''A Story of David'' (also known as ''David the Outlaw'') is a 1961

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

- Israeli

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Bob McNaught and starring

Jeff Chandler Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting ...

Basil Sydney Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor. Career Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit ''Romance (Sheldon play), Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star Doris Keane, and he c ...

and

Peter Arne Peter Arne (born Peter Randolph Michael Albrecht; 29 September 19181 August 1983) was a British actor. He made more than 50 film appearances including roles in '' Ice Cold in Alex'', '' The Moonraker'', '' Conspiracy of Hearts'' and '' Victor/Vi ...

. It depicts the life of the

Biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

King

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

and his conflicted relationship with King

Saul Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late eleventh c ...

. It was one of the first films made for television.

Plot

becomes jealous of the popularity of his protege and son-in-law David. David goes into hiding. In a fit of rage, Saul tries to kill David with a spear, but David manages to escape and gathers a group of followers. Saul becomes increasingly obsessed and relentlessly hunts David to kill him, but David refuses to fight Saul, out of respect for him as king. Therefore, David keeps moving from one territory to another to avoid Saul's attacks, while Jonathan, Saul's firstborn son and David's best friend, assists him in his escape.

Cast

King Saul Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late elevent ...

as Doeg * David Knight as Jonathan *

Barbara Shelley Barbara Shelley (born Barbara Teresa Kowin; 13 February 1932 – 3 January 2021) was an English film and television actress. She appeared in more than a hundred films and television series. She was particularly known for her work in horror film ...

as Abigail *

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...

as Nabal *

Richard O'Sullivan Richard O'Sullivan (born 7 May 1944) is an English comedy actor. He is known for his role as Robin Tripp in the TV sitcoms ''Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and '' Robin's Nest'' (1977–1981) and as the title character in the period adven ...

Abiathar Abiathar ( ''ʾEḇyāṯār'', "father (of) abundance"/"abundant father"), in the Hebrew Bible, is a son of Ahimelech or Ahijah, Kohen Gadol, High Priest at Nob, Israel, Nob, the fourth in descent from Eli (Bible), Eli and the last of Eli's Ho ...

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

as Jashobeam * David Davies as

Abner In the Hebrew Bible, Abner ( ) was the cousin of King Saul and the commander-in-chief of his army. His name also appears as "Abiner son of Ner", where the longer form Abiner means "my father is Ner". Biblical narrative Abner is initially men ...

* Angela Browne as Michal * John Van Eyssen as Joab * Martin Wyldeck as Hezro * Charles Carson as Ahimilech * Zena Marshall as Naomi *

Alec Mango Alec Mango (16 March 1911 – 7 November 1989) was an English actor. Best known for portraying El Supremo in the 1951 '' Captain Horatio Hornblower'', he also appeared in '' South of Algiers'' (1953), '' The Strange World of Planet X'' (1958), ...

as Kudruh * Peter Madden as Chief Herder

Production

The film was a co-production between ABC-TV and

William Goetz William B. Goetz (March 24, 1903 – August 15, 1969) was an American film producer and studio executive. Goetz was one of the founders of Twentieth Century Pictures, and later served as vice president of 20th Century Fox after the studio's me ...

. It was shot in Israel and London. It was intended that the film be released as two one-hour episodes for TV in the US and as a feature in other countries.Renewal at Allied for Jeff Chandler: 'Plunderers' Pleases Studio; Star Urges Subsidy for Films Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 4 October 1960: A9. Part one was to be called ''David the Outlaw''; part two ''David the Hunted''. "It's a simple story," said Chandler "only half a dozen people in it. There'll be no chariot race." Filming took place in Israel in August and September 1960; Israel troops guarded them near the Jordan border. The unit then shifted to Elstree studios in London. Filming had completed by October. During filming Chandler met

David Ben Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder and first prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency from 1935, and later president of the Jewish Agency ...

Release

ABC could not find a sponsor for the program. It eventually screened on ABC as a Sunday night movie in 1962. The film drew record high ratings and prompted ABC to commission a series '' Great Bible Stories''.

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "''A Story of David'' has the simple charm of Sunday School story ... Unexpectedly, the narrative has more than a touch of the traditional Western, with the uncomplicatedly honest outlaw gathering his forces together against unikely odds In order to rout the badman's reign of violence. And, as in a minor Ford Western, with its gallery of comfortingly familiar faces, Bob McNaught devotes much of his film to bold strokes sketching in the uncomplicated warmth and humanity of the goodies ... to set against the sneering treachery of the baddies. A little more action, and more boldness in the use of exteriors might have sparked soff an attractive trend in Biblical Westerns."

References

External links

*
A Story of David
at Letterbox DVD 1961 drama films 1961 films British drama films Films shot at Associated British Studios Israeli drama films Films about David Films set in the 11th century BC Films set in Jerusalem 1960s English-language films 1960s British films {{Israel-film-stub