Salome (B or 3/4 stars)
'Salome' (directed by William Dieterle) is one of those opulent religious epics that slayed the box office throughout the 1950s. It's big, beautiful, robustly acted, but a tad hokey, in spots. When you watch, you get the strong impression that this is NOT how it all went down in the history books, haha. Still the film is mostly entertaining & offers quite a few pleasures. The movie begins when Rome's tyrant dictator Tiberius Caesar (Sir Cedric Hardwicke, underused) fails to give his assent to his nephew, Marcellus Fabius, or his request to marry the beautiful Princess Salome (Rita Hayworth), because she's not a Roman -- and therefore a barbarian {nice, huh?}. She is even banished from Rome; where she has always lived. She must now return by boat to Galilee, where her corrupt stepfather King Herod (Charles Laughton) & her scheming birth mother Queen Herodias (Judith Anderson) rule the land.
Along for the ride on the slave-driven boat with Salome are Pontius Pilate (Basil Sydney) & the tall, dark, handsome military commander, Claudius (Stewart Granger), a secret follower of John the Baptist & his 'new religion'. While in Galilee, John the Baptist (impressive Alan Badel) preaches sedition by telling people not to obey Herod & Herodias because they are adulterers (she married Herod's brother before him) & are not the rightful rulers by the Law of Moses. Herodias plots his demise & wants him executed immediately, but Herod's adviser Ezra warns him of the prophecy not to harm John or suffer a fate worse than death. But wives are wives, & Herodias forces Herod to arrest the prophet. In private, Herod tells John that if he stops his Messiah-like denunciations ... then he can go free. John refuses (of course) & is jailed. Herodias then sneakily tricks her beautiful daughter Salome into dancing the Dance of the 7 Veils in front of Herod. Herodias butters him up by promising that he can "have" Salome if he delivers the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Melodrama ensues.
This film, along with 1953's Miss Sadie Thompson, marked a welcomed return to cinema for the 34 yr.old Rita Hayworth after quite a few years away (she married Muslim Prince Aly Khan). But let's talk about the movie, a bit. The script largely ignores Holy Scriptures & plays around with it - falsely making Salome out to be a convert of John the Baptist, who helped the doomed prophet instead of her true role as a wanton temptress. They movie studio made this change so as to not have his megastar portraying an evil woman. The screenwriters even found a way to pave a happy-ish ending for Salome & Claudius. Speaking of their female megastar, Rita Hayworth is in good form as Princess Salome. She looks incredible, of COURSE. Her acting performance is pretty good. And her aforementioned Dance of the 7 Veils is a sight to behold (Hayworth would later claim that it was the most difficult thing she ever had to learn/execute for the big screen).
Stewart Granger is impressive as the handsome commander who is torn btwn. his military duties, his love for Salome, as well as how to accept this John the Baptist. Charles Laughton is wonderfully over-the-top, yet quietly seething in other moments (I just loved the guy, even if he IS evil). And Judith Anderson commands the screen with her domineering, wicked ways -- I wouldn't want to mess with her! So yeah, the direction is a bit heavy-handed, at times. The revisionist story, as written in the script, is pure Hollywood hokum. And though this film is considered an epic (historical context, big sets, lavish costumes, sweeping music, hundreds of hired extras), there's something ... minor ... about the entire production. All that said, the pomp, splendor, Technicolor cinematography, & performances from the powerhouse cast all goes a long way in making this flawed motion picture as engaging as it is.
Along for the ride on the slave-driven boat with Salome are Pontius Pilate (Basil Sydney) & the tall, dark, handsome military commander, Claudius (Stewart Granger), a secret follower of John the Baptist & his 'new religion'. While in Galilee, John the Baptist (impressive Alan Badel) preaches sedition by telling people not to obey Herod & Herodias because they are adulterers (she married Herod's brother before him) & are not the rightful rulers by the Law of Moses. Herodias plots his demise & wants him executed immediately, but Herod's adviser Ezra warns him of the prophecy not to harm John or suffer a fate worse than death. But wives are wives, & Herodias forces Herod to arrest the prophet. In private, Herod tells John that if he stops his Messiah-like denunciations ... then he can go free. John refuses (of course) & is jailed. Herodias then sneakily tricks her beautiful daughter Salome into dancing the Dance of the 7 Veils in front of Herod. Herodias butters him up by promising that he can "have" Salome if he delivers the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Melodrama ensues.
This film, along with 1953's Miss Sadie Thompson, marked a welcomed return to cinema for the 34 yr.old Rita Hayworth after quite a few years away (she married Muslim Prince Aly Khan). But let's talk about the movie, a bit. The script largely ignores Holy Scriptures & plays around with it - falsely making Salome out to be a convert of John the Baptist, who helped the doomed prophet instead of her true role as a wanton temptress. They movie studio made this change so as to not have his megastar portraying an evil woman. The screenwriters even found a way to pave a happy-ish ending for Salome & Claudius. Speaking of their female megastar, Rita Hayworth is in good form as Princess Salome. She looks incredible, of COURSE. Her acting performance is pretty good. And her aforementioned Dance of the 7 Veils is a sight to behold (Hayworth would later claim that it was the most difficult thing she ever had to learn/execute for the big screen).
Stewart Granger is impressive as the handsome commander who is torn btwn. his military duties, his love for Salome, as well as how to accept this John the Baptist. Charles Laughton is wonderfully over-the-top, yet quietly seething in other moments (I just loved the guy, even if he IS evil). And Judith Anderson commands the screen with her domineering, wicked ways -- I wouldn't want to mess with her! So yeah, the direction is a bit heavy-handed, at times. The revisionist story, as written in the script, is pure Hollywood hokum. And though this film is considered an epic (historical context, big sets, lavish costumes, sweeping music, hundreds of hired extras), there's something ... minor ... about the entire production. All that said, the pomp, splendor, Technicolor cinematography, & performances from the powerhouse cast all goes a long way in making this flawed motion picture as engaging as it is.