Sodom and Gomorrah (1962)

I have to admit that I've never been able to see this film in one sitting all the way through, partly because I happen to just channel surf on TV and stumble upon it after its started and partly because I seem to catch it about an hour before I go to bed and miss the ending. Still, from what I've seen, this is a very good film about Lot, who led the Hebrew people to a fertile land on the border of the cities of Sodom and Gomorroah. Anouk Aimee does a great job portraying the queen of the cities, and Stewart Granger plays a great Lot. The supporting actors and actresses contribute quite a bit of talent as well, but what really struck me was the costumes. For a 1962 biblical film, some of the outfits that the actresses wore were a bit racy, but that is intentional as it shows the sinful ways of the city-dwellers as opposed to the practical costumes of the hard-working free Hebrews (in fact, Lot has a discussion with a slave girl who is struggling to adapt to the ways of field work and field dress after living a captive life as a well-kept palace servant). The fight scenes are particularly well done, employing a cast of thousands as opposing armies and refugees. The scene where the Hebrews defend themselves by first lighting a pit of oil and then breaking a dam to flood a valley are well done. Even though the story may not follow the tale as told in the Bible, there's enough of it there that the viewer comes away with the overall concept of the story. But - I feel that this movie could be redone to stick a bit closer to the original tale. While the queen and her brother may have been evil, there just wasn't enough evil in the cities (limited by 1962 values, I suppose) to warrant their destruction. A good film for the whole family. No nudity, no harsh language.