Solomon and Sheba

1959

2h 19m

History

Drama

List

14%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Near death, King David has a vision that his poet son, Solomon (Yul Brynner), should succeed him, rather than hot-headed Adonijah (George Sanders). Furious, Adonijah departs the court, swearing he will become king. Other rulers are concerned that Solomon's benevolent rule and interest in monotheism will threaten their tyrannical, polytheistic kingdoms. The Queen of Sheba (Gina Lollobrigida) makes an agreement with the Egyptian pharaoh (David Farrar) to corrupt Solomon for their mutual benefit.

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Jorge H

True acting. These actors make You believe every word spoken, one does not need to distance oneself from reality, as they are!, not become. Solomon,Sheba.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Religious bias -- This movie and several other movies from the 1950s with a religious overtone, such as The Robe, Quo Vadis, and Samson and Delilah, unfortunately depict all pagans or anybody who isn't a Jew or Christian as morally depraved and decadent. The focus is only on biblical-related stories that ignore the world outside the Bible. As far as they are concerned, nothing good came from pagan Egypt, Greece or Rome. Any movie that preaches about the "one true god" gives a short shift to freedom of religion. The movies ignore the fact that ancient Judea's lack of religious freedom made it a fertile ground for religious extremism. Most 1950s religious movies also overlook the loss of freedom the occurred after Christians assumed political power in the 4th century.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great movie love king vidor

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I saw this film when it was new in 1960. I was a movie enthusiast who with as far as I can judge today a good and differentiated taste and who gave even poor movies some justification. This film was the only one in my whole life, which I left in the middle. It was simply terrible! The half star that I am giving it is because otherwise it won't be fair as I didn't watch the rest of the film...

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

deke p

Seeing this I now appreciate why GINA was HOT!! WOW! I think this must be what the Liz Taylor ovie CLEOPATRA was tryig to top. Saw this first time xn tv Easter Sunday 4.21.2019. But the plot is not Biblical, nor historically accurate. Just speculation. Actors were good. Yul with hair. George Sanders xlnt.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

So bad it was funny. How did Gina and Yul get conned into this rubbish show I will never know

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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King Vidor

Director

Yul Brynner

Solomon

Gina Lollobrigida

Sheba

George Sanders

Adonijah

David Farrar

Pharaoh

Marisa Pavan

Abishag

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Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

This multi-million-dollar semi-biblical extravaganza is one hour shorter than Ben-Hur, but it seems to take at least twice as long to sit through.

Nov 11, 2019

Full Review

Antonio Lara

El Pais (Spain)

The movie not only lacks attractive qualities but it is beneath other pseudo-biblical pastiches. [Full Review in Spanish]

Jul 17, 2019

Full Review

Isabel Quigly

The Spectator

It is highbrow nowadays to enjoy this sort of low- browedness, and not admit to too many yawns; all the same, after the first hour or so, I couldn't stop thinking of all the useful and pleasant things I might be doing if I was only outside the cinema.

Jul 12, 2018

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

If Ben-Hur was The Avengers of its decade, then Solomon and Sheba was the Fantastic Four of its time, an expensive undertaking that earned sizable bank without being especially good.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 8, 2015

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Dull biblical epic.

Rated: C

Sep 17, 2008

Full Review

Susan Granger

www.susangranger.com

Rated: 2/5

Dec 15, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

Near death, King David has a vision that his poet son, Solomon (Yul Brynner), should succeed him, rather than hot-headed Adonijah (George Sanders). Furious, Adonijah departs the court, swearing he will become king. Other rulers are concerned that Solomon's benevolent rule and interest in monotheism will threaten their tyrannical, polytheistic kingdoms. The Queen of Sheba (Gina Lollobrigida) makes an agreement with the Egyptian pharaoh (David Farrar) to corrupt Solomon for their mutual benefit.

Director: King Vidor
Screenwriter: Anthony Veiller, Paul Dudley, George Bruce
Production Co: Edward Small Productions
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 17, 2017
Runtime: 2h 19m

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