''Salomè'' is a 1986 Italian-French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Claude d'Anna and starring Jo Champa. It is an adaptation of the 1891 play of the same name by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, and was entered into the

1986 Cannes Film Festival The 39th Cannes Film Festival took place from 8 to 19 May 1986. American filmmaker Sydney Pollack served as jury president for the main competition. British filmmaker Roland Joffé won the ''Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for the drama f ...

Plot

While

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

is preaching with his Apostles, the confessor

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

is arrested by the king of

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

to the many defamatory sermons against the power of the monarchy.

Herod Antipas Herod Antipas (, ''Hērṓidēs Antípas''; ) was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea. He bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch" and "King Herod" in the New Testament. He was a s ...

, son of

Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...

, imprisons John, and Princess Salomé, daughter of Herod, without him being aware of it, secretly falls in love with John the Baptist. But it is a corrupt and lustful love, which comes from lying insults that John turns to the corrupt family of Herod. When Herod, in the birthday of his daughter, asks to Salomè what gift she wants, Salomè says she wants to see the severed head of John. Herod is content, and so Salomè, when John is beheaded, performs the dance of the seven veils, and falls into sexual rapture, kissing full of the passion the mouth of the head. Herod, horrified, puts his daughter Salomè to death.

Cast

Tomas Milian Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa (3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and humor he brought to starring ...

as Herod * Pamela Salem as

Herodias Herodias (; , ''Hērōidiás''; c. 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judea, Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with the Beheading of John the Baptist, execution of John the Ba ...

* Tim Woodward as Nerva * Jo Champa as Salomé ** Fabiana Torrente as Young Salomè * Fabrizio Bentivoglio as Yokanaan * Jean-François Stévenin as Aide-de-Camp * Fabio Carfora as Narraboth * Lorenzo Piani as Phillip * Feodor Chaliapin, Jr. as Messenger * Sergio Doria as Horseman * Annie Edel as the Mother Goddess * Johara Racz as Princess * Paul Muller as Doctor

References

External links

* 1986 films 1986 drama films French drama films Italian drama films Films shot at EMI-Elstree Studios Cultural depictions of John the Baptist Films based on the Gospels Films directed by Claude d'Anna Films produced by Menahem Golan Films set in the 1st century Golan-Globus films Films based on Salome (play) Films produced by Yoram Globus 1980s English-language films 1980s French films 1980s Italian films English-language French films English-language Italian films Cultural depictions of Herod Antipas Films scored by Egisto Macchi {{1980s-Italy-film-stub