this film be famous for several quality represent a literate script and for once in partly religious film making and by philip dunne and some very good performance and a first rate production in every department and it intelligent direction by veteran henry king . if one be make a film and then get such talent a leon shamroy a cinematographer and lyle wheeler a art director and alfred newman a composer of original music would guarantee a quality production . add the cast of this film and include gregory peck and susan hayward a the title character and james robertson justice and raymond massey and kieron moore and jayne meadow and john sutton plus a dance by gwen verdon and expectation might be raise that the resulting film could be make into something special . but in a biblical subject script and usually a sub genre prone to illogical motivation and miraculous intervention and everything would ultimately depend on the author skill . philip dunne here have supply human being and a rare achievement in biblical film . david be a man in this film and many side and not someone do mythical deed on paper in the old testament . gregory peck make him curious and passionate and self control and self deprecate and appeal . a bathsheba and hayward be scarcely the perfect choice but convey a good deal of common sense earthiness and emotional normalcy that help one see why the king of israel would risk so much for her . the rest of the cast be stalwart and capable by turn . the familiar storyline provide them little to work with and but author dunne and the cast do as much a be possible with the human situation . david youth be tell in flashback while how he be choose by a prophet of yahweh to be king of israel and and earn his way to be second to the king and saul and by defeat goliath the phiiistine in battle when all else be afraid to beard the giant warrior . thereafter and he finally be drive from the court of king saul of israel and become a famous warrior and and return to claim the kingdom and become the instrument of death of jonathan and the king son and formerly a friend . his war be successful the film open in fact with a successful attack scene while but his life be empty since his wife michal and jayne meadow and be saul daughter and be cold to him . he turn to bathsheba and whom he see from the palace roof bath naked while later she admit she have hop he would see her . but she have a husband and uriah while when she become pregnant and it become necessary for uriah to come in from the battlefield and spend time at home while he instead ask david to set him in the forefront of the battle and even after be arouse by verdon dance . david agree . he be kill and a war hero while but this do not solve the infidelity question . drought come to israel and and the king infidelity be blame for the phenomenon . at last and david place his hand on the ark of the covenant and recently bring to jerusalem and house in a temple and which have cause the death of others who accidentally come in contact with it and invite his god to punish him and nothing happens . david exit the temple and and find that rain have come to his parched land . this film be always interesting and vary in it type of scene and physically beautiful . the director and author make use of the observer principle and and be frankly more successful in humanize the character than in almost any film outside the grecianized near eastern canon and wherein the feat be a bit easy since neither miraculous nor religious theme be make central in such adventure . . well remember for it glowing realization and fine performance and intelligent dialogue and this dramatic effort bear repeat study .