'' Salomé '' is a 2002 Spanish film directed by

Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (4 January 1932 – 10 February 2023) was a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. With Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be among Spain's great filmmakers. He had a long and prolific career th ...

. The film is told from the perspective of a

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

dance company that will mount a show devoted to the mythical and biblical figure of Salomé, as a story of love and vengeance. The movie is both about the performance and the preparation for it.

Plot

The first part of the film is conceived as a documentary and we discover, step-by-step, the whole construction and preparation of the show. A director prepares a troupe of flamenco dancers for a production of the biblical story of

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

. He summarizes the story and describes his spring for the drama's action: Salomé's attraction to John the Baptist. When the prophet rejects her, she seeks revenge. We are witnessing the working sessions with the musician, the choosing of the costumes. The score composer, set designer, choreographer and costume designer are shown doing their jobs in the part of the stage. We also see the troupe of dancers during rehearsals. We meet the principals. We watch the troupe on rehearsals, and then the performance. The main dancers are presented: Salomé, King Herod (

Herod Antipas Herod Antipas (, ''Hērṓidēs Antípas''; ) was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea. He bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch" and "King Herod" in the New Testament. He was a s ...

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

and

Herodias Herodias (; , ''Hērōidiás''; c. 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judea, Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with the Beheading of John the Baptist, execution of John the Ba ...

. Each of them tells the story of their beginnings as dancers in childhood. Salomé overcame a bad case of

scoliosis Scoliosis (: scolioses) is a condition in which a person's Vertebral column, spine has an irregular curve in the coronal plane. The curve is usually S- or C-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others ...

to eventually succeed as a dancer and now she is the director of the Spanish National ballet company. John the Baptist has emigrated from his native Cuba and both Herod and Herodias had to confront initial unwillingness by their parents to allow them to follow a career as dancers. The second part of the film is the production of the stage dance adaptation of Salomé. It is a lush presentation in a spare stage, colorfully illuminated. We follow the plot. King Herod has married Herodias, his brother's widow. Herod is devoted to his stepdaughter Salomé. On his birthday celebration, he wants to maker her to dance for him, but she refuses. Herodias encourages her daughter to do so; allowing her daughter to be the lust interest of her husband. However, Salomé refuses because she is only interested in John the Baptist, whom on the other hand Herod fears. Salomé tries to seduce the prophet, but his status as a holy man does not let him be carried away by his feelings. Disappointed and frustrated, Salomé agrees to dance for her stepfather. In a sensual and frantic performance, she takes on the dance of the seven veils. The king, fascinated by the dance, would give Salomé anything she asks for. He is surprised when Salomé requests, in defiance, the head of

. The king, reluctantly, fulfills her wish. When the head of the saintly man is presented to Salomé on a tray, she realizes that she is still in love with him. Grief-stricken, Salomé commits suicide hanging herself.

Cast

* Aída Gómez as Salomé * Pere Arquillué as director * Paco Mora as King Herod * Javier Toca as John the Baptist * Carmen Villena as Herodias

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Salome 2002 films 2000s Spanish-language films Cultural depictions of John the Baptist Films directed by Carlos Saura Flamenco films Films scored by Roque Baños 2000s dance films Cultural depictions of Salome 2000s Spanish films Cultural depictions of Herod Antipas

Plot

Cast

See also

External links