King David

***Good but lacks the detail to make it great*** David is my favorite biblical character aside from JC himself. I never tire of reading the events of his life: the trials & perseverance, the agonies & ecstasies, the successes and failures. "King David" (1985) stars Richard Gere in the titular role and covers the bulk of the events. You’ll see all the following happenings in the picture: Samuel's choosing of David as successor to King Saul; Israel's battles with the Philistines; the fight with the hulking Goliath and David's victory with a sling shot; David playing his harp to soothe Saul's…

I never quite understood why Richard Gere became the Hollywood superstar he did, and films like this don't really help. It's a standard production depicting the rise to the throne of Israel of David. We start just as God is getting a bit irked with the behaviour of King Saul (Edward Woodward) and the prophet Samuel (Denis Quilley) decides that the young David is to succeed. The King isn't so impressed with this and so sets about to ruin his would-be successor in the eyes of the army and the people. What now ensues takes us on some biblical adventures including that deadly slingshot moment…

King David (1985) can feel silly and surreal in retrospect and perhaps even did a little at the time. A future Buddhist plays a legendary Jewish king, and the little cymbal boy that precedes the prophet Samuel (Denis Quilley) anywhere he goes reminded me of Patsy “riding” in front of King Arthur while banging a pair of coconuts together — a reference that would have been only 10 years old when King David was released. Samuel, however, is deadly serious. More importantly, if this were Monty Python and the Holy Grail, God would be Sir Not-Appearing-in-this-Film. The latter is what makes King…