Salomé(1923),asilentfilmdirectedbyCharlesBryantandstarringAllaNazimova,isafilmadaptationoftheOscarWildeplayofthesamename.TheplayitselfisalooseretellingofthebiblicalstoryofKingHerodandhisexecutionofJohntheBaptist(here,asinWilde'splay,calledJokaanan)attherequestofhisstepdaughter,Salomé,whomhelustsafteraaa
SaloméisoftencalledoneofthefirstartfilmstobemadeintheU.S.[citationneeded]Thehighlystylizedcostumes,exaggeratedacting(evenfortheperiod),minimalsets,andabsenceofallbutthemostnecessarypropsmakeforascreenimagemuchmorefocusedonatmosphereandonconveyingasenseofthecharacters'individualheighteneddesiresthanonconventionalplotdevelopment.
Despitethefilmbeingonlyalittleoveranhourinlengthandhavingnorealactiontospeakof,itcostover$350,000tomake.Allthesetswereconstructedindoorstobeabletohavecompletecontroloverthelighting.Thefilmwasshotcompletelyinblackandwhite,matchingtheillustrationsdonebyAubreyBeardsleyintheprintededitionofWilde'splay.Thecostumes,designedbyNatachaRambova,usedmaterialonlyfromMaisonLewisofParis,suchastherealsilverlaméloinclothswornbytheguards.
Nomajorstudiowouldbeassociatedwiththefilm,anditwasyearsafteritscompletionbeforeitwasreleased,byaminorindependentdistributor.ItwasacompletefailureatthetimeandmarkedtheendofNazimova'sproducingcareer.
Alongstandingrumor,whichseemstohavestartedwhilethefilmwasstillinproduction,suggeststhatitscastiscomprisedentirelyofgayandbisexualactorsinanhomagetoOscarWilde,asperstarandproducerNazimova'sdemand.Itis,ofcourse,impossibletosay,butoneoftheextrasinSaloméreportedthatanumberofthecastmembers—bothfeaturedandextras—wereindeedgay,butnotanunusualpercentageofthem,andcertainlynotallofthem.WhatcanbesaidisthatNazimovaherselfwasalesbian,thetwoguardcharacters(who,nexttoSalomé,havethemostscreentime)areatleastplayedverystereotypicallygay,andseveralofthefemalecourtiersaremenindrag.
Saloméwasscreenedin1989attheNewYorkInternationalFestivalofLesbianandGayfilmsandin1990attheNewYorkGayExperimentalFilmFestival.
In2000,theUnitedStatesLibraryofCongressdeemedthefilm"culturallysignificant"andselecteditforpreservationintheNationalFilmRegistry.
