Product Details

• Actors: Mitchell Lewis, Alla Nazimova, Rose Dione, Earl Schenck, Arthur Jasmine
• Directors: Charles Bryant, James Sibley Watson, Melville Webber
• Writers: Natacha Rambova, Oscar Wilde
• Producers: Alla Nazimova, Alec Wilder, Bernard O'Brien
• Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: July 15, 2003
• Run Time: 101 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009Q4W9
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,773 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Salome / Lot in Sodom" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Starring the tempestuous, Russian-born Alla Nazimova, Salome adapts the controversial Oscar Wilde play with an abundance of sumptuously fantastic visuals. Loosely based on the Biblical story, this saga of King Herod and his unbridled lust for his young stepdaughter leads to the haughty Salome's demand of the head of John the Baptist in exchange for an alluring dance. Hailed as America's first art film, this striking evocation of a fantastic, surreal era of perpetual night and rampant debauchery still retains its power to shock and captivate. No less remarkable is Lot in Sodom, a sensual depiction of the Sodom and Gomorrah story filled with sinewy and semi-clad bodies, delirious bacchanales devoted to physical pleasure, and a searing, cataclysmic finale depicting the fall of a city devoted to sins of the flesh. Both films are digitally mastered from excellent 35mm elements. Salome includes a choice of an orchestral score composed and conducted by Marc-Olivier Dupin and a score composed and performed by Silent Orchestra (Carlos Garza and Rich O'Meara). Lot In Sodom has its original experimental soundtrack by Alec Wilder.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Notorious Art Classic, October 27, 2003

By	Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

Oscar Wilde's 1892 retelling of the Bible story of Salome, who danced before Herod to win the death of John the Baptist, was considered so depraved that the High Lord Chamberlain of England refused to grant it a license for public performance--and in the wake of Wilde's scandalous exposure as a homosexual and his subsequent imprisonment, all of Wilde's plays were swept from the stage. Wilde, who died in 1900, never saw his play publicly performed.

The worth of Wilde's plays were reestablished by the 1920s, but even so SALOME, with its convoluted and exotic language and hothouse sense of depravity, remained something of a theatrical untouchable--and certainly so where the screen was concerned. No one dared consider it until Russian-born Alla Nazimova, who is generally credited with bringing Stanislaski technique to the New York stage, decided to film it in 1923.

It proved a disaster. Theatergoers in large cities might be prepared to accept Wilde's lighter plays, but Main Street America was an entirely different matter--especially where the notorious SALOME was concerned, particularly when the film was dogged hints of Nazimova's lesbianism and by the rumor that it had been done with an "all Gay cast" in honor of Wilde himself. Critics, censors, and the public damned the film right and left. It received only limited distribution and faded quickly from view. Even so, the legend of both the film and its exotic star grew over time. And so now, some eighty years after its creation, Nazimova's SALOME is at last widely available to the public in this DVD release, which packages it alongside the 1933 art-short LOT IN SODOM.

Given that much of the original play's power is in Wilde's language, SALOME suffers from translation to silent film--the title cards are often awkwardly long, and in general fail to convey the tone of Wilde's voice; moreover, the convolutions of the original have been necessarily simplified for the silent form. Even so, it is a remarkable thing in a purely visual sense. Directed in a deliberately flat style by Charles Bryant and designed by Natacha Rambova (wife of Valentino, she would also design Nazimova's silent CAMILLE), the look of the film seeks to reproduce the playscript's equally infamous illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley--and succeeds to a remarkable degree.

And then there is Nazimova herself. Well into her forties at the time she played the teenage Salome, Nazimova is an electric presence: while she often shows her years in close up, she is remarkably effective in capturing the willful, petulant, and ultimately depraved Salome in facial expression and body posture, balancing an over-the-top style with moments of quiet realism to most remarkable effect. The supporting cast is also quite memorable, with Mitchell Lewis (Herod) and Rose Dione (Herodias) particularly notable.

The accompanying LOT IN SODOM is related to SALOME only in the sense that it too has a Biblical theme. Created by J.S. Watson and Melville Webber, this 1933 film is less "art" than "experimental," and consists largely of double, triple, and quadruple exposures of writing and often seminude bodies--and while it clearly influenced later experimental filmmakers such as Kenneth Anger, it is perhaps best regarded as an interesting curiosity.

SALOME is not, perhaps, a "great" film in the traditional sense--and given the technical limitations and social restrictions of the era it never could have been--but it is not for want of trying, and it is worth noting that its designs and style have cast a very long shadow; indeed, when Ken Russell set out to film SALOME as a "play within a play" for the film THE LAST DANCE OF SALOME, he borrowed ideas quite liberally from Nazimova's original. While it is no more likely to appeal to today's rank-and-file viewer than it did eighty years ago, it is a must-own for those interested in silent film, who will likely find it fascinating and frustrating in equal degrees.

LOT IN SODOM does not appear to have been significantly restored in any way, and the short film is riddled with scratches and blips and assorted artifacts. SALOME, however, has been restored; even so, the film was neglected for many years, and the restoration represents a "best case" situation rather than "mint." The DVD offers the option of two soundtracks for SALOME; for myself, I preferred the Garza-O'Meara score performed by Silent Orchestra, but both are quite good, each in its own way. Recommended to silent film fans with a taste for the unexpected.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Bizarre Double Bill, July 24, 2003

By	Chip Kaufmann (Asheville, N.C. United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

If proof were ever needed that silent films were an art form unto themselves as opposed to just a primitive warm up to the talkies then Alla Nazimova's SALOME' is it. Even 80 years after its initial release SALOME' remains art with a capital A. This is not necessarily a good thing as works that fall into that category are more often than not appreciated only by a select few.

The production is based on Aubrey Beardsley's scandalous drawings of Oscar Wilde's even more scandalous play. In this respect the film is a complete success with credit for the design going to Natacha Rambova (Valentino's wife who was originally born Winifred Shaughnessy Hudnut) who worked closely with Nazimova to create what is probably the most stylized film ever made. It is this ultra stylization which makes the film so utterly bizarre even to today's audiences.

Once seen the film cannot be forgotten as there are enough memorable images in it to fill 10 movies. Nazimova is utterly mesmerizing as Salome' with Mitchell Lewis' Herod one of the most decadent looking figures you'll ever see (Fellini MUST have seen this movie) while Nigel De Brulier's Jokaanan radiates spirituality.

The film was a notorious flop in its day so special thanks go to Image Entertainment and all who worked on this restoration to make the film available once again as very few people have ever seen it. It has some signs of minor decomposition but these are hardly noticeable and with 2 scores to choose from you get to pick the one that works best for you.

The second part of the double bill is the experimental short film LOT IN SODOM which was made in 1933. While just as artistic in its expression as SALOME', it lacks the delirious visuals that make Nazimova's film so memorable but it makes a nice companion piece for the DVD. An excellent disc for the silent film enthusiast and the more discriminating movie buff.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Visual Feast for Salome Fans, July 19, 2003

By	J P Falcon (Fords, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

Unfortunately, there are not many film adaptions of Oscar Wilde's play Salome available on DVD....there is Ken Russel's Salome's Last Dance which is very good, but is a play within a play, so it is not a true representation of the work....perhaps the best adaption of Salome has been Richard Strauss' opera and I urge anyone who loves the play to see it, as the music and faithful libretto make for compelling viewing...now however, there is an alternative, and Nazimova makes for a an interesting and conflicted Salome...she actually depicts Salome in three different characterizations throughout the play....initially Salome is shown as a flirtatious and tempetuous teenager whose sexual awakening blooms at the sight of John the Baptist(Jokanaan)...she then is transformed into a youthful seductress as she coyly temps and taunts a lust ridden Herod during the dance of the seven veils...it should be noted that Salome's dance could have passed for a flappers gig performed at any 20's Chicago beerhall...Nazimova's final transformation of the Salome character occurs after the head of John is presented to her...Salome appears more mature and perhaps a bit wiser as she declares her genuine love for John and is resigned to her impending doom...these changes in character are performed remarkably by Nazimova especially when you consider it is a silent film and these changes are reflected by her mood, costume, and facial expressions....there are many scenes which stand out but the most moving is when the brutish executioner, when faced to deal the death blow to John, instead kneels in reverence in front of the Baptist...John's own sexual stirrings towards Salome, and his denial by strength of faith, is also well done...Herod is ably portrayed as a lout while his wife Herodias is a shrieking shrew....the sets are avante garde and are something that you well may see in a production of the Strauss opera...there are two different scores to the film and both are effective and it's interesting to listen to both scores during a particular scene to compare the composer's intent....While stage productions of Salome are fairly common, it is not easy to find traditional film versions of the work, especially on DVD, so this is a release that is a vital addition to anyone who loves Oscar Wilde's play...highy recommended.