BRATTLEBORO — On Saturday April 11, the Brattleboro Concert Choir, directed for 25 years by Susan Dedell, will present the Academy Award-winning film Samson and Delilah, starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr at the Latchis Theatre at 4 p.m.
The Bible story of Samson and Delilah has passion, intrigue, super-human strength, tribal loyalties, and vengeance. Producer-director Cecil B. DeMille released Samson and Delilah in 1949 and it became the top moneymaker that year, raking in $11 million, to make it the third highest-grossing film for its time, behind Gone with the Wind and The Best Years of Our Lives.
Variety called it a “lusty action story.” Garnering two wins out of five Oscar nominations – for Best Art Director and Best Costume Design – Samson and Delilah was a success by any measure.
DeMille's scriptwriters fashioned the screenplay from the Book of Judges, and the novel Judge and Fool by Vladimir Jabotinsky. Colorful, entertaining and action packed, Samson and Delilah tells the ultimate story of love, regret, and the power of seduction pitted against brute strength.
The Brattleboro Concert Choir presents the film version of Samson and Delilah in preparation for its two performances of Handel's dramatic oratorio Samson in May at the Latchis Theatre.