It's a Biblical biopic of King David (Ian Sears/Richard Gere) set about 900 BCE in the Kingdom of Israel. The movie follows the chronology of the Old Testament's 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st Chronicles. Occasional verses from Psalms also enter the script.
We see a flamboyant and erratic Saul (Edward Woodward), as well as severe prophets Samuel (Denis Quilley) and Nathan (Niall Buggy). We see David's rise in popularity after overcoming Goliath (George Eastman) and his increasing tension with Saul despite marrying Saul's daughter, Michal (Cherie Lunghi), and his significant friendship with Saul's son, Jonathan (Jack Klaff). Of course, we meet Bathsheba (Alice Krige), various children of David's, and military leaders like Abner (John Castle) and Joab (Tim Woodward).
Critics have generally dismissed this movie. It survived better than I expected despite some noticeable flaws. The script is uneven and lays too few clues for those unfamiliar with the Biblical text. It does take liberties with the Old Testament text in places. It would have improved with an additional 30 minutes of nuance and flinched less about the era's brutality. The script's brevity meant many characters, like Jonathan, though extremely important, received short shrift. Woodward, Quilley, and Buggy were strongest in their roles, and Gere was quite passable.
We see a flamboyant and erratic Saul (Edward Woodward), as well as severe prophets Samuel (Denis Quilley) and Nathan (Niall Buggy). We see David's rise in popularity after overcoming Goliath (George Eastman) and his increasing tension with Saul despite marrying Saul's daughter, Michal (Cherie Lunghi), and his significant friendship with Saul's son, Jonathan (Jack Klaff). Of course, we meet Bathsheba (Alice Krige), various children of David's, and military leaders like Abner (John Castle) and Joab (Tim Woodward).
Critics have generally dismissed this movie. It survived better than I expected despite some noticeable flaws. The script is uneven and lays too few clues for those unfamiliar with the Biblical text. It does take liberties with the Old Testament text in places. It would have improved with an additional 30 minutes of nuance and flinched less about the era's brutality. The script's brevity meant many characters, like Jonathan, though extremely important, received short shrift. Woodward, Quilley, and Buggy were strongest in their roles, and Gere was quite passable.