A story of faith, temptation and tragedy will launch the fourth season of the Special Collections Motion Picture Archives Film series with a free showing of Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah."
The movie will be shown at Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library auditorium on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. Children 8 and older are welcome. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and early arrival is recommended for assured seating. No food or drink is permitted in the auditorium.
The 1949 Academy Award-winning "Samson and Delilah" starred Victor Mature and Hedy Lamar and was directed by the legendary DeMille, who had scored hits with his earlier religious epics "The King of Kings," "The Sign of the Cross" and "The Crusades."
"'Samson and Delilah' was the film that began the flood of religious epics spanning the 1950s and 1960s," said James D'Arc, curator of the Special Collections Motion Picture Archives and director of the film series.
"It demonstrated to a post-World War II movie industry that audiences were ready for this kind of entertainment again. It was the number-one film of the year and won Academy Awards for costume design and art direction," he said.
The series is cosponsored by the Friends of the Harold B. Lee Library and Dennis and Linda Gibson. The fourth season schedule includes the following films:
- Oct. 23, "The Thing From Another World," a thriller from producer Howard Hawks.
- Nov. 20, "The Far Horizons," starring Fred MacMurray and Charlton Heston as explorers Lewis and Clark.
- Dec. 11, "The Bishop's Wife," with Cary Grant and Loretta Young.
- Jan. 29, "Angels With Dirty Faces," starring James Cagney
- Feb. 26, "His Girl Friday," with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.
- March 25, "Winchester '73," with James Stewart.
- May 20, "Since You Went Away," with Claudette Colbert, Joseph Cotton and Shirley Temple.
For further information, contact Special Collections at (801)422-6371, or visit sc.lib.byu.edu.
Writer: Rachel M. Sego
