| King David | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster |
|
| Directed by | Bruce Beresford |
| Produced by | Martin Elfand |
| Written by | Andrew Birkin James Costigan |
| Starring | Richard Gere Edward Woodward Alice Krige |
| Music by | Carl Davis |
| Cinematography | Donald McAlpine |
| Editing by | William M. Anderson |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1985 |
| Running time | 115 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
King David is a film about the ancient king of Israel, King David.
It was filmed in 1985 in Matera, Italy. It was directed by Bruce Beresford and starred Richard Gere in the title role.
Conflicts with Biblical text
- In the Bible (I Samuel 17:40), David chooses five smooth stones from the riverbed, before the battle. In the movie, he scampers at the last moment to grab any stones from the ground.
- According to The Book of Samuel the stone David slung sank into Goliath's forehead (I Samuel 17:49). In the movie, it bounces off his forehead.
- In the Bible, David escapes from the palace of King Achish of Gath by feigning madness. (I Samuel 21). Absurdly, the movie reverses this, and has David gaining access to Achish - who apparently does not have enough madmen yet - by pretending to be insane.
- In the Bible, after King David commits adultery with Bathsheba and has Uriah killed, his children - first Amnon, then Absalom, rebel against him. The movie reverses the chronological order, having the punishment first and then the sin.
- Queen Michal scolds David for his dance before the Ark of the Covenant using sarcasm: "How glorious was the King of Israel today!" This, according to the Bible. In the movie, the sarcasm disappears, and Michal says simply and coldly: "I saw no king."
- "I live in a house of cedar," David says, quoting the Bible - but the house shown in the movie is made of carved stone - ashlar - not cedar.
- In the Bible, David is denied the honor of building the Temple because he has shed too much blood - most notoriously that of Uriah. In the movie, the problem is that he has not shed enough blood: He has not exterminated the Canaanites.
Other inaccuracies
- The swords used by King Saul's armies bear a heavy resemblance to swords of Roman design rather than those of the Semitic nations of the time.
- The Star of David is used as the symbol of the Hebrew kingdom during Saul's reign.
