Salomé(1923),asilentfilmdirectedbyCharlesBryantandstarringAllaNazimova,isafilmadaptationoftheOscarWildeplayofthesamename.TheplayitselfisalooseretellingofthebiblicalstoryofKingHerodandhisexecutionofJohntheBaptist(here,asinWilde'splay,calledJokaanan)attherequestofhisstepdaughter,Salomé,whomhelustsafter. SaloméisoftencalledoneofthefirstartfilmstobemadeintheU.S.[citationneeded]Thehighlystylizedcostumes,exaggeratedacting(evenfortheperiod),minimalsets,andabsenceofallbutthemostnecessarypropsmakeforascreenimagemuchmorefocusedonatmosphereandonconveyingasenseofthecharacters'individualheighteneddesiresthanonconventionalplotdevelopment. Despitethefilmbeingonlyalittleoveranhourinlengthandhavingnorealactiontospeakof,itcostover$350,000tomake.Allthesetswereconstructedindoorstobeabletohavecompletecontroloverthelighting.Thefilmwasshotcompletelyinblackandwhite,matchingtheillustrationsdonebyAubreyBeardsleyintheprintededitionofWilde'splay.Thecostumes,designedbyNatachaRambova,usedmaterialonlyfromMaisonLewisofParis,suchastherealsilverlaméloinclothswornbytheguards. Nomajorstudiowouldbeassociatedwiththefilm,anditwasyearsafteritscompletionbeforeitwasreleased,byaminorindependentdistributor.ItwasacompletefailureatthetimeandmarkedtheendofNazimova'sproducingcareer. Alongstandingrumor,whichseemstohavestartedwhilethefilmwasstillinproduction,suggeststhatitscastiscomprisedentirelyofgayandbisexualactorsinanhomagetoOscarWilde,asperstarandproducerNazimova'sdemand.Itis,ofcourse,impossibletosay,butoneoftheextrasinSaloméreportedthatanumberofthecastmembers—bothfeaturedandextras—wereindeedgay,butnotanunusualpercentageofthem,andcertainlynotallofthem.WhatcanbesaidisthatNazimovaherselfwasalesbian,thetwoguardcharacters(who,nexttoSalomé,havethemostscreentime)areatleastplayedverystereotypicallygay,andseveralofthefemalecourtiersaremenindrag. Saloméwasscreenedin1989attheNewYorkInternationalFestivalofLesbianandGayfilmsandin1990attheNewYorkGayExperimentalFilmFestival. In2000,theUnitedStatesLibraryofCongressdeemedthefilmculturallysignificantandselecteditforpreservationintheNationalFilmRegistry.
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