King David

"a lamp unto his people"
When this film was released in 1985, the critics were not kind, but I love this film, and think it's a good telling of the story of David, based on I and II Samuel, I Chronicles, and the Psalms. Though much of it has been compressed (David's relationship with Bathsheba is limited mostly to the consequences of it for instance) and some creative license used for plot continuity, it has a tremendous amount of Biblical accuracy.
Taking place from 1000 to 961 B.C., the costuming, sets, and artifacts are fabulous; filmed in Pinewood Studios, U.K., and on location in Italy, the cinematography by Donald McAlpine is wonderful. The score is also lovely, by Carl Davis.

The brief nudity in the wedding chamber sequence has in my tape, been darkened so as to be imperceptible; either this is a flaw in the tape, or an effort not to offend and capture a wider audience, which would be silly, as this is a very mature drama. It contains much brutal violence making it unsuitable for children, and...

King David portrayed by Richard Gere...
Richard Gere conforms gloriously to the role of David. His countenance changes and he makes for a fabulous King David. And Ian Sears made the perfect young King David. The story begins with the life of a lowly shepherd boy whose bravery and faith in his God ascend him to the throne of ancient Israel. Telling the legend from David's battle with Goliath, to his self-destructive love for Bathsheba, to the anointing of his son Solomon by the prophet Nathan to be the King Of Israel. This was a very interesting making of the life of King David. I would enjoy seeing it again.

A Nice Biblical Drama
This can by no means claim to be a perfect depiction of the biblical story of King David but it is by no means a lost cause either. It is a pretty fair little drama. Some license has been taken with the scriptural story but it is more faithful than most film adaptations. It is also a pretty good movie.

This film tells the story of King David, the successor to King Saul and the founder of the Davidic line. It begins by showing Saul's disobedience and goes from there to David's anointing as king. Even so, David will not lift his hand against Saul who is also an anointed king. The film demonstrates David's strengths as well as his weaknesses. He was a good man after God' own heart but he was by no means perfect. He pays for that imperfection.

This film is NOT the place to learn scripture but it does communicate the fundamentals of the story rather well and does so in a very viewable manner. It was enjoyable.

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