Solomon And Sheba [1959]

Customer Reviews:

Superior Biblical Epic.......2007-12-15

First off, this was not made by MGM (it's a United Artists film) and Tyrone Power cannot be scene in the battle
sequences. He is only visible in one shot of the trailer. It is interesting to speculate on what the film would
have been like with Power but, the truth is, in existing photos from the first version he looks too old for the part. Yul Brynner was an excellent choice to replace him and does a wonderful job in the role. Gina Lollobrigida is unbelievably beautiful as Sheba and wears some of the most revealing costumes in a film up to that time. This is a large scale and
hugely entertaining motion picture. The UK DVD is by far the best transfer I have ever seen of SOLOMON AND
SHEBA and well worth adding to your collection.

A mere shadow of what it could have been.......2007-06-14

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.

Unlike the atrocious Taiwanese DVD, the UK PAL DVD boasts a good 2.35:1 widescreen transfer and includes the original theatrical trailer, which does offer a brief glimpse of Power swinging a sword from his chariot in a battle scene, though it would have been nice to see some more of the surviving Power footage as well.

AN EPIC OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS..........2002-11-18

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.

Another large-scale film rendition from the biblical epic.......2001-06-21

Another large-scale film rendition from the biblical epic genre! Typical "Hollywood style" of finding "love story" themes from biblical narratives, which always creates an impact! For this film, MGM first employed Tyrone Power for the part of Solomon but during initial filming Tyrone Power died and amazing epic actor Yul Brynner (Rameses in TEN COMMANDMENTS) replaced him. The "battle scenes" were so magnificently filmed in cinemascope that the film authorities kept Power in particular scenes where he could not be recognized in spite of the fact that Brynner took the lead role. The great epic actor Finlay Currie (who played Balthasar in Ben Hur) issues a magnificent portrayal of King David while David Farrar does a good job with playing Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The same problems of human nature where brother fights against brother is clearly seen in the character of Solomon's brother Adonijah stunningly played by British actor George Sanders. This particular UK video release of this classic is a "must see" for it captures both the original cinematic technique of the use of camera 70 and stereophonic sound. The UK PAL version is better than the NTSC.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant.......2003-12-24

Importing this DVD was well worth it. I'm glad I bought it because it is the best of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. The DVD coems ith both versions of the film, the un-rated and the R-rated version. You cannot buy it in the UK yet as it has only recently been allowed by the BBFC. I highly recommend importing it. It arrived in just 11 days! You'll need a region 1 encoder, but thats not a problem if you have a DVD ROM in your computer.

I love this film, it is worth every penny.

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