In the time of Tiberius Caesar (Cedric Hardwicke), King Herod (Charles Laughton) and his wife, Herodias (Judith Anderson), are on the throne in Galilee. Because their marriage is adulterous in the eyes of God, they are regularly and publicly condemned by the prophet, John the Baptist. Enraged by the Baptist's preaching, Herodias demands that her husband put the man to death; however, believing that the wrath of God and the people will fall on him if he lays a hand on John, the king is unwilling to arrest him.
Meanwhile, in Rome, the beautiful princess, Salome (Rita Hayworth), has incurred the emperor's wrath. Herodias's daughter by a previous marriage, Salome has been living in Rome since she was a child. Because the emperor's nephew and she have fallen in love and wish to be married, and since the law is clear that a Roman must marry a Roman, a request is made of the emperor to allow an exception in their case. Furious that his nephew wishes to marry a "barbarian," the emperor banishes Salome from Rome, sending her back to Galilee.
Also sailing from Rome, are the new Judean governor, Pontius Pilate, and Commander Claudius (Stewart Granger), a Roman soldier stationed in Galilee. Though a Roman, Claudius is secretly a follower of John the Baptist and, ultimately, Christ. Although his relationship with the beautiful Salome starts off on an angry, hateful note, eventually, the two fall in love. With Claudius wanting to protect the Baptist, her mother hoping to have him executed, and her stepfather, Herod, inflamed with lust for her, Salome must determine where her true loyalties lie.
This film is lavish and beautiful and well-acted. Charles Laughton is so very believable as the lecherous old man who lusts after his stepdaughter. He may have been a bit over the top, but I think the role called for that. Judith Anderson plays nasty so well, and I think she's good here, though not quite on par with her performance as housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, in Rebecca. Stewart Granger is great here and very believable in his role, plus he's incredibly handsome and wears the Roman garb beautifully. Rita Hayworth is completely stunning, and her "Dance of the Seven Veils" is undeniably sensual.
Much license is taken with the true facts, so if that bothers you, you will probably not like this film. It didn't bother me, as I see the film for what it is---a story based on history, not an actual history lesson. I'm going with 3 stars on this, but it's more like 3.5.
Incidentally, when I was watching this, my son walked into the room. Since I was on my laptop, he couldn't see the screen...he could only hear it. He said to me, "What are you watching? Ben-Hur?" I had thought the same thing---that the score sounded very Ben-Hur-like on occasion. It really must have if, without any prompting from me, my son thought the same thing.
Although not on the TCM schedule in the near future, Salome is out on DVD, plus it is available in its entirety on YouTube (HERE). I hope you get a chance to see it.
Happy viewing!!
