Uploaded December 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
This early film version of ‘Salomé’, adapted from Oscar Wilde’s play, was produced in Rome in 1910 by Film d'Arte Italiana. It was directed by Ugo Salena and stars Vittoria Lepanto as Salome and Achille Vitti as John the Baptist.
What immediately appealed to me was the film’s visual approach – that is, a series of tableaux based on academic history of the period. It very much reminded me of what I used to see in the great big volumes of Victorian and Edwardian paintings my grandmother would show me when I was perhaps six or sever years old.
What is technically extraordinary is that each frame was hand-tinted to give the impression of colour film. A truly monumental undertaking.
I’m not sure the dance of the seven veils is one of the high points in the history of dance performance but it’s adequate to it’s purpose in this film.
The other famous film adaptation of the period of Oscar Wilde’s play was ‘Salomé of 1923). Directed by Charles Bryant, it and starred Alla Nazimova, who produced and appeared with Rudolph Valentino in ‘Camille’ (1921).
Enjoy!
This early film version of ‘Salomé’, adapted from Oscar Wilde’s play, was produced in Rome in 1910 by Film d'Arte Italiana. It was directed by Ugo Salena and stars Vittoria Lepanto as Salome and Achille Vitti as John the Baptist.
What immediately appealed to me was the film’s visual approach – that is, a series of tableaux based on academic history of the period. It very much reminded me of what I used to see in the great big volumes of Victorian and Edwardian paintings my grandmother would show me when I was perhaps six or sever years old.
What is technically extraordinary is that each frame was hand-tinted to give the impression of colour film. A truly monumental undertaking.
I’m not sure the dance of the seven veils is one of the high points in the history of dance performance but it’s adequate to it’s purpose in this film.
The other famous film adaptation of the period of Oscar Wilde’s play was ‘Salomé of 1923). Directed by Charles Bryant, it and starred Alla Nazimova, who produced and appeared with Rudolph Valentino in ‘Camille’ (1921).
Enjoy!
![Rudolph Nureyev, Karen Kain and Second Cast Rehearse Sleeping Beauty [National Ballet of Canada]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hbvnYXLCKUw/mqdefault.jpg "Rudolph Nureyev, Karen Kain and Second Cast Rehearse Sleeping Beauty [National Ballet of Canada]
This is footage of Rudolph Nureyev and Karen Kain and of a second cast rehearsing Nureyev’s production of ‘The Sleeping Beauty for the National Ballet of Canada.
The set designer for this production was to be Nicholas Georgiadis, who Nureyev had used on many enterprises.
What’s interesting for me in this video was hearing Nureyev and Kain discussing technical problems - using highly technical language, like when the ballerina says “if there’s too much yank, I can’t control my force”!
Enjoy!")
