It’s often very hard to predict what Imprint will pull out of their hat each month. Still, I don’t think there was any foresight over the February release of King David on Blu-ray, starring Richard Gere and directed by Australia’s very own Bruce Beresford. It’s a biblical drama so random on the surface that it feels as though it just materialised only recently by forces unknown.
Beginning in 1000 B.C., this two-hour epic follows the life of David, from anointed young shepherd to King of Israel, drawn from the Books of Samuel and Chronicles.
Unlike the big-budgeted Christian epics of the 1950s, such as The Robe, The Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur, this 21-million-dollar production is modest by comparison. It’s a grounded story of predestination, but it does not flinch in its depiction of Old Testament brutality between the Philistines and Israelites. The film’s first half is an engaging and fascinating journey that explores the willingness to follow prophetic figures and some of the negative effects it has on those in power, suddenly threatened by the newly ordained. As seen with King Saul, played triumphantly by Edward Woodward.
As we enter the second half with David now ruling unopposed, the film becomes quite boring as numerous clichés of how power corrupts and the eagerness for lineage occupy much of the character’s frame of mind, and the way it’s executed is very flat in tone.
Richard Gere is miscast as David, to put it lightly. The odd role came in the middle of a career lull after Gere’s two breakout hits, American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman. It wasn’t until Pretty Woman in 1990 that the leading man was back on top.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- NEW Audio commentary by film historian & critic Jim Hemphill
- NEW Video essay by writer and podcaster Suzanne Boleyn
Avoiding the bare-bones treatment for what is an obscure title, Imprint has commissioned a new commentary and video essay that provides background in the making-of and a well-researched history lesson in cinema’s biblical genre.
VIDEO AND AUDIO
Originally released on Blu-ray back in 2022 by Paramount in the United States, the 1080p presentation has been repurposed by Imprint Films. The 2.39:1 image is decent, and it’s clearly an HD scan, offering strong natural colours and moderate sharpness, while the LPCM 2.0 Stereo track serves the dialogue-heavy material well. There’s also considerable bass, which is felt during the brief encounter between David and Goliath. English subtitles are included, and the disc is region-free.
King David feels like an anomaly rather than a certified classic. While often beautifully shot, with authentic costuming worn by the characters from various walks of life, the script is too underdeveloped for the big screen, but enough to justify the viewing.
KING DAVID
(1985, director: Bruce Beresford)
★★★½
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direct blu-ray screen captures
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