Journal of Religion & Film Volume 22 Article 33 Issue 1 April 2018 3-30-2018 The rP oblem with David: Masculinity and Morality in Biblical Cinema Kevin M. McGeough University of Lethbridge,
[email protected] Recommended Citation McGeough, Kevin M. (2018) "The rP oblem with David: Masculinity and Morality in Biblical Cinema," Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 22 : Iss. 1 , Article 33. Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol22/iss1/33 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Religion & Film by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. The rP oblem with David: Masculinity and Morality in Biblical Cinema Abstract The King David of the Bible, and especially as portrayed in the books of Samuel, is one of the most complex characters in ancient literature. We are told his story from his youth as a shepherd until his death as king of Israel. He kills a mighty warrior with a slingshot, goes to war with his king and later his son, and has an affair that threatens to throw his kingdom into disarray. The ts ories surrounding David seem perfect for cinematic adaptation yet what makes this character so compelling has been problematic for filmmakers. Here, three types of Biblical filmmaking shall be considered: Hollywood epics (David and Bathsheba (1951), David and Goliath (1960), and King David (1985)); televised event series (The Story of David (1976) and The Bible: The Epic Miniseries (2013)); and independent Christian films (David and Goliath (2015) and David vs.