King David 1985

The film traces the life of David, drawing mainly from biblical accounts—especially the Books of Samuel, 1 Chronicles, and the Psalms of David—to paint a portrait of a shepherd boy who becomes a legendary king.

In 1000 B.C., Saul of Israel breaks his covenant with God after failing to destroy the Amalekites. The aging prophet Samuel declares that Israel will need a new king, and anoints David, the youngest son of Jesse. David initially rejects the prophecy, asking that God tell him directly.

In the middle of a costly war with the Philistines, Saul summons the young David, following Samuel’s dying instructions. When the Philistine army challenges Israel, a giant named Goliath dares the Israelites, and the unassuming David volunteers and defeats him with a rock and sling, earning the respect of his countrymen and the fear of their enemies. David rises as a champion warrior in Saul’s army and eventually marries the King’s daughter, Michal. Yet Saul’s fear grows as the people’s adoration shifts toward David, and he contemplates the possibility of being supplanted. He orders David captured, but Jonathan helps him escape.

David seeks refuge with the High Priest Ahimelech, who teaches him the word of God and reveals the Ark of the Covenant hidden in a cave. Saul and his troops close in, and Ahimelech helps David flee, but the priest is slain by Saul for harboring a fugitive. David spends years as a nomad, gathering a loyal following, marrying multiple wives, and raising two sons, while learning to rely on faith and wit.

Tired of life on the run, David faces Saul: he first sneaks into Saul’s camp and steals his sword, then confronts him the next day, proving that he spared Saul’s life and does not seek open conflict. Saul is humbled and proclaims his love for David as a surrogate son. Yet peace remains fragile, and David’s men warn him that danger lingers, urging him to seek refuge with the Philistine lord Achish (a figure outside the central cast). David agrees to serve as a mercenary in exchange for protection, under the condition that he not be forced to fight Saul. Saul and Jonathan are eventually killed in battle at Mt. Gilboa, and David is crowned King of Israel.

As king, David’s rule is marked by vanity, ego, and tentative obedience to his prophets’ guidance. He entertains a grand plan to build a temple to house the Ark, a project opposed by his prophet Nathan on grounds of humility and divine preference for simplicity. When Michal rebukes him, he becomes entangled with a woman named Bathsheba, who pleads for justice after her husband’s mistreatment and the king’s stalled promises to her. David ultimately arranges for Uriah(/actor/james-lister) to die in battle, and he and Bathsheba marry.

At the wedding reception, troubles multiply: Absalom, David’s son, murders his half-brother Amnon after Amnon rapes their half-sister Tamar. David’s laws demand punishment, but he spares Absalom and banishes him instead. The drama intensifies as Nathan confronts David about Uriah’s death, and he warns that the king’s first-born with Bathsheba will not survive. David pleads for forgiveness, yet the child dies after seven days. The couple’s second son, Solomon, survives and is named heir to the throne, even as David questions the rightful line of succession due to Absalom’s banishment.

During Absalom’s years of exile, he gains followers and campaigns to overturn the king, presenting a just image to the people and challenging David’s rule. David’s advisers fear treachery, but he defends his son’s cause. Absalom’s rebellion grows, and in the ensuing battles he is killed while fleeing, leaving David to grapple with profound grief. Nathan’s rebuke later reminds him of the consequences of his choices, and David gradually accepts the path laid out by the prophets, guiding Israel to triumph over the Philistines and to restore order in the realm. He dismantles the symbol of his earlier vanity—the Ark temple—and rules with renewed humility and justice.

After forty years on the throne, Solomon is anointed to continue the lineage, and on his deathbed, David urges his son to govern with a true heart, recalling the enduring bond with Jonathan that quietly shaped the crown. This legacy—of faith, failure, forgiveness, and a king’s complicated—but ultimately purposeful—journey through triumph and trial, remains at the heart of the film’s enduring portrayal of a man who is both celebrated and flawed, a figure who embodies both the grandeur and the burden of leadership.