Remade , some years later ,by Henry King ,as "Solomon and sheba " ,starring Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida as the temptress who allowed herself an orgy : the pagan queen finally embraced the "true " God.
In the Bible ,only a few lines are given over to Sheba ;her life is reportedly more detailed in the Coran,and she's referred as Balkis in it,as in the Italian movie.
In spite of some plot holes, the Italian movie compares favorably with the big budget American superproduction ; there's only one scene shared by both versions: the obligatory famous judgement of Solomon concerning the two mothers .
Solomon 's time on the screen is rather short,leaving the lion's share to his son Roboam (who ,historically, would be Solomon's and Sheba's son) ,who meets the queen who has a bath incognito in an oasis (the famous waterfalls which you can see in almost every Italian sword and sandal /peplum film) and naturally it's love at first sight.Roboam and his mate use a pseud to enter her town ,and when she discovers she 's been cheated , the queen declares war to Solomon.Historically ,Solomon's reign was peaceful and prosperous ,but his 700+wives and lovers and his tolerance with the Pagan religions provoked an angry response from the petulant Jehovah at the end of his reign.
The siege scene is well directed and helps the queen find both true love and true faith .
It had not been the only time an Italian black and white peplum was remade as a cinemascope/color epic : they remade Freda's "Spartacus"(1952) ,which ,in spite of Kubrik's film reputation, deserves to be seen.
