Based on Oscar Wilde's version of the story, what is noteworthy is the sheer luxury of the production, an attempt to capture the wild and weird Aubrey Beardsley illustrations that transfigure the work. The sets are elaborate, with stonework and palm trees and draperies. There seem to be dozens of dress extras, courtiers at Salome's dance and soldiers.
Production
Sets so lavish they probably bankrupted three people.
Costume
Beardsley's ink lines translated into fabric and excess.
Director
Ugo Falena
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Beardsley's illustrations for Wilde's play were considered so obscene that British bookstores kept them under the counter.
Francesca Bertini, playing the slave here, would become Italy's first major silent film diva — this is her before she knew she was iconic.
IT
