Regina di Saba, La (The Queen of Sheba) (1951)

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Leonora Ruffo is the exotically garbed title character in the Italian costume spectacle The Queen of Sheba. In the original Scriptures, Sheba and Israel's King Solomon merely exchanged gifts and parted company. Naturally, the filmmakers "improve" upon the story, with Prince Rehoboam (Gino Leurini),… More Leonora Ruffo is the exotically garbed title character in the Italian costume spectacle The Queen of Sheba. In the original Scriptures, Sheba and Israel's King Solomon merely exchanged gifts and parted company. Naturally, the filmmakers "improve" upon the story, with Prince Rehoboam (Gino Leurini), the handsome son of the ageing Solomon (Gino Cervi), falling in love with the Queen while he tries to ferret out Sheba's war plans. This results in a hot-and-heavy romantic triangle involving the Prince, the Queen, and someone named Princess Zymira (Marina Berti). All the usual Biblical-epic cliches are in attendance, including the heroine's obligatory milk bath. At one time a staple of American television Late Late Shows, The Queen of Sheba was temporarily withdrawn from circulation in 1959 to avoid competition with the Yul Brynner-Gina Lollobrigida starrer Solomon and Sheba. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi