Salomé | Silent Movie Day

An adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s notorious 1891 stage play, Salomé is a queer classic. Produced by its star Alla Nazimova and designed by Natacha Rambova, the film re-envisions the biblical story of Salomé, who danced for King Herod for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter. Inspired by the work of Aubrey Beardsley, whose illustrations accompanied the first English translation of Wilde’s play, Nazimova and Rambova abandoned any effort at historical realism, crafting a style that film scholar Martin Turnbull has called “Art Nouveau meets searing minimalism meets Hollywood decadence.” [71 min; drama; silent with English intertitles] Silent Movie Day is an annual celebration of silent movies meant to champion their presentation and preservation while highlighting their vital, beautiful, and powerful part of film history. You can learn more about this national program at www.silentmovieday.org.