Salome: The Dance of the Seven Veils (1953)

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(631 ratings)

"Her Salome Will Steal Your Breath Away" was the classic advertising slogan attached to this opulent Rita Hayworth epic -- a slogan which became laughable whenever a radio announcer would mispronounce Salome as "salami." Using the very sketchy Biblical story of the death of John the Baptist as its… More "Her Salome Will Steal Your Breath Away" was the classic advertising slogan attached to this opulent Rita Hayworth epic -- a slogan which became laughable whenever a radio announcer would mispronounce Salome as "salami." Using the very sketchy Biblical story of the death of John the Baptist as its springboard, Salome depicts its title character, the stepdaughter of King Herod, as a victim of circumstance rather than a wanton temptress. Banished from Rome because of an unfortunate romance with the nephew of Caesar, Salome (Rita Hayworth) declares that all men are her enemies, but her resolve weakens when she falls in love with Claudius (Stewart Granger), the military commander of Galilee. Meanwhile, Salome's wicked mother, Herodias (Judith Anderson), plots the demise of John the Baptist (Alan Badel), who currently enjoys the protection of the superstitious Herod (Charles Laughton). At this point, the story departs radically from Scripture. Salome is no longer coerced by Herodias to demand the head of John the Baptist; instead, Herodias, on her own, promises Herod that Salome will perform the "Dance of the Seven Veils" for him -- but only if he beheads John first (Salome has been misinformed that the dance will save John from the headsman's sword). Somehow, scriptwriter Jesse Lasky Jr. even manages to concoct a happy ending for poor Salome, which is a lot more than Oscar Wilde or Richard Strauss were able to do. Considered an artistic flop in 1953, Salome seems somewhat better today, if only because of that powerhouse cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: William Dieterle
Written By: Harry Kleiner
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Feb 13, 1953 Wide

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's pure Hollywood bunk, that's great on pomp, splendor, costumes and lush Technicolor, but short on being convincing.

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Cast

            Rita Hayworth as Princess Salome

            Stewart Granger as Commander Claudius

            Judith Anderson as Queen Herodias

            Cedric Hardwicke as Caesar Tiberius

            Alan Badel as John the Baptist

            Maurice Schwartz as Ezra

            Charles Laughton as King Herod

            Basil Sydney as Pontius Pilate

            Rex Reason as Marcellus Fabius

            Arnold Moss as Micha

            Robert Warwick as Courier

            Carmen D'Antonio as Salome's Servant

            Michael Granger as Capt. Quintus

            Karl (Killer) Davis as Slave Master

            Asoka Handagama as Oriental Dance Team

            Theda Bara as Salome

            Genevieve Blinn as Queen Marian

            Barry Brooks as Roman Guard

            Tristram Coffin
            
            Don de Leo
            
            Leslie Denison as Court Attendant

            Italia Denubila
            
            Vera Doria as Naomi

            Alfred Fremont as Galla

            Bertram Grassby as Prince David

            Herbert Heyes as Sejanus

            Tom Hernandez as Townsman

            Paul Hoffman
            
            George Keymas
            
            George Khoury
            
            Guy Kingsford as Officer

            David Leonard
            
            Jack Low
            
            Michael Mark as Old Farmer

            Ralph Moody
            
            Lou Nova as Executioner

            G. Raymond Nye as King Herod

            John Parrish
            
            Franz Roehn
            
            Albert Roscoe as John the Baptist

            Maurice Samuels
            
            Sam Scar as Politician

            Mickey Simpson as Herod's Captain of the Guards

            Charles Soldani
            
            Sujata
            
            Carlo Tricoli
            
            Rick Vallin as Sailor

            Charles Wagenheim as Simon

            Trevor Ward as Blind Man

            Stanley Waxman as Patrician

            Bill Wilkerson
            
            Carleton Young
            
            Eduardo Cansino as Roman Guard

            Bruce Cameron
            
            Henry Escalante
            
            Leonard George as Assassin

            Duke Johnson as Juggling Specialty

            Tina Menard as Convert

            John Crawford as Guard

            David Ahdar
            
            Robert Ben Ali
            
            Ray Beltram
            
            Frederic Berest
            
            W. Earl Brown
            
            Bud Cokes as Galilean Soldiers

            Henry Dar Boggia
            
            Eddy Fields
            
            Eva Hyde as Herodias' Servant

            Fred Letuli
            
            Saul Martell as Dissenting Scholar

            Henry Pina
            
            Jerry Pina
            
            Joe Sawaya
            
            Dimas Sotello
            
            John E. Wood as Sword Dancer

            William McCormick as Advisor
See full cast

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