Salome's Last Dance is one of those films that will fascinate people or repulse them very like director Ken Russell's directorial style. First viewing I disliked it, seeing it again in a better mood just recently it was much better than remembered, though for me one of Russell's weaker films. A few things stop it from being a masterpiece. Russell does go overboard with the excess at times- not unusual for Russell- and some of those excessive images are disgustingly ugly, especially with Salome licking saliva off her face. Russell also writes himself in an acting role as a photographer and is rather embarrassingly bad and in a somewhat creepy way. Imogen Millais-Scott I had mixed feelings on, she is gorgeous, seductive and age-appropriate, though with a tendency to mug. Even with the excess, Salome's Last Dance does maintain the spirit of Oscar Wilde's play Salome with its beauty and ability to shock. The film is expertly filmed and the production values are a mix of the hypnotisingly beautiful and the decadent, which is hardly inappropriate(Strauss' opera Salome, which I personally love, has those qualities too). The music is a hodgepodge of classical music, and a wonderful hodgepodge at that, Rimsky-Korsakov and especially Debussy the prime composers and they further add to the beautiful yet shocking atmosphere. They are performed very well and mostly fit within the film. The script is witty and uproarious, Herodias has some truly hilarious lines, and the story is interestingly structured with a good touch of the theatrical and the cinematic. You cannot take your eyes away from the dance scene either. Most of the acting is better than its given credit, Glenda Jackson and Stratford Johns especially. Jackson is a little bizarre but also very regal and authoritative and Johns is suitably wry and mischievous, making a potentially tiresome character interesting. Nickolas Grace is a witty Oscar Wilde and Douglas Hodge a mostly effectively warning John the Baptist though he does over-compensate a bit. Overall, easy to see why people will dislike it, it's far from perfect but has interest points and entertainment value. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox
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TheLittleSongbird19 January 2014
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Autonome10 February 2002There is never ending debate over the value of work by directors like Russell. He is almost universally written off by professional critics as a mostly sensationalist, tasteless crackpot who's real talent is questionable, yet he is passionately defended by other people and this deserves some comment. Russell's work is often described as "tasteless, vulgar, unrestrained, even misanthropic" and "employing the imagery of sexual excess." One might make a case for the idea that these adjectives describe many fans of Russell's work themselves, or at least that they enjoy these themes in film. The latter is admittedly the case of this author, and unlike many people I certainly feel these are often necessary qualities of good art. Many fans of Russell attempt useless claims that his work is really quite tasteful and not offensive or "over the top" at all, but that would be somewhat inaccurate and in this author's opinion completely missing the point of his work. Compared to normal standards, Russell's films ARE as many critics claim they are, and they will offend people who for the most part should not waste their time viewing his work, and no, offending people is NOT the point of his films, and yes- many nice, healthy, well adjusted people feel his work is fantastic, ingenious and rewarding. Rather than digress into some probably useless philosophical (or political?) arguments over whom is correct or whom is better qualified to comment, it's better that the author's perspective be made clear from the outset. In the end, it might be argued that all ideas about the comparative merits of film or art are pointless, pretentious exercises used to promote arbitrary opinion based on personal taste.
When I saw this film (on DVD), I was under the impression that it was much older than 1988, for some reason. I have since found nothing online to confirm this, but I will always think of this film as something from the 1970's that was way ahead of it's time, and it has that feel to it. It included a copy of the entire film with live commentary by Russell himself that I found as interesting as the film itself. It is a simple, low budget film, almost deliberately retro in style. The work is Russell in a nutshell. What a man can do with a stage, almost no money, a camera, a few extraordinary friends (including a passionate costume designer), a love of irony and a profound sense of visual style. The elements are crude, simplistic devices- annoyingly, even deliberately so, like archetypal metaphors, and the results completely transcend the execution. That crucial departure is where many critics are simply left behind and forced to write off the work as plainly bad, manipulative sensationalism (unlike every Hollywood film? this film is NOT Hollywood in any way). I could not help thinking how easily this film could be adapted into a cultish, kinky and funny stage play.
Examining the psychology of eroticism is a hallmark of Russell and is put to great use in this film. That is not some simple offensive device used in Russell's films, it is the whole genius of his work! Sex and eroticism is the driving debacle of social, moral and religious history and deserves a great deal of examination. People have a crying need for Russell's talent of recontextualizing erotica in order to create self-understanding and inspire it's positive aspects within themselves. In other words, if one ever happened to fantasize about any of the crude scenarios Russell presents in his films (though no one can admit it), one might then find it incredibly beneficial to see it presented in an intelligent, imaginative way by someone else. If these themes interest you, I recommend the film highly.
"Salome's Last Dance" is spectacular only in terms of it's personalities, in no way is (and does not have to be) one of the "greatest" films, yet it is wondrously rare. It is uniquely stylish, and because of it's truly low budget and simple execution, I would say (in direct contradiction of many critics) it is amazingly unpretentious and humble, as well as beautiful. -
madahab19 November 2021In the latter years of his career is was obvious that Ken Russell had to work under conditions and budgetary constraints that forced him to scale back on the wild style his exalted in with his previous films. But even a scaled down Ken Russell was oftentimes better than other directors are their best. However Salome's Last Dance is among his weakest films and you can literally feel the straitjacket limiting his creativity. Being set in a single setting as the play is performed for Oscar Wilde himself it feels very stilted and never allowed to grow. It was only recently that I discovered that the young actress playing Salome was stricken blind by an illness just before filming was to begin but Ken Russell kept her in the part. The first time I watched the film in '88 I felt that there was something peculiar about her eyes that I could not quite define. It is not a bad film by any means but within his filmography it might rank low among his best works. It has moments of silliness that cannot be mistaken for any other director. Those who are fans and familiar with his style will be more forgiving of these moments. Ken Russell is a fascinating character and, for good or ill, he made films his way and never conformed to any modern trends. He is missed.
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moss_ryder20 May 2004This film WAS created in 1988 by a small group of professionals on a shoe-string budget. However, it is as beautiful and uproarious as the Oscar Wilde original. In fact, nearly all of the dialog is Oscar Wilde's 'Salome', and is executed as deftly as possible. While none of the actors are A-list Hollywood types, they add the spice of life to the dark, sardonic wit of Wilde with skill and saleability. For those of us who have loved this movie for ten years+, the great news is that this film is now available in DVD format. If you are not shy about subtle humor, social anarchy, and a touch of good-natured sodomy, give this film a view.
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matty0326 May 2000I really love this Ken Russell film. Very compact it features all of the qualities that I most love about Russell's work. I am not sure if anyone outside of his fans will really enjoy it. DVD contains entertaining commentary from Russell.
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LincMad15 June 2005This is a film that operates on so many levels. The framework of the plot is that a group of friends in late 19th century London help Oscar Wilde put on a private performance of his play "Salome," banned in Britain for its controversial political and sexual themes. We get to watch the interactions of the characters in the play, the interactions of the actors in the play (and offstage), and the interactions of the players with the sole member of the audience (the play's author). If you loved "Lilies," you won't go far wrong with "Salome's Last Dance" -- both feature an immersive blurring between the action in the play and the actors portraying it. Don't let anyone tell you much more than that about the film, because there are some delicious surprises.
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gavin694212 December 2013Late on Guy Fawkes Day, 1892, Oscar Wilde arrives at a high-class brothel where a surprise awaits: a staging of his play "Salome," with parts played by prostitutes, Wilde's host, his lover Bosey, and Lady Alice.
The film was shot for $800,000 over a four-week period in London. Director Ken Russell had been signed by Vestron to a three picture deal after the success of "Gothic", of which this was the first. Imogen Millais-Scott went blind three weeks before filming after contracting glandular fever, but Russell insisted on still using her. This was the right choice.
This film met with modest critical acclaim. The review in the New York Times called it "a perfumed, comic stunt," but noted that "Russell forces one to attend to (and to discover the odd glory in) the Wilde language, which, on the printed page, works faster than Valium." And seriously, how can you go wrong with Jewish midgets, flatulence and Biblical sexuality? -
Leofwine_draca30 January 2021This campy Ken Russell vehicle is essentially a filmed play, a single-location slice of theatre which restages Oscar Wilde's play SALOME in a then-contemporary setting with the performers playing members of a brothel staging a visiting Wilde's play for his own benefit. It's a typically bizarre piece of work and not really to my taste at all, mixing the highbrow Bible story with tons of nudity, sexualisation and random lowbrow humour. I was astonished to see Glenda Jackson appearing. Russell's film is admittedly flamboyant but despite the hard work of the actors, I did wonder just what I was watching.
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hmghosthost14 March 2006Shocking. Revolting. Human. Those three words may sound like the description of a flop, but in reality those words describe the brilliance of this movie. Set in a theater-stage atmosphere akin to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, this movie sucks you in to a devilish plot dripping with intrigue. It leaves you feeling a bit dirty, too, like you've had a secret fling behind your spouse' back.
Glenda Jackson ("Herodius") absolutely shines in this production; a temptress of the same flavor as Joan Collins in Dallas. If I had four hands, this movie would get all four thumbs up. (Not for the squeamish - or the uppity prude).
Important notes: contrary to the false comments made by other people here about this film... The actress playing Salome is indeed a FEMALE - Imogen Millais-Scott - not a male in drag. Furthermore, some have said that the movie made a discrepancy by having Oscar Wilde arrested for "sexual crimes" on Guy Faulks Day (the day of the movie's setting) when in fact he was not arrested on that day - the actual truth being that the arrest in the film WAS FICTIONAL... in this movie he is arrested with everyone else in the brothel because the man playing Herod tells the centurion, "Kill that woman!" and he actually hurls a spear at Salome and murders her, and she falls off the stage impaled by the spear and the police find her dead body. As everyone is being tossed into the paddy wagon, Glenda Jackson attempts a defense by saying, "She wasn't murdered! She slipped on a banana peel!" -
grantss29 September 2019Guy Fawkes Day, 1892. Oscar Wilde goes to a performance of his controversial, banned play 'Salome'. The 'theatre' is a brothel and the players prostitutes. John The Baptist is played by Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred 'Bosey' Douglas. Wilde's interactions with some of the cast ignite Bosey's jealousy.
Written and directed by Ken Russell, this film is a play within a movie. The play is Salome, of course, and it is performed pretty much in its entirety (as far as I can tell. I haven't seen or read the play but the play in the movie seemed complete). It's done very well, with some great performances, especially Imogen Millais-Scott as Salome (and Rose). Glenda Jackson (perennially cast by Ken Russell) as Herodias (and Lady Alice) is also very good.
However, the top layer, the movie, is quite weak. Doesn't add anything to the play and really just serves as padding. The conclusion is quite random and pointless.
Overall, entertaining. Just don't expect anything from the non-play part of the plot. -
Bunuel19768 December 2011This is surely one of Russell's campier ventures (also considered by some as his very worst!) – in which he appears himself, sporting an all-too-fake beard, as a photographer! The film is an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's controversial play "Salome" (for the record, a viewing of the 1923 Silent adaptation of it with, reportedly, an all-gay cast{!} is to follow) which had originally been banned in Britain (having been deemed both obscene and blasphemous!) so that its first representation took place in France – hence, the text necessitating to be translated back into English for this version!
Anyway, Russell has the notorious bisexual author (rather ineffectually played by Nickolas Grace) attend what he believes to be a typical night at a brothel on his birthday, only to have the owner, courtesans, clients and even his upper-class lover Alfred 'Bosey' Douglas surprise him with a clandestine staging of "Salome" (incidentally, the credits appear while he is ostensibly leafing through the programme)! Rather than be transported to the time of the narrative a' la the classic Laurence Olivier production of Shakespeare's HENRY V (1944), here we stick to this one set – presumably so that we can gauge Wilde's reaction to the interpretation of his text (and, in particular, Douglas' own acting in the pivotal role of John The Baptist). However, by doing so, the thing is never allowed to rise above the level of pantomime – though I am not sure the director (who wrote the script himself) intended it to in the first place and, in any case, the proceedings are never taken very seriously (as witness the flatulent running gag, for one!).
Apart from Glenda Jackson (who, decked-out in rather impressive make-up, bravely took on the part of Herodias as a favor to Russell – even if her role is secondary to both Salome and King Herod despite being allotted top-billing), the cast is supbar, with only Stratford Johns (whom I have just watched in a memorable bit as Hugh Grant's butler in Russell's subsequent effort, THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM {also 1988}) attempting a real performance but, I guess, that was to be expected given the amateurish nature of the whole enterprise! As for Salome, played by Imogen Millais-Scott (a Bjork lookalike{!} while others cite Toyah Wilcox, who is more of her time), she is depicted as far more wicked than history would have it and, indeed, Herodias herself (who comes across as a dog that can bark but not bite)! In fact, the latter is not the one to suggest to Salome to ask for the head of The Baptist as a prize for having danced semi-naked before the "Tetrarch" but rather the girl's own idea, since she had earlier seduced – and been rejected by – the prophet (indeed, Salome becomes so obsessed with the man who spoke but ill of her mother that she has no qualms about kissing the lips of his severed head)! For the record, Russell stated in the accompanying Audio Commentary that the actress was half-blind, which perhaps explains why this was her "introduction" to cinema but also her very last film!
Other notable characters here are: a legionnaire in love with Salome and who commits suicide in fear of being found out over his having allowed Salome to see The Baptist; his own (gold-painted!) servant who, serving {sic} no other function after his master's death, takes his place beside the author and proceeds to distract him from the show (eventually disappearing behind the curtains to give vent to their passions – incidentally, the boy in real-life had been an object of contention between Wilde and 'Bosey', so that the latter eyes their dallying from the stage with indignation!); the two guards (there are also some females, naturally bare-breasted and prone to S&M antics!) in charge of The Baptist's incarceration, who supply comic relief all through the picture and, ultimately, take up with Herodias (or, more precisely, the courtesan playing her) – getting down to some 'action' inside a trunk immediately prior to Salome's famed "Dance Of The Seven Veils" (as it happened, the name of a controversial TV-film Russell made for the BBC in 1970, albeit about composer Richard Strauss, and which I watched earlier in my marathon tribute to the late director)!; and even a trio of bickering dwarfs dressed up as Hasidic Jews (for what it is worth, my twin brother's 'costume' for Brad Pitt's upcoming and Malta-filmed zombie epic WORLD WAR Z!).
The title under review, then, ends with Herod ordering the execution of Salome and the Police bursting in on the scene to arrest everybody (with Jackson protesting her noble lineage) – by the way, the obscenity charge leveled at Wilde here was one he would face in real life (brought up by Douglas' own father, the Marquis of Queensberry, who frowned upon his son's unsavory relationship with the author!) and from which he never quite recovered. Having mentioned Wilde's trial, I still need to check one of two rival 1960 films about the case (with Robert Morley in the lead, it simply bore the author's name as a title). -
imagicdigital28 May 2006Currently selling for over $100 on eBay, copies of Salome's Last Dance are not easy of cheap to come by. Truly a cult classic. A few years ago it was available from Netflix, but no more.
For those lucky enough to see the film (which I will not discuss) what awaits is a series of set pieces and costumes that manage to merge the magic of theater with that of Cinema. If you are in the right state of mind, few movies are as enjoyable to watch as this one... truly captivating.
If you do choose to see Salome, please do others the favor of re-selling the DVD when you are done with it - think of it as a security deposit. The sound and picture quality of the DVD version is quite good. If you liked the Giger scenes in Alien, this movie is likely for you. -
mark.waltz1 May 2021The subtle misogyny of Oscar Wilde highlights this exotic but intimate retelling of one of his most scandalous plays as he is an audience of one in a production stage in his own house. Wilde's script has such thoughts as original sin came from woman, and the two female characters here (Salome and her mother, Queen Herodias) are certainly not representations of morality. But the misogyny presented here is a representation of Wilde himself, not the script of the film, and under the direction of Ken Russell, this art house film shows the immorality of humanity all together, not just one gender.
"I will kiss your mouth!" the young seductress played by Imogen Millais-Scott repeats over and over, getting more melodramatic each time she says it, giving indication that her own mouth represented another female body part, as well as an entrance to damnation. Salome's lust for John the Baptist (Douglas Hodge) causes her Roman lover to commit suicide, and King Herod (Stratford Johns) lusts after her as his wife Herodias (Glenda Jackson) quietly looks on and begins plotting.
The character of Herodias was the Hebrew version of Rome's Empress Livia, and Jackson is very subtle in her performance that builds even though her screen time isn't as much as I would have liked. She's certainly more subtle than Dame Judith Anderson in the 1953 Rita Hayworth movie, but certain aspects of this make me wonder if Jackson had viewed Dame Sian Phillips in "I Claudius" while preparing this.
The character of King Herod is obviously closer to Charles Laughton's rendition in the older film, and Johns seems to be playing a bit of Nero in him as well. A scene of Herod discussing wind has him constantly passing gas and seems rather unnecessary. The sets are very intimate, like something you'd see in a medium sized Off Broadway house, and the ensemble of characters surrounding the major characters seems like they could come out of any era of history.
As this is shown with Wilde (Nickolas Grace) viewing the play in his own home, the cast playing the various actors and prostitutes in the present tense as well as in the past in the structure of the play. This is the type of film that when revived has to be in an intimate movie theater. No large movie screen could really show the level of live theater that this represents. Twists that occur throughout the performance of the play (not shown in its entirety, but with the major highlights that make you feel as if you have seen the whole thing) have an ironic feel about them, and while this is not the type of film that would gain enough favor for awards stands the test of time because of its own bizarreness that never reduces itself to camp. -
kenjha26 December 2012Poor Oscar Wilde must sit and watch his play "Salome" performed by the inhabitants of a brothel. Russell occasionally turned out some fine films like "Women in Love," but all too often he made films that reflected his bad taste and cheesy style. This is perhaps the most dreadful movie he ever made. From the look of it, it was probably made for a budget of about $1.98. The acting is uniformly awful. The sets are cardboard cutouts. The costumes look like they came from a rummage sale. These sins could have been overlooked if the film managed to be entertaining in some way, but it's a plodding bore featuring dull dialog and a non-existent plot.
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sandover17 December 2012For a film made on a shoe string budget, one learns one too many a lesson; my favorite is the conception concerning the Baptist's voice coming up from his dungeon: with fumes and a greenish light coming out of a Carpenter film, this demonstrated how the latter should profit from this for his metaphysics and his camp.
There is a lot too appreciate here, in the Ruskin sense of the word; do not be fooled by either the budget or the fart side of the scale, this is a very, very shrewd and sly reading of Wilde: his Salome and this Salome open up the new category of camp repression, with the film deliciously showing us that an author can be terribly indifferent to his work (especially when eager to amass all the boyish charm of a golden ass in his palm), a peculiar brand of catholic believer, Saint Oscar (Guy Fawkes Night is a great touch for this matter), that England is a brothel or only a brothel would have the courage to stage the banned play while at the same time entertain by its cast the imagination of its maker - and this is valid also for us: we are strangely moved in the end after all this extravagance.
Even if at some point Wilde exclaims that he should not bother his imagination with the proceedings implying that it is a sin and a hubris to pass imagination through a trial (sic), and with this and other witticisms and intuitions Ken Russell's framing device makes Oscar Wilde a character escaping from his play into the brutal rebuttal of the public and its mores as voiced by Glenda Jackson's Lady/Herodias "it was not murder, but a banana slip!"(Watch how one of Russell's signature modes, the camp, exaggerated close-up of Jackson's exclaiming the phrase echoes the one in the beginning just before the show starts on Wilde's champagne glass.)
In the feverish, camp theater of his mind, Salome, impish (great acting by the half blind, puckish Imogen Millais-Scott), precocious, looking so much like her mother (Herodias AND Lady Wilde??), she is the author's stand in - or is it he hers, as the Bosie/Baptist reversal also implies (and is so blandly delivered in the end)? The murder/ banana slip line surely reaches into what last century was called Wilde's self-destructive element but also Russell's wild comment on himself. Through this kind of fictional biography Russell's intuitive violence reaches after even the pivotal Wildean witticism "all bad poetry is sincere" and, somehow, poses it on its head. We are strangely moved in the end. -
sin-a-ma23 April 1999Sick, twisted, bizarre, blasphemous, shocking, and perverse. In short, everything I look for in a Ken Russell movie. The 'professionial' critics really missed the point on this one.
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mickmca19 March 2000This tiresome movie is a gutless snuff film wannabe. Its prancing, simpering misogyny would never have succeeded if it weren't gauzed up with fashionable "sexual preferences."
Russell manages neatly to solarize Wilde's Salome, capturing and exaggerating everything in it that is opposite to the elements that make Strauss' Salome one of the great operas. Glib, arch decadence is a steamy, mechanical dead end, and this movie is the deadest. It has all the wit of poop jokes and pornographic caricatures of the Mona Lisa.
D. H. Lawrence was contemptuous of decadence. The "marriage" of Lawrence and Russell was a rape, folks. And Lawrence was dead. -
whatalovelypark29 August 2021I stumbled across this on youtube while looking for the opera, a scene of Millais-Scott reciting the love poetry. The movie grew on me and I have now watched it a number of times and find it fascinating.
This is an almost comic strip version of the Biblical event. Wilde's play has serious issues with repetition, but the director's wife's version of the play is vastly superior to the archaic language version I have. It sticks to the original very closely. The Salome character is remarkably modern. She is in a bizarre family situation. Her father's brother had her father killed. Her mother then married her father's brother. Her now step-father openly courts her. Her mother spends her time allegedly having sex with soldiers. John the Baptist, the prophet, says appalling things about both of her parents and the rebellious Salome is naturally attracted to him. She gets him out of prison, attempts to seduce him, recites love poetry to him, and does a strip-tease dance for the king to get whatever she desires, which is to have John beheaded so she can finally kiss/seduce/dominate him. I think it is still the only time I have seen a female character attempt to seduce a male with love poetry, yet it was written in the 1880s. I'm surprised this character hasn't become more popular and the peak of it's fame was probably in the early 20th Century including two silent films.
A lot of the play isn't that entertaining, though the actors do a great job of bringing the play to life. The most interesting thing is the performance by Imogen Millais-Scott, who uses all kinds of vocal styles and mime in her performance. There are significant periods where she is on stage where I end up simply watching her rather than the actors who have all the lines. She uses mime to add an entirely new role to whatever else is going on. A comparison performance might be Nicholson's over-the-top Joker in Batman (also written by an Englishman). Her performance is high school princess-child-provocoteur-dominatrix-psycho.
I found myself watching this film quite a few times and it is such an antidote to the overwhelming seriousness of so many recent productions. The only comparable visual media I can think of is probably children's television, maybe Aardman. It is very much in the English over-the-top pantomime/Flying Circus/Aardman style, but more realistic and threaded with underlying English visciousness. -
bandw2 July 2006Oscar Wilde's play "Salome" is staged within this movie as Wilde himself looks on from a couch in a male brothel. I cannot determine if Wilde's play is a bomb, or whether it is this amateurish production that is such. I have rarely been as irritated by a performance as that of Imogen Millais-Scott in her portrayal of Salome. I was grossly put off by her constant mugging. And after a dozen or so times of her saying, "I want to kiss your mouth, John the Baptist," I felt that if she were to say it again, I would scream. She did, and I did.
How Glenda Jackson wound up in this mess is a puzzle. What a waste. Nickolas Grace plays Wilde as a walking and talking epigram machine with no depth. Compare his Wilde with Stephen Fry's in "Wilde" and you will see how paltry Grace's performance is. Douglas Hodge, looking eerily like the late-stage Michael Jackson, plays John the Baptist (in the "Salome" play) with an overwrought energy that gets on your nerves. I felt like cheering when Glenda Jackson said, "Shut him up."
If you find flatulence and belching humorous, then parts of this film will entertain you. If not, be warned that that is how desperate things get.
The music is a hodgepodge of overworked classical pieces.
After the play within the movie ends we see tears coming to Wilde's eyes. I could not figure out if he was thinking, "God, did I actually write that horrible thing," or "That was so bad as to make one cry."
I have to give this a star for the sheer spectacle of it - I give it credit for being uniquely imagined. And another star for the dance scene, even though a "body double" was used for the crucial climax.
In summary, I quote Glenda Jackson's exhortation to members of the cast, "Shut them up, they bore me." -
Ken Russell is -- how shall I put this? -- "not to all tastes". He is a talented and distinctive film-maker who has little interest in courting a mainstream audience. "Salome's Last Dance" is clearly targeted for viewers who fancy their entertainment on the decadent side. There are several positive aspects of this movie, but most usefully it contains a performance of Oscar Wilde's play 'Salome'. There is some bookend material at the beginning and the end of this movie, but the main action is Wilde's 'Salome'.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. Basically, 'earnest' male lovers Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas visit a London brothel one evening in 1895 for the usual reasons, only for Wilde to be honoured with a surprise performance of his quasi-biblical drama. Afterward, as Wilde and 'Bosie' are leaving -- apparently without having indulged in the brothel's usual transactions -- police arrive to arrest Wilde for his sexual crimes.
The actors' performances are mostly excellent, particularly that of Stratford Johns as Herod in the play within the film. (Full disclosure: Johns was a client of mine; I did some publicity work for him in 1978 when he was Daddy Warbucks in 'Annie' at the Victoria Palace.) At the centre of this movie, though, there's a serious casting problem. Before the performance begins, Wilde is introduced to the child actress who will be portraying Salome ... and it's extremely obvious that this short-necked, narrow-hipped 'actress' is in fact a boy. At the climax of the film, when Salome drops her last veil, I was not remotely surprised by what popped out of it. Possibly Ken Russell intended this film for viewers who prefer seeing a boy dressed as a girl, rather than an actual girl ... however, his attempts to frame this as a surprise were utterly a failure. Russell himself appears briefly as a Victorian photographer, lumbered with an elaborate tripod-mounted bellows camera.
There is one deeply disgusting moment when John the Baptist spits a gobbet of saliva into Salome's face, and Salome rapturously licks it off. Ugh! However, anyone familiar with Ken Russell's body of work likely expects to be disgusted occasionally.
The art direction -- sets, costumes, lighting -- is excellent throughout, although I felt it unlikely that the brothel-keepers would have splashed out so much expense and effort on costumes for a single performance of 'Salome'. And the streets in the exterior shots are too clean.
In any story putting historical figures in fictional situations, there are always some factual errors. Unfortunately, Russell commits errors here that are unnecessary. Wilde was arrested in April 1895, but Russell sets these events (including the arrest) on Guy Fawkes Night. I can't see any good reason for this. Guy Fawkes Day is an event that appeals largely to small boys (who beg financial contributions 'for the Guy'), devotees of fireworks, bonfire pyromaniacs and Catholic-bashers. I doubt that the Fifth of November had any special significance for Oscar Wilde.
More fatally, there's a whopper of an error in the screenplay. Near the end of this movie, just before the peelers arrive, Oscar Wilde makes a sniggering comment about Sarah Bernhardt's wooden leg. In 1895, mind you. This is trebly an error: #1: Bernhardt's right leg was not amputated until nearly twenty years later (well after Wilde's death). #2: Bernhardt chose not to wear a prosthetic limb: her very few post-amputation performances were mostly done sitting down. And #3: Oscar Wilde publicly worshipped Bernhardt, so it's unlikely that he'd make a joke at her expense. (What is it with gay men and actresses?)
I find this bad joke deeply emblematic of Ken Russell: he makes movies about famous people, but he clearly isn't interested in their actual achievements ... he only cares for the celebrity gossip and scandal. To Ken Russell, Sarah Bernhardt's career dwindles into insignificance, and what's really important is the (alleged) fact that she wore a wooden leg. If Ken Russell made a movie about Vincent van Gogh, Russell would ignore van Gogh's artwork and fixate on van Gogh slicing his ear off. (Actually, van Gogh cut off only a piece of his ear.)
"Salome's Last Dance" shows that Ken Russell has mastered the technical aspects of film- making, and that he clearly isn't interested in more conventional subject matter. To call this movie repellent or decadent would be interpreted (among Russell's fans) as paying a compliment. Purely since Russell so fully achieved what he meant to do here, I'll rate this one 8 out of 10. -
Oscar Wilde, who wrote the stage play "Salome", was one of the greatest wits of his time, but lived a lifestyle that created continuous controversy in the society in which he lived. Today he is perhaps best known for authorship of "The Ballard of Reading Jail", which was written during one of the times when he was in prison following a direct confrontation with the government of the time. When he wrote "Salome" it was banned for a time by the English stage censorship and, even though it can be a most rewarding performance to watch, stage productions of it are still relatively infrequent. Consequently many people today are more familiar with the bowdlerised opera which was based on the play and was composed by Richard Strauss. The opera has been filmed by at least two major directors, but for the cinematographic enthusiast there is also this very noteworthy film, directed by Ken Russell, which is much more closely based on Wilde's play. In my opinion this film is dramatically far superior to the rather pathetic opera, and is very worth while seeking out by anyone interested. Basically it exploits the psychological tensions which may have existed in King Herod's court, and which could have accounted for the demand by Salome for the head of John the Baptist on a platter; the story that is so baldly reported in the Bible.
The scenario of this film is set in a brothel where Oscar Wilde is treated to an illegal birthday performance of his play, acted by friends who include some of the employees of the host establishment. This choice of venue has upset many critics but it is totally irrelevant to the play - it is helpful for a modern viewer to remember that, at the time in which this film is set, Oscar Wilde and his literary friends would meet regularly to present impromptu performances of works they had written, basically as a quality control procedure for the final product they eventually published; and this film simply exploits the practice. It is essentially a film of a play, with the story associated with the presentation of the play added to maintain cinematographic interest.
Ken Russell is a controversial director but although the film is not without faults, the overall quality is outstanding, the cast is superb, and there are particularly memorable performances by Glenda Jackson as Queen Herodias and by Imogen Millais-Scott (who shows the capability of looking any age between thirteen and thirty) as Princess Salome. Both the play and the film effectively capture the decadence, which was characteristic of the royal courts of petty despots at this point in history, better than any other works I have seen. It should be a must for anyone who has the opportunity to see it. -
Tweetienator16 April 2020Salome's Last Dance (the story is of course based on the notorious Salome of the Holy Bible and Oscar Wilde's play) is one of those rare bizarre, grotesque and colorful gems that you will love or you will not like at all. The Rocky Horror Show only got one advantage over Salome's Last Dance - the great songs. But in this play the actors talk in verses (sometimes). Anyway, this is really one of those pieces I like to "revisit" from time to time. Still a fine dish for the connoisseur of the unusual - and a great "break" from all those card-box Hollywood productions that flood these days our screens.
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Ken Russell's "Salome's Last Dance" is an intriguing cinematic experience that demands a viewer's endurance to navigate through the director's characteristic excesses. The film, however, offers notable rewards, particularly in the form of Glenda Jackson's captivating performance and the enigmatic portrayal of Salome by Imogen Millais-Scott, who may not be widely recognized but delivers a truly compelling and believable performance.
One of the film's standout features is its "play within a movie" aspect, which adds layers of complexity to the narrative. This unique approach creates an engaging and thought-provoking dynamic for the audience.
Russell's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's controversial play touches on themes of sexuality and desire, famously encapsulated in the line, "sex is the theatre of the poor." While the director's penchant for extravagance may test the viewer's patience at times, the film's performances and its exploration of these themes make it a fascinating cinematic journey.
In "Salome's Last Dance," Russell invites us to look past the excesses and dive into the multifaceted world of desire, performance, and the interplay between them. The film's unique qualities, coupled with Jackson's and Millais-Scott's performances, make it a worthwhile watch for those willing to explore its depths. -
feeder goldfish10 August 1999I love this film! But, it seems to evoke strong reactions from people. I've recommended it to friends who absolutely hated it. Oh well. Look for the scene where Salome tries to convince John the Baptist to kiss her. "Kiss me with your lips, John the Baptist." It's a beautiful poem and so perfectly done.
There's too much to say about this film. I'll just highly recommend it and leave it at that. -
LeonLouisRicci28 January 2024Those 3 Colorful-Words, and Many More would Aptly and Accurately Embrace the Style that would Evolve in the Artistic-Auteur Film Career of the Steadily Controversial...Ken Russell.
He had that in Common...Controversial...With the Writer-Poet Oscar Wilde, Often Thought-Of as a Leading Wit of His Era. Wilde Wrote only 1 Novel...a Brilliant Horror Story..."The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1891)...Preferring Theatre and Poetry for His Humor and Scathing Social-Commentary.
His Play 'Salome" (1891), adopted from the Bible was Immediately Banned from Performance and Deemed Unlawful Commerce...But Wilde's Script Survived.
Ken Russell's Film Uses Almost All of Wilde's Words, Choosing to Artistically Contribute, in the Russell Way of Images, Costumes, and Make-Up. It's Quite the Fun and Flamboyant Partnership with the Limited but Hexing Visual Style is Color-Saturated, Decorative Erotica and Sexually-Decadent, Daring and Fun
All Lead Characters are Over-the-Top Excellent with Imogen Millais-Scott as Salome...Impish and Captivatingly Magnetic.
As an Extra-Treat, Russell Embellished (second nature for the playful Director) the Oscar Wilde Story Giving Oscar a Part in the Scenario as the Only Audience-Member, as the Play is Staged for Him Exclusively.
It's Lewd and Crude, it's Ken Russel for God's Sake, and in Honor of the Deity...Heavenly Beautiful to Look at, and After-All the Story is From the Bible.
Decapitation seems to be a YAHWEH Fetish.
A Number of Professional Critics Sight this as Russell's Worst Movie. Take that with No Credibility at all.
Most of the Film-Critic-Elite Hate His Movies Anyway.