Sodom and Gomorrah (1962)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Hugo Butler (original screenplay)
Giorgio Prosperi (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 January 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History

Tagline:

Twin Cities of SIN

Plot:

Sex, torture and betrayal in Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot, leader of the Hebrews, believes his people can co-exist with the Sodomites...

Plot Keywords:

Biblical | Gomorrah | Sodom And Gomorrah | Sodom | Bare Chested Male Bondage

Cast

Stewart Granger	...	Lot
Stanley Baker	...	Astaroth
Pier Angeli	...	Ildith
Rossana Podestà	...	Shuah
Rik Battaglia	...	Melchior
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart	...	Ishmael (as Giacomo Rossi Stuart)
Scilla Gabel	...	Tamar
Anthony Steffen	...	The Captain (as Antonio de Teffè)
Gabriele Tinti	...	Lieutenant
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Eber
Daniele Vargas	...	Segur
Claudia Mori	...	Maleb
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.	...	Alabias (as Feodor Chaliapin)
Mitsuko Takara	...	Orphea (as Mitzuko Takara)
Massimo Pietrobon	...	Isaac

Also Known As:

Sodoma e Gomorra (Italy)
Sodome et Gomorrhe (France)
The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah (USA)

Runtime:

154 min | Argentina:155 min | Finland:141 min (1963) | Finland:117 min (1979)

Country:

USA | Italy | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:PG (1988) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | West Germany:18 (nf) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Portugal:17 (censored version)

Filming Locations:

Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Company:

Titanus

Trivia:

Twentieth Century Fox staged the world premiere of the film at Wilmington, Delaware's Rialto Theater.

Quotes:

Ildith: Evil? How strange you are. Where I come from, nothing is evil. Everything that gives pleasure is good!
Lot: Where do you come from?
Ildith: There, not far, just ahead - Sodom and Gomorrah.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in An Opera of Violence (2003) (V)

Neglected Biblical spectacle is great fun for fans of the genre

Sodom and Gomorrah was a big flop when it was released and has been almost forgotten since then. This is a shame. It's certainly no classic like Ben Hur or Spartacus,and it has the obvious flaws many films like this share-corny dialogue,women's make-up and hair which betrays the decade the film was made in,to name but two-but if you like this kind of film it's very entertaining and worth a watch. At times you could swear De Mille directed it,but it was actually directed by Robert Aldrich,a real curio in his career.

The first hour does dawdle along a little,but the middle of the film contains a very lengthy battle sequence which is extremely impressive. In these days of CGI,it's great to see hundreds of REAL people fighting on the screen,and it's great the way the battle is in stages and shows various tactics by the two sides instead of just being a chaotic mess. The climatic destruction {well,it's based on a well known Bible story, so I don't think this is a spoiler!} of the twin cities of Sodom and Gommorah {although we only seem to see Sodom} is still quite a well achieved spectacle,in fact technically the film still generally holds up,except for a few very unconvincing shots when an army is engulfed in water.

Those who find some of the film a little heavy can enjoy the odd touch of vivid sadism {people on a wheel lowered into fire,a prisoner threatened by a blind man whose armour produces spikes when he breaths} and plenty of references to the 'sins' of the Sodomites-nothing is explicit,but things such as incest,sexual servitude and lesbianism are certainly hinted at. Yet the Hebrews,by comparison,are such a dull humourless lot,one might occasionally sympathise with the Sodomites,and this was maybe intended. As with most of Aldrich's films,it's actually quite cynical,and doesn't take easy sides.

Stuart Granger is fine as Lot but it's the underrated Stanley Baker,as the scheming Astorath who chases anything in a skirt, who gives the stand-out performance,memorably corrupt. One should also mention Miklos Rozsa's superb score which ranks along side his other classic scores for related films like Ben Hur and El Cid. He superbly evokes the period and setting whilst providing a gorgeous love theme and a number of other great themes. Of course it's very melodramatic,but it suits the film!

Sodom and Gomorrah exists in several heavily cut down versions which may quicken the pace but are extremely choppy,often cutting into scenes when they are obviously half way through. The full 155-odd minute version is sometimes shown,and is available in some countries on DVD,but really demands a proper,remastered,etc. release. It's really worth seeing,as long as you like this kind of stuff of course!