Solomon and Sheba

For the Halle Berry film, see Solomon & Sheba (1995 film).
Solomon and Sheba
Film poster
Directed byKing Vidor
Screenplay byAnthony Veiller
Paul Dudley
George Bruce
Story byCrane Wilbur
Based onBooks of Kings
Books of Chronicles
Produced byTed Richmond
StarringYul Brynner
Gina Lollobrigida
CinematographyFred A. Young
Edited byOtto Ludwig
Music byMario Nascimbene
Production
company
Edward Small Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
  • October 27, 1959 (1959-10-27) (London premiere)
  • December 25, 1959 (1959-12-25) (New York City premiere)
Running time
141 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[1]
Box office$12,200,000[2]

Solomon and Sheba is a 1959 American epic historical romance film directed by King Vidor, shot in Technirama (color by Technicolor), and distributed by United Artists.[3] The film dramatizes events described in The Bible—the tenth chapter of First Kings and the ninth chapter of Second Chronicles.

It starred Yul Brynner as Solomon and Gina Lollobrigida as Sheba; and features George Sanders as Adonijah, Marisa Pavan as Abishag, and David Farrar as the Pharaoh. The screenplay by Anthony Veiller, Paul Dudley, and George Bruce, was based on a story by Crane Wilbur.[4] In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.[5]

  1. ^ Scheuer, Philip K (13 Jan 1958). "Comedy Will Star Taylor: Small Splurges on 'Solomon;' Mann to Film 'Ripe Fruit'". Los Angeles Times. p. C9.
  2. ^ Block, Alex Ben (2010). George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies . HarperCollins. p. 976. ISBN 9780061963452.
  3. ^ "'Solomon and Sheba': Art of War Varies Little Over Years". The Milwaukee Sentinel. January 3, 1960. Retrieved 21 September 2013.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Oviatt, Ray (January 29, 1960). "New Biblical Epic Stays With Formula". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Berlinale 2020: Retrospective "King Vidor"". Berlinale. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.