Sodome et Gomorrhe

Not quite sure why I am bothering to right anything about this film here tonight, perhaps to give myself a break from finishing my daughter's ancient history assignment which has all but fried my brain!

Have read the majority of critiques here and with the possible exception of Steve Reeves' impressions which follow this (I think he should stick to playing Hercules!) and which are arguably intelligent, there is not much more to be added. It was neither the best nor the worst of the Biblical yarns but much as I liked it, the latter was nearer the mark. A spaghetti epic was never likely to cause waves at the Academy Awards and so the era came to a halt after this.

Having said all that however, I would like to make these observations. Over the years, so many films have yielded up memorable one-liners, which run the gauntlet of emotions from sad, funny, sicko, to tearful, powerful, even chillingly awesome ("Look behind you Dr Floyd" from 2010!) Lines such as Drax in MOONRAKER, speaking to an underling "Take Mr Bond away and see that some harm comes to him," make it all worth-while. Two lines which remain indelibly ingrained in my head for all time, are that which Charlton Heston (as Moses) speaks atop the rock overlooking the Red Sea in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, "Behold the power of the Lord" and Stewart Granger as Lot at the very conclusion of THE LAST DAYS OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH when he sees his wife turning round, "Ildith, DON'T look back!" It makes up for every critical aspect of the previous 152 minutes. Both scenes were imbued with a quality that did something extraordinary for me.

Yep THE LAST DAYS OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH was certainly low on sin, script and biblical accuracy but it remained watchable enough, even if the girls (as one contributor quite correctly pointed out) appeared to all have had make-overs from Max Factor! Even the sex angle was highly restrained by comparison to current levels of acceptability. It remains though the ONLY film I ever watched at the local theater 5 days running. OK, so I have no taste? Gimme a break, I was only 15!

Robert Aldrich has directed an entertaining, though far from serious retelling, of the Old Testament saga. The story starts out sticking close to the original. Lot ( Stewart Granger) decides to split with his Uncle Abraham and take his group of Hebrews on a different route as they make their nomadic way across the desert. Of course they come upon the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The characters they meet there are bigger than life. The Queen of Sodom is wickedly played by the wonderful Anouk Aimee. She rules the twin cities of the Plain with her leering brother portrayed by Stanley Baker. They both have a ball chewing the scenery and seducing whomever strikes their fancy. The Queen has the eye for young female beauties. Her brother has an eye for both of Lot's daughters. These fun plot additions are distinct divergences from the Old Testament tale. Lot himself falls for the slave girl (Pier Angeli). Royal intrigues and political betrayals run rampant. There are also some good action sequences. One in particular has the Hebrews protecting the cities from invading intruders by destroying a dam they have built inundating their enemies as Moses would do centuries later. Of course, the spectacular finale is the destruction of the cities followed by the Pillar of Salt transformation of Lot's wife. The script writers have left out the tidbit about Lot's own daughters getting him drunk and taking him to bed because they think they are the last people on earth. I guess that was a bit too racy for the audiences in 1962. "Sodom & Gomorrah" came at the tail end of the cycle of biblical spectacles. It certainly wasn't the worst. Its entertainment value includes a superb score by Miklos Rozsa which raises all of the fighting and heavy breathing to a higher level than one would expect.

While there isn't much in this movie that is Biblically correct I still thought it was an enjoyable film all the same. Essentially, "Lot" (Stewart Granger) has decided to relocate his followers and herds to the lush plain of Jordan in which the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are located. It is at this point where Hollywood takes over and everything is radically different from the Scriptures. Be that as it may, "Bera" (Anouk Aimee), the Queen of Sodom and Gomorrah, recognizes that the Elamites are a threat to her cities and is desperate to protect her position at all costs. So when the Hebrews (led by Lot) enter the plain of Jordan she hastily forms an alliance with them. Lot agrees due in large part to his naive assumption that he can eventually convince the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to abandon their wicked ways. What he doesn't consider is that the Hebrews are also capable of adopting the ways of Sodom and Gomorrah as well. At any rate, rather than spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it, I will just reiterate that what follows is not found in the Book of Genesis. But it is an exciting film with good acting by Stewart Granger, Pier Angeli (as Lot's wife "Ildith") and the aforementioned Anouk Aimee. It also has some nice scenery and some pretty good special effects for its time. However, it is rather long (154 minutes) and the manner in which the writers transform Lot into a combination of both Abraham and Moses is a bit far-fetched. But that's Hollywood I suppose. Slightly above average.

Sodom and Gomorrah was a big flop when it was released and has been almost forgotten since then. This is a shame. It's certainly no classic like Ben Hur or Spartacus,and it has the obvious flaws many films like this share-corny dialogue,women's make-up and hair which betrays the decade the film was made in,to name but two-but if you like this kind of film it's very entertaining and worth a watch. At times you could swear De Mille directed it,but it was actually directed by Robert Aldrich,a real curio in his career.

The first hour does dawdle along a little,but the middle of the film contains a very lengthy battle sequence which is extremely impressive. In these days of CGI,it's great to see hundreds of REAL people fighting on the screen,and it's great the way the battle is in stages and shows various tactics by the two sides instead of just being a chaotic mess. The climatic destruction {well,it's based on a well known Bible story, so I don't think this is a spoiler!} of the twin cities of Sodom and Gommorah {although we only seem to see Sodom} is still quite a well achieved spectacle,in fact technically the film still generally holds up,except for a few very unconvincing shots when an army is engulfed in water.

Those who find some of the film a little heavy can enjoy the odd touch of vivid sadism {people on a wheel lowered into fire,a prisoner threatened by a blind man whose armour produces spikes when he breaths} and plenty of references to the 'sins' of the Sodomites-nothing is explicit,but things such as incest,sexual servitude and lesbianism are certainly hinted at. Yet the Hebrews,by comparison,are such a dull humourless lot,one might occasionally sympathise with the Sodomites,and this was maybe intended. As with most of Aldrich's films,it's actually quite cynical,and doesn't take easy sides.

Stuart Granger is fine as Lot but it's the underrated Stanley Baker,as the scheming Astorath who chases anything in a skirt, who gives the stand-out performance,memorably corrupt. One should also mention Miklos Rozsa's superb score which ranks along side his other classic scores for related films like Ben Hur and El Cid. He superbly evokes the period and setting whilst providing a gorgeous love theme and a number of other great themes. Of course it's very melodramatic,but it suits the film!

Sodom and Gomorrah exists in several heavily cut down versions which may quicken the pace but are extremely choppy,often cutting into scenes when they are obviously half way through. The full 155-odd minute version is sometimes shown,and is available in some countries on DVD,but really demands a proper,remastered,etc. release. It's really worth seeing,as long as you like this kind of stuff of course!

With the filming of Sodom and Gomorrah, Stewart Granger began a phase of his career on the European continent. Not that Sodom and Gomorrah is any great film, but it was certainly better than some of those spaghetti westerns he did in the Sixties to pay for his hedonistic life style. Something like the one they allegedly lived down Sodom way.

Of course Sodom and Gomorrah doesn't stick to the biblical version of the tale, but then neither did those DeMille epics, Samson and Delilah and The Ten Commandments. Nor is homosexuality singled out as THE sin that got the Deity all upset that he wanted to destroy the place. Then again it isn't even in the Bible.

Lot as portrayed by Stewart Granger doesn't take just his family there, he leads a whole tribe of Hebrew people there after he parts from Uncle Abraham. Pretty soon he gets all tangled up in Sodomite politics and gets a bit entangled himself with Pier Angeli who is a slave girl to Queen Anouk Aimee.

Villain of the piece is Stanley Baker who always improves every film he was ever in. He's Anouk's brother and he's got the idea he ought to be running things. He's also got an eye for Lot's daughters.

There's a very nicely staged battle sequence with the Hebrews defending the land granted them by Anouk. But the script is definitely out of the Cecil B. DeMille school of arcane Victorian writing.

Still it's entertaining in many respects.