"WORD ENTERTEINMENT
A biblical tale of love, tragedy, loss and redemption.
King David (Gregory Peck) falls in love with Bathsheba (Susan Hayward), the wife of one of his soldiers, Uriah (Kieron Moore) and carries on with her in secret, abetted by his personal assistant Abishai (James Robertson Justice). When Bathsheba becomes with child and her husband has been nowhere near her, David fears that she will be stoned as an adulteress, a common occurrence in the city. He conspires to have Uriah killed in battle. The prophet Nathan (Raymond Massey) brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem but leaves it at the city gate because he is convinced that some unforgivable sin from within the walls is responsible for a crippling drought. He soon realizes that the sin lies with David himself.
David and Bathsheba still holds up as a fine Bible picture. It presents great Bible characters as flesh and blood people with all-too contemporary problems. King David is a devout believer troubled by his inability to fill the shoes of his predecessor, Saul. He s constantly reminded by his vindictive wife Michal (Jayne Meadows) that he started as a lowly shepherd. On opposing walls of his living quarters are Saul s spear and his old shepherd's harp, a pair of incompatible symbols that frequently comment on the drama.
David is in a very modern bind. He s sworn to uphold God s law, which is administered by the humorless prophet Nathan. Jerusalem reveres David for killing Goliath, but that was many years before. His present popularity vacillates depending on how the harvest fares, almost like a Pagan ruler, David is held directly responsible for the weather, which depends on God s favor. He can t hide with memories of his days as a shepherd, as even the old soldier he meets among the flocks (tellingly missing one hand) says that nobody could replace Saul.
God s influence is very real in David and Bathsheba, even if the script leaves squirming room for interpreters who downplay Biblical miracles. As a holy duty, but also perhaps to cement his good standing with his people, David recovers the Holy Ark of the Covenant and brings it to Jerusalem. But Nathan keeps it outside the walls, pending more intuitive signs that the city is in God s good graces.
David is very much not in God s grace, as he s carrying on a torrid adulterous affair with the wife of one of his Army officers. David and Bathsheba exchange modern rationalizations about not being loved, but they both know exactly what they're doing. The flesh is weak, and their affair makes David doubt himself further even as he s sorely needed to be the spiritual leader of his people, God's law and Civil law are one and the same.
David eventually abuses his power for his personal gratification, putting his entire kingdom in jeopardy. No single element can be extracted from the problem. The alluring Bathsheba wants a more fulfilling life, but she s not innocent: She purposely bathed where David could see her in hopes of igniting an affair. For this she may be stoned at the gates of the city, as are common women caught in adulterous acts. David is pinned from all sides. Nathan won t let him free of his responsibility to come clean of his sins, and his wife and own ambitious son are all too eager to see him fall from power. David has the physical ability to silence his accusers, and he desperately wants to save Bathsheba s life, but he cannot do that and preserve his kingdom as well.
David and Bathsheba presents this intriguing story with a maximum of good taste. The royal affair is not glamorized. It starts out as a political problem for David and slowly creeps into every corner of his self-image. The script doesn t try to hide the fact that David is both a devout believer and a practical ruler; he doesn t necessarily believe in miracles. He looks for possible non-miraculous reasons why the soldier died instantly upon accidentally touching the Ark. He s sincerely reaching for forgiveness when he turns his back on Nathan, putting his faith in a direct appeal to God.
Edition 2008
02/2008
#3231080#
