Customer Reviews

Oscar Wilde's Salome / Steven Berkoff

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You have to accept Steven Berkoff's premise at the start, namely to sweep Oscar Wilde's prescribed Victoriana off the stage and let his opulent prose stand on its own. It's not the ONLY way to do Salome, but it is an enthralling one, and the job is carried off to near perfection. The use of piano music (by Roger Doyle) is inspired, thickening the pantomimic stage action with extra dimension, and creating a genre somewhere between cinema and opera. And Myriam Cyr is simply the SEXIEST Salome ever acted -- another positive fallout of a spare abstract stage: her sexuality flashes out sharp as a laser. By an irony of ironies, however, the biggest acting disappointment is Steven Berkoff himself, the directorial genius behind the production, who plays Herod. He speaks his lines with a cutesy-wootseyness that attempts to spotlight Herod's effeteness, but in doing so he lurches instead, and annoyingly, into high-school slapstick. Far from titillating, these Herodic histrionics are the dullest, draggiest moments of the production. Everything Berkoff says in his Special Features interview about his rationale for the face paint, the spare staging, the absence of props, the "Kabuki look," rings true and is eloquently borne out in action -- save for his own jokey-baroquey performance as Herod, which runs afoul of his own canons of spareness. But a bigger caveat is that THIS DVD SHOULD HAVE COME WITH AN ENGLISH SUBTITLE TRACK. Wilde's intricate script, the boomy miking (no clip-on mikes), a big echoey stage, and several mushy choral passages all make for moments of blurred text. English subtitles would have given clarity at a click. Shame on Kultur, the otherwise excellent production company which brought out this DVD, for shirking this small extra expense.

This is a gem that needs to be discovered by a wider audience, as Oscar Wilde's SALOME has finally appeared on DVD...Prior to this, you had to rely on the silent film SALOME and the great Richard Strauss opera, but now you can savor the language of Wilde's play as it was intended...Steven Berkoff directed a performance that shuns the trappings of props and sets and allows the actors to mime the action when needed. Initially, I was concerned about this approach, but I was soon swept away by the strong performances of the ensemble cast...Stephen Berkoff plays Herod, and though there are moments where he borders on high camp, he provides a riveting performance of the lust filled King...Mark Lewis delivers John the Baptists words powerfully, and I could not help but notice the similarity of his delivery and that of Michael York's great portrayal of the Baptist in Jesus of Nazareth....Carmen Du Sautoy is an effective Herodias, and praise must be given to Myriam Cyr who captures the conflicted and tortured soul of Salome brilliantly. The intensity of her performance will keep your attention throughout....Regarding Berkoff's direction, one might become initially put off by the slow motion pace of the play, but it was Berkoff's desire to frame every word in order to emphasize Wilde's greatness. You will soon discover that the pace and clarity of the spoken words only heighten the drama, and the pace quickens as one delves deeper into the play...You will undoubtedly find this a remarkable experience which only seeing SALOME live could offer as serious competition, and it should be noted that these are indeed wonderous times when one can enjoy such works as Oscar Wilde's SALOME in the comfort of our homes....Enthusiastically recommended!

In his interview on the DVD, Steven Berkoff states that he directed this play as a memorial to Oscar Wilde. This is not Oscar Wilde as we think of him. Wilde was lavish and ostentatious. Wilde was sublime in his wit. Berkoff presented a monument to himself only. As Berkoff states, he stripped away all of the props and scenery, the very essence that make Wilde what Wilde is. In truth, Berkoff achieved a monument to "the actor" as supreme being, not a memorial to the author and the intent of the author for this play. Instead of displaying wit, instead of presenting the author's words as intended, instead of presenting the multilayered tragedy of Oscar Wilde's Salome, Berkoff turned a tragedy into comedy. Berkoff's insistance on slow motion movement and slow motion dialog buried any resemblence to Oscar Wilde. It is a farce, a cross between mime and Kabuki that falls flat on its white face in the middle of an empty stage.
Instead of this disgrace to the name of Oscar Wilde, I would recommend that you read Oscar Wilde's play. Or better still, get one of the marvelously done productions of Strauss' opera based on the play. The opera remains close to Wilde's text and is accompanied by superb music. And for culture's sake, stretch yourself with the versions in German.
Sadly, when the only cheese available in the grocery store is Velveeta, all you can do is make macaroni and cheese. Berkoff serves up great macaroni and cheese, but I miss the subtleties to which we are now accustomed in our markets.
While Berkoff's performance is sickening, the female leads eventually abandon his influence enough to salvage reasonable performances. Salome's dance is suitably seductive, and her mad scene becomes believable.
As for Jokanaan, a pilar of salt would be more expressive and more flavorful. He reached right down to the bottom of his soul, and there was nothing but a man in a pit yelling.

May I suggest the Ken Russell film Salome's Last Dance? This is a superb rendering of the complete play within a setting purporting to be the first, private performance in a "private club" which is actually a brothel.This is difficult to get hold of but WORTH THE TROUBLE. Try it.

Nothing beats seeing live theatre live. It is a stimulating, multi-sensual experience that can not be experienced through film - even live theatre caught on film. For all theatre devotees who were not at the live performance of Steven Berkoff's visionary production of Oscar Wilde's "Salome", however, we can be grateful for this DVD release.
"Salome", in beautifully ornate, potent language, tells the heady tale tale of a rebellious, emotionally and morally confused Princess - Salome- who is obsessed with The Prophet Jokanaan. Jokanaan has been imprisoned by Salome's uncle and stepfather King Herod and during a night of decadent revellry, the palace resounds with his cries of accusation against Herodias, Salome's mother and Herod's wife.
Herod, and insecure and lascivious social nouveu-riche King is afraid to have Jokanaan killed but when he demands that his desirable step-daughter dance the Dance of the Seven Veils for him, promising her anything she desires up to half of his Kingdom, Herodias and Salome conspire to have The Prophet's head.
Berkoff employs Kabuki and Mime techniques in the performance style and divests the production of trappings such as Props and Scenery, with only and few minimal levels on the stage. The cast of decadent revelers are costumed in clean, stark 1920's costumes and pale stylised make-up, contrasting with Jokanaan's loincloth and earthy appearance.
Everything about the production is precise, from the mimed movement to the ensemble work to the delivery of Wilde's words as precious jewels. Yes, the pace may be hobbled, but so is Kabuki - and whoever said theatre should not require an attention span. This will reward with an hypnotic, intense and very stimulating experience. All cast are to be applauded for their performances.
If you like theatre, if you want a revelation of its power, see this!

I am amused by the bowing and scraping in the other reviews on this piece. They are the product of what I have always called "The Emperor's New Clothes Syndrome." These reviewers are simply afraid of perhaps revealing a lack of erudition or understanding if they say that Berkoff's treatment of Wilde's SALOME is just asinine. I am an actor with approximately 160 plays and musicals under my belt in addition to some 80 opera productions, and from both the standpoint of the performer and the viewer I feel quite confident in saying that this production is utter drivel. Wilde would be spinning in his grave, and justifiably so. All this directoral nonsense overlaid on a magnificent script is pathetic. Even Richard Strauss had better sense than to take such liberties with the piece.

Who edited this?

It is like you have Jack Nicholson as the Joker but keep cutting to watch a deadpan extra instead. It is like having PeeWee Herman in his Playhouse but keep cutting to Laurence Fishburn's Black Cowboy standing and under-reacting to PeeWee's antics INSTEAD OF SHOWING THEM. It is like having Jim Carrie in the Mask but keep cutting to a sleepy Cameron Diaz (who at the time was hot). It is like having Joel What's His Name in Cabaret but cutting to someone sleeping in the audience.

The most interesting thing about this Japanese Kabuki theatre style production is John the Baptist chewing the carpet but especially the Director/Actor Berkoff who milks each word for all it is worth with his wonderful elastic pantomime face (which reflects Carrie beautifully in the MAsk, PeeWee, and the Joker), but whoever editted this DVD keeps cutting to the dreary somnambulant Salome (obviously not up to the part) and the aloof Queen.

The editorial review is wrong in stating who inspired this bit of writing. This is strictly a morality play which has never been presented nor perceived as intended. It is a profound theological piece with many POV's of theology clashing. Read the entire original writing in the French as Wilde wrote it, preceding his compatriot Beckett who also wrote his dramas in French originally. Unfortunately Wilde did not serve as his own translator, but left that task to an incompetent who produced an overly flowery, stilted and "biblical" style.

Wilde as always speaks to the hypocrisy, corruption, perversity, greed, lustfulness, sloth, sinfulness and sickness of the almighty British Empire who jailed him not for his actions but to silence him.

Excellent presentation but I kept wanting to throw things at the screen everytime they cut from Herod's major speeches to show Salome doing absolutely NOTHING but lying on the floor or walking slowly, without even a reaction to Herod's expressions. I would rather watch the very facile and competent Mr. Berkoff, the center of interest and expression during his speeches and otherwise.

But one other comment please:
AFter playing the over the top clown very well overnight, Mr. Berkoff would have done well to deliver the final line extremely low key, almost sleeping, in zombie slow motion, as he forced the rest of the cast to do throughout, very casually. THat would have a much more powerful epiphany and cathartic conversion than screaming it consistent with his earlier tone.

But what do I know?