Customer Reviews

Solomon and Sheba

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I must say that this film was a very pleasant surprise. It was released in 1959 when biblical epics were at their zenith. Starring Yul Brynner, Gina Lollobrigida, George Sanders, and Marisa Pavan, this film is not lacking in star power. It is a lush, compelling story.

The film details the rivalry between Solomon (Yul Brynner) and his older brother, Adonijah (George Sands), the warrior. It was a rivalry that grew out of the fact that Adonijah was passed over for succession to their father David's throne upon his death. It was Solomon who was chosen to rule Israel. This was to cause a rift in their relationship that would be irreparable.

The film also details the love affair between the beautiful Queen of Sheba (Gina Lollobrigida) and Solomon, wise in all things except love. It shows how an affair that started out as a political maneuver on the part of the Queen of Sheba would turn into a selfless, passionate love of the heart. It was a love that would almost rend a nation asunder.

Yul Brenner, as the viewer has probably never seen him (with a head of hair), is excellent as the idealistic and tolerant ruler. Gina Lollobrigida turned out to be a much better actress than I had imagined. She is sensational as the beautiful, exotic, voluptuous Queen of Sheba. She also has a figure that must have been the envy of every woman at one time. It is a perfect hourglass figure that shows off her striking and seductive costumes to perfection.

George Sands is compelling as the envious Adonijah, who sought to take what was not his by any means, fair or foul. His desire for the throne would compromise the very existence of Israel and lead to a climactic finale. Moreover, his hatred for the Queen of Sheba was as great as that of his hatred for his brother. This wellspring of emotion was to have great repercussions for all.

Despite a pagan orgy scene that is so over the top as to be laughable, this is a spectacular biblical epic that will keep the viewer riveted to the screen.

United Artist's "Solomon and Sheba", for undeserved reasons often finds its way onto those notorious "Worst Fifty Films of all time", lists compiled by who knows who. Nowhere near as well known as that other great epic of the same year "Ben Hur", this film is a visual feast for the eye and displays all the trademarks of the old school of Hollywood filmmaking, lavish costumes, breathtaking sets, superbly staged battle sequences, unbridled romance and fiery sword play. I'm always impressed by the sincerity that was put into productions like "Solomon and Sheba", in the 1950's where you can see the total commitment to what they were doing by cast and director. Like alot of these epics the polished look on screen often hides the sometimes chaotic goings on behind the scenes. Just a few weeks into production star Tyrone Power suffered a fatal heart attack on set during a sword fight with costar George Sanders. The filming was thrown into disarray as a replacement was frantically sought. Yul Brynner, no stranger to the lavish types of epic productions was quickly cast to take over the role of Solomon, king of Israel. A better choice really couldn't have been made and he combines well with the beautiful Gina Lollobrigida who is ideally cast as the alluring Queen of Sheba.

In the original Bible stories only scant mention was made of the Queen of the mysterious land of Sheba and it revolved around a state visit she made to Israel. The producers have used that one mention to fashion an intriguing story of power, passion and rivalry in the Court of King Solomon. The story of "Solomon and Sheba", begins in the dying days of the life of King David (Finlay Currie) and the growing rivalry between his two sons, warlike Adonijah and studious Solomon . Always his father's choice to lead the 12 tribes of Israel, Solomon is elected King upon David's death which worsens relations between the two brothers. Solomon's great reputation for wisdom and fairness over bloodshed soon earns him the respect of the people but arouses the fears of his neighbours, in particular the Pharaoh of Egypt who fears what Solomon's real plans are, never understanding that a man can be by nature peace loving. To infiltrate Solomon's kingdon the Pharaoh sends his own ally the beautiful Queen of Sheba to spy on him and to achieve by her favours what no army would be able to do, ie, the destruction of everything Solomon stands for. Despite her well laid plans which involve getting Solomon to sacrifice everything he believes in for the pleasure of possessing her the Queen finds her own feelings changing as she begins to see the selfish plans of Pharaoh and the truly great character that Solomon possesses. His love for the foreign queen however inflames the leaders of the twelve tribes to opposition to his leadership as they see Solomon betraying their cause at the feet of a enemy queen and her Pagan Gods. The discontent also inflames the frustrations of Adonijah, long harbouring resentment towards Solomon for being passed over in the succession on their father's death. With support dwindling to almost nothing Solomon then faces the forces of Pharaoh who invades Israel only to be beaten by the much smaller armies of Israel who come together for the sake of the twelve tribes and destroy Pharaoh's armies by the ingenious method of reflecting sun off their brightly polished shields causing the Egyptians to fall into deep ravines on the battlefield. In the final confrontation after the mob attacks the Queen of Sheba with stones, Adonijah fights Solomon in the ruins of the famed temple and is killed, finally freeing Solomon from his heinous interference. In the final fadeout by a magical transformation the Queen is returned to life unmarked by her battering with stones and vows to return to her own land to try and introduce some of the wise policies and way of thinking possessed by Solomon.

Being the last directoral effort of veteran King Vidor and boasting a larger than usual budget the viewer is treated to a sumptuous production. The acting so often dismissed as hokey in these types of films is uniformily fine here with Yul Brynner excellent as the pacifist Solomon. He had great ability with handling "biblical dialogue" as was already seen in his commanding performance in De Mille's "The Ten Commandments". George Sanders, always excellent with villianous characters is also ideally cast as the ambitious Adonijah, who's life work is to steal Solomon's throne. Gina Lollobrigida makes a memorable Queen of Sheba and she is both majestic and seductive, in particular in the at times over the top orgy scene where she lures Solomon into the pleasures of the flesh. Production values are top rate with breathtaking on location photography in Spain passing for parts of the Holy Land. Special effects also play a prominent role in the stunning visuals of "Solomon and Sheba", from the outstanding battle scenes showing the destruction of the Egyptian army, to the destruction of the Temple by lighting.

"Solomon and Sheba", is a personal favourite of mine and has so much more of interest in it compared to alot of modern epics. It also still contains the eerie last minutes of Tyrone Power's life preserved in the climatic sword fight scene between Solomon and Adonijah where if you look closely enough some long shots of Tyrone Power were retained to obviously save on the expense of refilming the whole scene. It makes for rather unsettling viewing. For all lovers of large scale epic productions "Solomon and Sheba", is unsurpassed entertainment and I highly recommend it.

Yul Brynner's role reminds me quickly of his role in The Ten Commandments as he and a half-brother are rivals for the throne. He pulls off the part quite nicely and the scene in which he judges which of two women is the true mother of a child is well done. The rivalry makes sense, but the involvement of the Pharaoh of Egypt seems contrived and gimmicky. There is suspense building up steadily and it is easy to like Solomon and to sympathize with his dilemma. This Bible movie does not have as much scriptural content upon which to base a plot and therefore has more of a challenge in production than a story of King David or of Samson might have; nevertheless, a believable plot is offered and the work is admirable. On the negative side, I thought the Prophet Nathan was too young and that the beauty of the temple was greatly minimized.

Solomon and Sheba is a film more famous for original star Tyrone Power's death two-thirds of the way through shooting than for anything it achieved once the cameras started rolling again with Yul Brynner in the role (having shot most of the big exteriors, there simply wasn't enough footage of Power in the key scenes with Gina Lollabrigida's Sheba to cut together into a feature).

From the few extracts that have emerged of Tyrone Power's footage this could have been a contender, but after his fatal heart attack filming the final swordfight with long-time co-star George Sanders, unpopular replacement Yul Brynner had the script rewritten to replace Power's doubting warrior king with a more confident and less interesting typical movie hero. There's a huge element of half-heartedness to much of the film that doesn't help matters, much of it no doubt due to reshooting so much of the film again, but it's doubtful this would ever have been more than big-budget hokum. The result is one of those films like Blood Alley (which saw Robert Mitchum controversially replaced by John Wayne days into filming), where the story of what happened behind the screen is much more interesting than the one on it.

Superb acting. Gina Lollobrigida has got to be at her very best in acting and looks. One of the most erotic female actresses ever on the screen. Yul Brynner, as usual, is very sexy and his good looks are stunning. He also acts superbly. The storyline was well put together.

This is a fantastic and compelling 1950s biblical epic movie with first class acting, lavish and authentic costumes, exceptional battle sequences, breathtaking sets, and unforgettable spectacle. Yul Brynner plays Solomon, the King of Israel, a role he performs with exceptional skills. The Queen of Sheba is majestically played by the beautiful Gina Lollobrigida, whose captivating beauty easily tempted Solomon. In fact, this reminds me of one memorable scene when the Queen of Sheba performs a seduction dance during celebration in honour of he (pagan) God, Dagon. Solomon's scheming and jealous brother, Adonijah, is expertly played by George Sanders.

Adonijah, the warrior is passed over for succession after the death of King David. Solomon, who was renowned for his great wisdom, was chosen to be King of Israel. The result was permanent enmity between these two brothers.

The story of Solomon and Sheba is based on the Old Testament. However, in the scriptures, there is little mention of the Queen and the mysterious land of Sheba on which to base the plot. The story revolves around her state visit to Israel. Based on the little information available, the producers weaved out an interesting and complex plot where greed, power, passion and lust feature prominently in King Solomon's court.

The film shows that despite the renowned wisdom that Solomon possessed, he could not avoid being tempted by the Queen of Sheba, which almost resulted in the loss of his Kingdom. However, the Queen of Sheba ended up being deeply in love with Solomon.

This is a spectacular biblical epic movie that is action packed and will keep the audience glued to the screen.

This was a movie I remembered seeing at a Saturday matinee when I was perhaps eleven years old. I never forgot it, and when I saw it available, I jumped at the chance. I have to say that it was certainly worth waiting for once again. The acting is all top notch (for this sort of thing) and the costumes, story line and "spectacle" are all better than I remembered them to be.
Granted Yul Brynner with hair is odd, but it does not distract from his impact as Solomon, or his appeal as a sexy leading man. He seems to have been born to play these regal parts. (Who can ever forget him as Rameses in the Ten Commandments?) George Saunders as his scheming brother Adonijah is simply delicious with his suave malevolence. But the real appeal here is Gina Lollobrigida as the tempting Queen of Sheba.
Her gowns are chiffon chic, her adornment is perfect and her beauty is quite simply riveting, even with a heavy coating of Eddie Leonard #55 greasepaint to "darken" her up. Although the dialogue could have easily degenerated into silliness, Lollobridgida manages to keep the lid on throughout. Her love scenes with Brynner are spot on for the era they represent. Of especial interest is her "seduction dance" performed in her encampment during the feast of the Sheban god Dagon. Gina gets down and mixes it up in the dancing girl department with the best of any of them!!
The story depicted in the film is not a fantasy. The events that transpired between the real Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, who reigned over perhaps the most sophisticated era of ancient Hebrew/Israelite dominion in the Levant, has been verified by archaeologists and is based upon what was recorded in the Old Testament about these two people. In fact, a recent touring museum exhibition showcased much of the material artifacts that verify the story of these ancient lovers and the worlds over which they each presided. As a historical footnote, it was their (illegitmate)son who was responsible for the ancient Judeo-Christian ethic that survives on the African continent in the land of Ethiopia even to this day, which some scholars believe was the heartland of Sheba in it's day.
The film is titillating without being ridiculous and has all the elements that make for a wonderfully "big show" such as well re-enacted battles and scenes of destruction that always add so much to "epic" productions. Although the final scene borders on the corny preachiness of DeMille, the movie as a whole is far above the caliber of these sorts of stories. If you have never seen this movie, and if you like ancient spectacle I highly recommend it. It IS one of the best of it's kind.

Solomon and Sheba, a 1959 offering from United Artists, gave the movie audiences of the world a glimpse into the Golden Age of Israel. King David entrusted the united kingdom of Israel to his young son Solomon.

Of course, this did not sit well with Solomon's half brother, Adonijah who was the eldest. The contrast between the two sons was striking-Solomon was a poet and a peaceful soul; Adonijah was a warrior ever looking to fulfill his bloodlust. He was only happy when his sword dripped with blood.

The film shows the building of Solomon's Temple, a marvel of industry for the time. Meanwhile, Adonijah and Joab, David's nephew, secretly plotted to seize the throne.

Down the road in Egypt, the Pharaoh plotted with the Queen of Sheba to overthrow Solomon. He feared the united kingdom of Israel and its ever increasing military presence as well as the lost of trade. In the final analysis, war usually results from economic factors.

Everyone wanted to travel to Jerusalem to see the magnificent city of Jerusalem with its Temple and Solomon's palace. Also, they yearned to hear the words of wisdom from Solomon that had given him global renown.

When the Queen of Sheba arrives in Jerusalem, she brings her vast caravan with expensive gifts for the King as well as her gods which she hoped would lead to his downfall. The Queen was an intoxicating beauty which a god would be unwilling to resist.

Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida give two stellar performances. The Spanish cinematography is beautifully filmed.

The wrath of Jehovah on the Temple as the result of Solomon's sin is awe-inspiring. The climax battle between Solomon and Adonijah leading the Egyptian army is spectacular. The stoning of the Queen of Sheba at the ruins of the Temple is poignant.

One has to keep in mind that these biblical film epics are loosely based on the Bible and other sacred texts. Regardless of this technicality, it is a great film if this is a genre that you enjoy.

The dialogue has been criticized for being too wordy, too poetic. Keep in mind this was 1959, not 2009. Actors and viewers were expected to be readers of the written word.

SOLOMON & SHEBA is still remembered as being a film plagued with problems during its shoot, the greatest one being the death of Tyrone Power when all but a few major scenes had already been shot. It is amazing how good the film is, considering that it had to be almost completely reshot with Yul Brynner in the lead. I do not care for George Sanders as Adonijah (he was clearly too old for the part), the film has some lengths, the battle scenes could be more exciting and the orgy scene needed better choreography, but the ensemble is still quite respectable. The best thing in the film is clearly Gina Lollobrigida. King Vidor considered Lollobrigida the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and his admiration for her is very tangible. Freddie Young's cinematography always shows her through loving lenses. Lollobrigida's acting and deportment were no doubt inspired in ancient high reliefs; they have an extraordinarily regal quality. This film deserves a DVD with a critical commentary by a Vidor expert. It would be most wonderful if they could include scenes with Tyrone Power in future DVD releases of the film.

a majestic movie great special effects great movie will never be made again in such glory and majesty i enjoyed it very much