hubert G. Wells, Sled Reynolds and Victoria Vopni. Wells and Reynolds previously trained Sudan in Big Top Pee-wee followed by The Ghost and the Darkness. Animatronic engineers from Jim Henson's Creature Shop in London provided a mechanical lion for the animal's attack sequence.