Sins of Jezebel (1953)

The aging Ahab, king of Israel, comes under the influence of a young and beautiful but scheming pagan woman named Jezebel and, against the advice of his advisers and the prophet Elijah, ... See full summary »

Director:

Reginald Le Borg

Writer:

Richard H. Landau (as Richard Landau)

Stars:

Paulette Goddard, George Nader, Eduard Franz

Cast

Cast overview:
Paulette Goddard	...	Jezebel
George Nader	...	Jehu
Eduard Franz	...	Ahab
John Hoyt	...	Elijah / Narrator
Ludwig Donath	...	Naboth
John Shelton	...	Loram
Joe Besser	...	Yonkel - master of chariots
Margia Dean	...	Deborah
Carmen D'Antonio	...	Solo Dancer

Storyline

The aging Ahab, king of Israel, comes under the influence of a young and beautiful but scheming pagan woman named Jezebel and, against the advice of his advisers and the prophet Elijah, marries her. Her plan to introduce her pagan idols to Israel angers God, who decides to wreak vengeance on Israel.

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Plot Keywords:

israel | jezebel | prophet | based on the bible | seduction | 

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Taglines:

Most shameless sirens of all the ages!

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Re-released in Italy in 1959 under the new, more "macho" title, "Il Re D'Israeli."

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Quotes

Elijah: Once more I ask you, Ahab, which are you bowing to your mind or your heart?
King Ahab: Do your preaching to the children of Israel, Elijah. Let grown men make their own decisions.
Elijah: You are more than a man, Ahab. You are king of Israel. How you think, how you act affects a whole nation.

User Reviews

Bargain Basement Biblical.

Paulette Goddard, a beautiful star of the 1940s, was given her first big break by immortal comedian Charlie Chaplin. He starred her opposite himself in his classic film "Modern Times" in which she played his young companion. She also became his wife (though they would eventually divorce). Nevertheless, she and Claire Bloom were the only Chaplin leading ladies to go on to prestigious careers of their own. Vivacious Paulette made such classics as "The Cat And The Canary", "So Proudly We Hail (Oscar nomination), "The Great Dictator" (again opposite Chaplin) and "Kitty". She also made a few films with Cecil B. DeMille--most notably, "Northwest Mounted Police". By the 1950s, however, her box office appeal had faded, and her age (she claimed to have been born in 1911, but the true date was 1905) had finally caught up with her. After "Bride Of Vengeance", her last film at Paramount (where she was under contract) flopped, she and the studio parted ways, and she was on her own. For the next four years, she made a handful of low-budget quickies, none of which revived her fading career. "Sins Of Jezebel" is one of the more interesting ones, though. Made on an unbelievable $100,000 budget,it was reportedly completed in all of three days),but, that's probably just the length of time Paulette filmed her scenes. (She worked on 'Vice Squad'' (1952) for just three days as well. Paulette starred as the infamous Biblical queen, who attempts to replace God with her own Pagan idol, Baal. Opposite her (eventually) is a young George Nader, playing a servant of King Ahab (Eduard Franz), who quickly falls for her after she marries the weak willed King. As might be expected, production values are extremely low, though in an attempt to cash in on the then-popular Biblical epics ("The Robe", "Demitrius and the Gladiators" among others), it was filmed in color and wide screen. The script is serviceable, the photography is above average, and Goddard, Nader, and Franz give good performances. Paulette still boasted a trim figure, though at 48 years old, she was obviously past her prime. Nevertheless, this film, as a fairly straightforward retelling of the Bible story remains watchable and entertaining. Rarely seen on TV these days, VCI Communications has just released it on a DVD double bill with "Queen of the Amazons" (about which the less said, the better). There is minor print damage, and the sound is poor, but it's presented in Anamorphic Widescreen and the color is still attractive. All things considered, it's a welcome release of an obscure film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 September 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Den syndefulde Jesabel

Filming Locations:

Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sigmund Neufeld Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Color (Ansco Color)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1