Samson and Delilah (1922 film)
Encyclopedia
Samson und Delila is an Austria
n silent film
, premiered in Vienna
on 25 December 1922. It was released in the United Kingdom
in October 1923 as Samson and Delilah. The film, the first to be made at the Rosenhügel Film Studios, which were still under construction at the time, was directed by Alexander Korda
under the aegis of the Vita-Film
company and was among the first epic film
s to be made in Austria.
(Ettore Ricco, opera singer); and Ernst Arndt
(Cassari, and theatre impressario). Samson himself, who features comparatively little, was played by Alfredo Galoar aka Alfredo Boccolini. Other parts were played by Oscar Hugelmann and Franz Hauenstein.
on one of his earlier films, subcontracting to Vita-Film
. He also contributed to the screenplay, on which other writers were Sydney Garrick and Ladislao Vajda. Cinematography
and camera work were under Nicolas Farkas, Maurice Armand Mondet and Josef Zeitlinger. Karl Hartl
, at the beginning of his career, was assistant director and also editor. The set builder was Alexander Ferenczy and the special effects were provided by the pyrotechnician
Oscar Wallenbach, while the costume design and wardrobe were provided by Remigius Geyling and Alexander Konja
release was in Vienna on 25 December 1922. It opened in Finland
on 10 September 1923, in the UK in October 1923 and at Osaka
in Japan
on 18 June 1925. It was released in the United States in 1931, after being provided with a soundtrack.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, premiered in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on 25 December 1922. It was released in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in October 1923 as Samson and Delilah. The film, the first to be made at the Rosenhügel Film Studios, which were still under construction at the time, was directed by Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
under the aegis of the Vita-Film
Vita-Film
Vita-Film was founded in 1919 as the successor company to Wiener Kunstfilm-Industrie by Anton and Luise Kolm.By 1923 Vita-Film had built the Rosenhügel Film Studios in the Vienna suburbs, which still stand and are still used for film production...
company and was among the first epic film
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
s to be made in Austria.
Cast
The leading roles were played by Korda's wife, María Korda (Delila, and the opera singer Julia Sorel); Franz Herterich (Abimelech, King of the Philistines, and Prince Andrej Andrewiwitsch); Paul LukasPaul Lukas
Paul Lukas was an Austrian-Hungarian-born actor.-Biography:Born Pál Lukács in Budapest, he arrived in Hollywood in 1927 after a successful stage and film career in Hungary, Germany and Austria where he worked with Max Reinhardt. He made his stage debut in Budapest in 1916 and his film debut in 1917...
(Ettore Ricco, opera singer); and Ernst Arndt
Ernst Arndt (actor)
Ernst Arndt was a German stage and film actor notable for his later career in Austria.-Life:Arndt was born in Magdeburg, Germany. From 1910 he was a member of the Burgtheater ensemble in Vienna. He also made occasional appearances in supporting roles in films...
(Cassari, and theatre impressario). Samson himself, who features comparatively little, was played by Alfredo Galoar aka Alfredo Boccolini. Other parts were played by Oscar Hugelmann and Franz Hauenstein.
Crew
The director was Alexander KordaAlexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
on one of his earlier films, subcontracting to Vita-Film
Vita-Film
Vita-Film was founded in 1919 as the successor company to Wiener Kunstfilm-Industrie by Anton and Luise Kolm.By 1923 Vita-Film had built the Rosenhügel Film Studios in the Vienna suburbs, which still stand and are still used for film production...
. He also contributed to the screenplay, on which other writers were Sydney Garrick and Ladislao Vajda. Cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
and camera work were under Nicolas Farkas, Maurice Armand Mondet and Josef Zeitlinger. Karl Hartl
Karl Hartl
Karl Hartl was an Austrian film director.-Life:Born in Vienna, Hartl began his film career at the Austrian Sascha-Film company of Alexander Kolowrat and from 1919 was assistant to the Hungarian director Alexander Korda...
, at the beginning of his career, was assistant director and also editor. The set builder was Alexander Ferenczy and the special effects were provided by the pyrotechnician
Pyrotechnician
A pyrotechnician is an individual responsible for the safe storage, handling, and functioning of pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic devices. Although the term is generally used in reference to individuals who operate pyrotechnics in the entertainment industry, it can include all individuals who...
Oscar Wallenbach, while the costume design and wardrobe were provided by Remigius Geyling and Alexander Konja
Release dates
The film's German languageGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
release was in Vienna on 25 December 1922. It opened in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
on 10 September 1923, in the UK in October 1923 and at Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on 18 June 1925. It was released in the United States in 1931, after being provided with a soundtrack.