Old movies

Mr. Darcy

Post here about 20th century films you've watched recently.

Leigh and I have been enjoying Cecil B. DeMille epics. So yesterday we gave the non-DeMille 1959 Yul Brynner Biblical epic Solomon and Sheba a shot.

That was kind of a mistake. Solomon and Sheba is one of those historical epics best known for killing a lead actor. Director King Vidor's original Solomon was Tyrone Power, who died of a freakishly early heart attack (he was 44) while filming. So since Yul Brynner had recently become famous playing a king of Egypt and a king of Siam, guess who they turned to for King Solomon? Opposite him is Gina Lollobrigida as pagan femme fatale dominatrix Sheba (always just "Sheba", not Belkis or anything). Pharaoh hires her to spy on Solomon and find Israel's weakness so he can invade it, but she starts to fall in love for real.

Sounding ridiculous enough yet? It gets better when an intimate conversation between Solomon and Sheba is interrupted by ninjas! And Solomon sets a ninja on fire by wrestling him into a torch! And another ninja turns out to be General Joab (King David's general, as attested in I and II Samuel).

Sredni Vashtar

Wait, why would an Egyptian emperor use the (much feared and respected) sorceress-queen of a principality in Yemen to spy on the king of Judea? I do not understand this plot contrivance.

Justice4243

Dang, it's been forever since I watched something that wasn't recent.

A co-worker recommended Rock and Roll High School to me since I like the Ramones.

I'll have to check it out sometime.