IMDb > Solomon and Sheba (1959)

Solomon and Sheba (1959) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   840 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Crane Wilbur (story)
Anthony Veiller (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Solomon and Sheba on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 1959 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Behold! The love story of the ages! more
Plot:
Shortly before his death in ancient Israel King David has a vision from God telling him that his younger son Solomon should succeed him as king... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
A fanciful extrapolation of a very brief mention of Sheba in the bible more (21 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Yul Brynner ... Solomon

Gina Lollobrigida ... Sheba
George Sanders ... Adonijah
Marisa Pavan ... Abishag
David Farrar ... Pharaoh
John Crawford ... Joab
Finlay Currie ... David
Harry Andrews ... Baltor
José Nieto ... Ahab (as Jose Nieto)
Maruchi Fresno ... Bathsheba
William Devlin ... Nathan

Jack Gwillim ... Josiah
Jean Anderson ... Takyan
Laurence Naismith ... Hezrai (as Lawrence Naismith)
Julio Peña ... Zadok (as Julio Pena)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
139 min | 141 min (TCM print)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One of the films included in "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and how they got that way)" by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: There were no steps going from the outer court of the temple to the inner court. more
Quotes:
Adonijah: You and your Sheban slut have defiled the fair name of Israel. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Secret Life of Brian (2007) (TV) more

FAQ

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
A fanciful extrapolation of a very brief mention of Sheba in the bible, 3 July 2006
6/10
Author: Deusvolt from United States

I saw this on its original release as a child. My mother, a great movie buff, was greatly excoriated by other members of the family for taking me along when she went shopping in downtown Manila and decided to see it. The reason? It was classified as either for adults only or more likely as "Objectionable in part for all" by the Legion of Decency. Why? There was this exotic belly dance by Gina Lollobrigida. Then there was this bathing scene which although did not show much skin had her rising out of the pool while her serving maids obstructed the view with a large cloth. As she wrapped the cloth around her shapely body, she said in a very sexy voice and tone: "Dry me." I narrated this scene to my poor friends who couldn't afford to go to a first run movie but they didn't get excited. I saw a re-run of the movie on a religious channel recently and I didn't see the belly dance scene.

This is the only other movie where I saw Yul Brynner with hair. He also had hair in The Sound and the Fury.

But now let's get serious. There is no mention in the bible of the Queen of Sheba as a temptress and spy for the Pharoah. All it says is that she was an admirer of Solomon who brought him lots of valuable gifts when she visited him to learn from his wisdom. If there should be a re-make of this film, it is suggested that Sheba be played by a black actress as we now know that Sheba was in what is now modern Ethiopia and even in those days, the inhabitants of that area were black. Also, Sheba was not the name of a queen but of the country that the "Kandake" (a title from which the name Candace is derived) ruled. Other than her title, therefore, we do not know the name of the Candace of Sheba.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Solomon and Sheba (1959)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
very erotic for its time ClassicSiren
Campfest Supreme!....... ciocio-2
Foreign accents? ErJen-1
Remake? marcin_kukuczka
Does Sheba survive? lorne86
TYRONE POWER (R.I.P.) ciminoproductions
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