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Blu-ray Review Solomon and Sheba Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Matt Hough

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Solomon and Sheba Blu-ray Review

After the huge box-office successes of Biblical-themed films like The Robe and The Ten Commandments, was it any wonder that studios were falling all over themselves to plumb the Good Book for more stories they could bring to the screen? Sadly, King Vidor’s Solomon and Sheba comes up a bit short. Though it’s a decent-sized epic and has a cast of well-known actors, the storytelling trudges through the famous story with some half-heartedly filmed battles scenes and the expected tight clenches between the two top-billed stars with rather rudimentary attention to detail. It’s not terrible so much as it’s all just so forgettable.



Studio: MGM

Distributed By: Twilight Time

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1

Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA

Subtitles: English SDH

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 2 Hr. 21 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray

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Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: All

Release Date: 03/10/2015

MSRP: $29.95




The Production Rating: 3/5

As Israel’s King David (Finlay Currie) lies on his deathbed, he surprises his court and his country by declaring that his thoughtful, scholarly son Solomon (Yul Brynner) will succeed him on the throne rather than his first son, the warrior Adonijah (George Sanders) who has just won a major victory against the Egyptians. Adonijah is outraged and vows vengeance, but Solomon takes the reins of the country and becomes renowned for his wise rule and clever decision-making skills. In order to bring him down, the Egyptian Pharaoh (David Farrar) sends the Queen of Sheba (Gina Lollobrigida), one of his greatest allies, to pay homage to Solomon’s court and serve as his spy, even hoping she will seduce him thus turning his own people against him for falling for a pagan who worships a string of gods. Though she meets with resistance at first from Solomon who is wise enough to figure out where her allegiances really lie, her allure inevitably proves too strong, and he succumbs to her charms allowing the ambitious Adonijah to seize on the moment of Solomon’s greatest weakness to take over the country which he feels is rightly his.

The movie had its share of troubles in the production stage, particularly when its original star Tyrone Power died from a heart attack halfway through shooting his scenes. All of his work had to be reshot with Yul Brynner contracted to take over the leading role driving the film's budget to $5 million. This was director King Vidor’s final film, and the battle scenes which begin and end it seem lethargic and half-hearted. Without an action star playing Adonijah, the two major battle scenes are shot mostly in close-ups with rather feebly staged combat scenes which are woefully unconvincing (when George Sanders and Yul Brynner face off at the climax, obvious stunt doubles are utilized in long shots since neither man was capable of strenuous action). Vidor does stage the shocking defeat of the Egyptians by the Israelites with more astuteness than the two earlier battles, but he really seems more at home in the domestic scenes as Solomon rules over his people and Sheba fumes childishly when all of her feminine wiles fail to lure the king into her bedchamber (the orgy scene which leads to Solomon’s downfall had to be circumspectly filmed due to the Production Code restrictions of the era, but even then, this one is very tame). The script by Anthony Veiller, Paul Dudley, and George Bruce covers the basics of the well-known Bible story in rather humdrum fashion while giving short shrift to the rivalry between Solomon and Adonijah (George Sanders is missing for large middle chunks of the movie).

This is one of the more subdued performances in the career of Yul Brynner. Quite the antithesis of his Pharaoh in The Ten Commandments, his Solomon is soft spoken and thoughtful, and yet when his lust for Sheba does consume him, he’s quite believable as a man who forgets his reservations and common sense in the throes of passion. Gina Lollobrigida is perfectly cast as the seductive Queen, voluptuous in a series of form fitting gowns and outfits which emphasize her cleavage and her tiny waist, even when the stilted lines of dialogue she’s been given to utter come out rather absurdly. As with Solomon, her character’s journey through the film runs the emotional gamut from brazen to pious, and she pulls it off even without a great script to guide her. George Sanders was obviously cast for his name value as the jealous, vengeful Adonijah, but frankly, John Crawford who plays Adonijah’s right hand man Joab would have been better casting as the rival brother with his brawnier physique and younger countenance. In smaller roles, Marisa Pavan is fetching as Solomon’s loving companion, Finlay Currie makes a stately David, and Harry Andrews as Balto makes an interesting counselor for Sheba. David Farrar is good as the calculating Pharaoh while Laurence Naismith and Julio Pena make the most of their moments as Solomon’s two advisors Hezrai and Zadok.



Video Rating: 4.5/5  3D Rating: NA

Though the liner notes give the aspect ratio of this Super Technirama 70 production as 2.35:1, it looks closer to 2.20:1 to my eyes (I didn’t take the time to measure it). Overall, it’s a sparkling presentation. Sharpness is quite good throughout, and color is rich and solid with red variations coming off particularly vividly. Black levels are also excellent. If there’s a bit of image unsteadiness in the opening couple of minutes after the credits or a softer than usual long shot here and there, they’re the exception rather than the rule. The movie has been divided into 24 chapters.



Audio Rating: 4/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound mix offers a good but not quite great aural presentation. Dialogue has been well recorded and has been placed in the center channel. Sound effects even during the battle or orgy scenes are never overwhelming, and Mario Nascimbene’s score sounds quite lovely in its spread across the front channels. There are no age-related audio problems like hiss or crackle here.



Special Features Rating: 2.5/5

Isolated Score Track: presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo.

Theatrical Trailers (4:01, 3:15, HD)

MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (2:06, HD)

Six-Page Booklet: offers some excellent color stills, original poster art on the back cover, and film historian Julie Kirgo’s illuminating history and analysis of the production.



Overall Rating: 3/5

The romance, treachery, intrigue, and lost and found spirituality of the famous encounter between the King of Israel and the Queen of Sheba are all to be found in Solomon and Sheba. An excellent audio and video presentation awaits fans of the story or the stars with this Twilight Time release. There are only 3,000 copies of this Blu-ray available. Those interested should go to www.screenarchives.com to see if product is still in stock. Information about the movie can also be found via Facebook at www.facebook.com/twilighttimemovies.


Reviewed By: Matt Hough


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benbess

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Great review by Matt H. for this title. I agree with his criticisms of the movie, although one particular scene had emotional power for me, the one of the famous story of King Solomon and the baby....And I also like the one about "all is vanity."

I'd rate the movie a "C+" and the picture quality a "B+". It's still available, and worth it for fans of these clunky old epics.

Remember the Orion Dance in Star Trek's The Menagerie? A few parts of this movie reminded me of that, but with a budget almost 100 times larger—and without the green, of course.

 
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Capt D McMars

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Wasn't Tyrone Power in the lead? I belive Power died on set and Yul was brought in to replace
Power?
 

Johnny Angell

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I don’t want to appear ghoulish, but the narrator (Tom Bosley?) says the heart attack occurred while Tyrone was filming a scene. If true, somewhere, there’s film of his death…or not.
 

Capt D McMars

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I don’t want to appear ghoulish, but the narrator (Tom Bosley?) says the heart attack occurred while Tyrone was filming a scene. If true, somewhere, there’s film of his death…or not.
i'veseen some photos, the cameras were turned off, it happened between takes.
 

Matt Hough

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Wasn't Tyrone Power in the lead? I belive Power died on set and Yul was brought in to replace
Power?

You obviously didn't read my above review. Here is what I said in the third paragraph:

The movie had its share of troubles in the production stage, particularly when its original star Tyrone Power died from a heart attack halfway through shooting his scenes. All of his work had to be reshot with Yul Brynner contracted to take over the leading role driving the film's budget to $5 million.
 

Capt D McMars

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You obviously didn't read my above review. Here is what I said in the third paragraph:

The movie had its share of troubles in the production stage, particularly when its original star Tyrone Power died from a heart attack halfway through shooting his scenes. All of his work had to be reshot with Yul Brynner contracted to take over the leading role driving the film's budget to $5 million.
Sorry Matt, I missed it...
 

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