I saw SOLOMON AND SHEBA (1959) when I was 10 years-old and remember being quite impressed with King Vidor's last film. The production values seemed above average and the actors really stood as ancient figures in a frieze in my schoolboy's imagination. I have been able to watch the film several times since then and can only say that I am happy they did try to finish the film after the catastrophe of Tyrone Power's death. The situation faced by all must have been so desperate that everyone deserves praise for the great common effort necessary to pull the production through. I have reservations regarding the casting of several actors who seem totally wrong in their respective roles, notably George Sanders/Adonijah and David Farrar/Pharaoh. Yul Brynner does a decent job for someone who was rushed into Solomon's role. It is unfair to criticize him, trying to compare his performance to Tyrone Power's as we imagine it to have been. Gina Lollobrigida is excellent as Sheba. In fact, I see her at the center of the whole film, its unifying element. Her beauty is truly breathtaking and her orgiastic dance is the only good thing in a pagan ritual that deserved to be better choreographed. No doubt King Vidor deserved to end his illustrious career with a better film, but SOLOMON AND SHEBA remains a valid effort, nothing he should be ashamed of. Seen today, the film does stand as one of the finer biblical spectacles of the era, way better than THE ROBE (1953), THE SILVER CHALICE (1954) or ESTHER AND THE KING (1960).
Review of Solomon and Sheba
