The film details the rivalry between Solomon (Yul Brynner) and his older brother, Adonijah (George Sands), the warrior. It was a rivalry that grew out of the fact that Adonijah was passed over for succession to their father David's throne upon his death. It was Solomon who was chosen to rule Israel. This was to cause a rift in their relationship that would be irreparable.

The film also details the love affair between the beautiful Queen of Sheba (Gina Lollobrigida) and Solomon, wise in all things except love. It shows how an affair that started out as a political maneuver on the part of the Queen of Sheba would turn into a selfless, passionate love of the heart. It was a love that would almost rend a nation asunder.

Yul Brenner, as the viewer has probably never seen him (with a head of hair), is excellent as the idealistic and tolerant ruler. Gina Lollobrigida turned out to be a much better actress than I had imagined. She is sensational as the beautiful, exotic, voluptuous Queen of Sheba. She also has a figure that must have been the envy of every woman at one time. It is a perfect hourglass figure that shows off her striking and seductive costumes to perfection.

George Sands is compelling as the envious Adonijah, who sought to take what was not his by any means, fair or foul. His desire for the throne would compromise the very existence of Israel and lead to a climactic finale. Moreover, his hatred for the Queen of Sheba was as great as that of his hatred for his brother. This wellspring of emotion was to have great repercussions for all.

Despite a pagan orgy scene that is so over the top as to be laughable, this is a spectacular biblical epic that will keep the viewer riveted to the screen.

Another large-scale film rendition from the biblical epic
Review date: 2001-06-21 Rating: 6 out of 10

Another large-scale film rendition from the biblical epic genre! Typical "Hollywood style" of finding "love story" themes from biblical narratives, which always creates an impact! For this film, MGM first employed Tyrone Power for the part of Solomon but during initial filming Tyrone Power died and amazing epic actor Yul Brynner (Rameses in TEN COMMANDMENTS) replaced him. The "battle scenes" were so magnificently filmed in cinemascope that the film authorities kept Power in particular scenes where he could not be recognized in spite of the fact that Brynner took the lead role. The great epic actor Finlay Currie (who played Balthasar in Ben Hur) issues a magnificent portrayal of King David while David Farrar does a good job with playing Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The same problems of human nature where brother fights against brother is clearly seen in the character of Solomon's brother Adonijah stunningly played by British actor George Sanders. This particular UK video release of this classic is a "must see" for it captures both the original cinematic technique of the use of camera 70 and stereophonic sound. The UK PAL version is better than the NTSC.

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