A flamboyant romance with a righteously sanctimonious high religious air, Salome was a kitschy spectacle, directed by William Dieterle and produced by Buddy Adler from a screenplay by Harry Kleiner and Jesse Lasky Jr.
Grade: C+
| Salome | |
|---|---|
Original film poster
|
The music score was by George Duning, the dance music by Daniele Amfitheatrof and the cinematography by Charles Lang.
Rita Hayworth’s costumes were designed by Jean Louis. Hayworth’s dances for this film were choreographed by Valerie Bettis.
This film was the last one produced by Hayworth’s production company, the Beckworth Corporation, released through Columbia.
The film stars Hayworth as Salome, as well as Stewart Granger, Charles Laughton and Judith Anderson, with Cedric Hardwicke, Alan Badel and Basil Sydney.
In Galilee, during the rule of Tiberius Caesar, King Herod and Queen Herodias are condemned by John the Baptist, a prophet. John labels Herodias an adulteress for her marriage to Herod, her former husband’s brother.
Marcellus, nephew of Caesar, petitions his uncle to marry Herodias’s daughter, Salome, and receives a message stating that he is forbidden to marry a “barbarian.” Salome is also sent a message that she is banished from Rome for seeking to rise above her station, and will be escorted back to Galilee.
The original title of the film was “Salome, Dance of the Seven Veils.” Hayworth’s erotic Dance of the Seven Veils routine was the most demanding of her entire career, with endless takes and retakes
Most critics dismissed the Technicolor movie as a gaudy and garish affair, overacted by Laughton and Judith Anderson, while displaying a lower grade seductiveness from Hayworth, who began to show signs of aging.
Salome was a bigger hit in Europe than in the US.
Cast
Rita Hayworth as Princess Salome
Stewart Granger as Commander Claudius
Charles Laughton as King Herod
Judith Anderson as Queen Herodias
Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Tiberius Caesar
Alan Badel as John the Baptist
Basil Sydney as Pontius Pilate
