While it seems that Al Pacino is desperately trying to outdo the bad Hebrew accent that Laurence Olivier had in "The Jazz Singer", it's obvious that he's trying to be sincere as King Herod on the throne desperately trying to save the life of John the Baptist after stepdaughter Salome (Jessica Chastain) demands it in return for her dance. This is a rendition of Oscar Wilde's play, as if it was being done on the stage (part modern dress) and the audience (including Wilde) not seen as they were in the Ken Russell adaption, "Salome's Last Dance", and it's like imagining that there were modern film cameras present to capture the play as it was being done.
Taking on the role of the regal Queen Herodias (played previously by Judith Anderson and Glenda Jackson on film) is Roxanne Hart, and she has the perfect look for the part, the Hebrew version of Rome's Empress Livia. I had hoped it would be Dianne Wiest (who appeared in the Broadway revival with Pacino), but Hart is quite subtle, more so than Pacino and Chastain who obviously are trying to recapture early 20th Century styles of acting which over 120 years later seems absurd. In retrospect, this will appeal to theater historians and Pacino fans, but it's so close to Ken Russell's film that it hardly seems necessary. For me, I'll stick with the 1953 Rita Hayworth/Charles Laughton version which may be lacking in historical truth but is far more enjoyable than this or the 1988 film.
Taking on the role of the regal Queen Herodias (played previously by Judith Anderson and Glenda Jackson on film) is Roxanne Hart, and she has the perfect look for the part, the Hebrew version of Rome's Empress Livia. I had hoped it would be Dianne Wiest (who appeared in the Broadway revival with Pacino), but Hart is quite subtle, more so than Pacino and Chastain who obviously are trying to recapture early 20th Century styles of acting which over 120 years later seems absurd. In retrospect, this will appeal to theater historians and Pacino fans, but it's so close to Ken Russell's film that it hardly seems necessary. For me, I'll stick with the 1953 Rita Hayworth/Charles Laughton version which may be lacking in historical truth but is far more enjoyable than this or the 1988 film.