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Salome
Russian-born Alla Nazimova stars in this art nouveau fantasia (1922, 75 min.) loosely based on Oscar Wilde's play about the biblical princess who demands the head of John the Baptist. Though the direction is attributed to Charles Bryant, the auteur was clearly Nazimova, with Natacha Rambova (later the wife of Rudolph Valentino) patterning the set and costumes after the Aubrey Beardsley illustrations that accompanied one edition of the play. In many ways this is a vanity production, with its 44-year-old star impersonating a petulant sex kitten, yet its kinkiness and fey sensuality are charmingly quaint. |
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