This overwrought and often downright silly Biblical story, given the standard lavish mounting, amounts to nothing but second-rate Cecil B. DeMille, lacking any real energy or Roman decadence. Here Columbia head Harry Cohn combined two of the sauciest, most erotic
femme fatales the world
has known--Salome, New Testament flame famed for the revealing Dance of the Seven Veils, and Rita Hayworth, famed for the passionate "Put the Blame on Mame" dance of GILDA (1946). In this version of the Bible according to Cohn, Hayworth's Salome tries to save John the Baptist (Badel) from losing
his head to the sword of King Herod (played with marvelous scene-chewing by Laugh...
Released:
1953
Rated:
NR
Length:
103 mins