MartinHafer Wow--you have got to see this film for itself. There is absolutely no way I can adequately describe the look of the film--nothing I say will do it justice. I will try--but see it yourself--it's amazing. The film looks very much like it was inspired by the Art Nouveau movement--which would coincide with when the play was written (the very late 19th century). And, to go along with this, the costumes are wild--very, very ornate and very, very artsy. All of the costumes are totally unique. I particularly loved Nazimova's headdress. It must have cost a fortune to design and execute all this. As I said, you just have to see this! It's a fashion designer's delight--though some might blanch at its weirdness.The story of Salome is taken from the Biblical tale of John the Baptist. Though occupying just a tiny portion of the Gospels, here is it acted out in about 75 minutes. Young Salmone dances enticingly for the ruler of Judea, Herod. He is smitten with her and promises her anything. She asks for the head of John the Baptist--who Herod is holding captive.What makes this so unusual is HOW it's done as well as the highly unusual cast. If the IMDb trivia is to be trusted, it has an all-gay cast (unusual for a Bible story) and Nazimova was apparently a well-known bisexual. And, instead of a simple retelling of the story with cool costumes, the entire thing is very, very artsy and somewhat pretentious. It is NOT a film designed to be enjoyed by the masses--but is more an art house sort of production. Frankly, I think there was way too much in the posing and looking into space department! Overall, I'd give the costumes a 10 and the acting and plot a 2. Overall, a 4 seems fair considering that the film isn't particularly enjoyable despite the wow-factor of the look of the film.

Irving Warner This version of "Salome" features the great and weird Nazimova as Salome. It was written and produced by her. This movie is a hybrid between ballet, stage drama, cinema, grand opera and a very bad afternoon soaper. Great for tableaus of the weirdest sort, and in a way, it is almost worth seeing for them. The sets are very weird, imaginative and always interesting. But the acting is posing, and so overdone that it is comical. This effort took the big nose dive at the box office, which figures. Seems like a West Berlin bit of German Impressionism, but believe it or not, this is American.

arneblaze In a mere 39 minutes this one set "pantomime" manages to be the most outrageously campy silent film ever. Get those guards, and their extreme poses -two of the gayest lads ever to grace the screen. And get that big budget for marshmallows -they all wear marshmallow necklaces and Nazimova has them popping out of every hair follicle. It's over the top silent posture acting at its worst but it's a lot of fun as well. Rambova deserved some sort of award or at least a nomination for her outrageous costumes (JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR owes everything to this production). You'll howl.

didi-5 Having read the reviews of this on the Silents Majority website and in Time Out film guide I was curious. It looked good from stills and the play is one of my favourites ... the film is extremely odd. Nazimova, who looks like Gloria Swanson only more over the top, is a seductive and teasing Salome, dancing the seven veils with style, driving Herod mad, taunting the Baptist (a gaunt stick of a man who is quite disturbing to look at). The guards are all extremely camp and OTT and the whole film has that feeling of the extremes of twenties decadence. One feels Wilde would have approved. Not a patch on the opera but a decent stab at a play which is full of excess. It just wouldn't work with sound. It has to be images, and this is full of them.