Solomon and Sheba Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Solomon and Sheba Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 30, 2024

Ah, the Biblical Epics of the '50s. Hollywood's golden-age fascination with the Old Testament may not have lasted all that long, but it certainly became a genre unto itself by 1959 (when Solomon and Sheba tried to steal an Oscar or two from a little film called, hold on... lemme check... oh yeah, Ben-frickin-Hur). It makes sense too. Other than science fiction or tales plucked from mythology -- which was having a time all its own in 1950s Tinseltown -- where else might you find vast vistas and ancient cities populated by super-powered heroes of old, all set against the fury of the gods? The Ten Commandments, David and Bathsheba, Samson and Delilah, The Robe and... Solomon and Sheba, right? Solomon and Sheba? Anyone? Anyone? Lost to time, perhaps for good reason, Solomon and Sheba tries its damnedest to follow in the footsteps of its forebearers but struggles, and struggles hard. And not just because its lead actor dropped dead midway through production, or because weaving a sweeping romantic tale centered around a historical king who had more than 600 -- that's right, 600 -- wives amounts to something of a fool's errand. Read on...

It's perhaps instructive that the film's title seems to want to make "Sheba" a character name, when in fact the character is actually the Queen of Sheba, brought inimitably to life by the incredibly voluptuous Gina Lollobrigida. In the film's rather fanciful formulation, Sheba (the country, not the "person") is an ally of Egypt, something that troubles the ruling elite of Israel. When elderly King David (Finlay Currie) decides that Solomon (Yul Brynner) rather than elder brother Adonijah (George Sanders) should ascend to the throne, it sets the main conflict into action, with the scheming Adonijah attempting to figure out how to usurp his sibling's power. Meanwhile, the Queen of Sheba has decided to attempt to seduce Solomon in order to further her exploits in territorial conquest, something that meets with approval in Egypt. There's therefore a kind of two pronged assault aimed at Solomon throughout the film, though Solomon and Sheba soon forsakes any real "threat" (at least militarily) from the Sheban forces as the Israeli King and Sheban Queen of course fall deeply, madly in love with each other.

Click here to read the rest of Jeffrey Kauffman's assessment of the film, which he calls "a lumbering, clumsy effort that is resolutely silly a lot of the time and provides ample proof of why the Biblical Epic soon fell completely out of favor with that fickle ticket buying public."

Solomon and Sheba Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sandpiper Pictures presents Solomon and Sheba at 2.35:1 with a fairly strong 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that, all things considered equal, could use a little digging up and (re)polishing off. There's nothing precisely "wrong" with the results -- which appear to be strikingly similar, if not identical, to those featured on the Limited Edition 2015 Twilight Time Blu-ray -- but there are issues that detract from the overall quality. Edge halos are quite apparent at times (garish even), as is intermittent softness (presumably optical) and rough patches of grain that are oddly inconsistent when compared to the rest of the film. That said, I was more pleased with the presentation than my colleague was in 2015. Colors are bold and splash-y, with just enough power and punch to leave a mark, stir up nostalgia for Technirama vibrancy, and retain rather lifelike saturation and earthtones. Jeff mentioned skintones tended to be "slightly brownish," but I'd wager the filmmakers were using subtle makeup applications to achieve a "look" they felt was more fitting for Hebrew and Egyptian characters. (Someone message me asap if there's a better way to word that!) Contrast is strong without giving way to crush or diminishing delineation, and detail is quite good, barring some of the aforementioned clarity mishaps. Closeups boast many a revealing fine texture, and as often as wide exteriors revel in everything from armored soldiers to embattled horsemen to the frills of gold-lined chariots. Ultimately, I'd only bump my score to a 3.75 if quarter-points were available, but as it is, a 4.0 will have to do.

Solomon and Sheba Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sandpiper's Blu-ray release seems to feature the same DTS-HD MA mix as its 2015 predecessor, of which Kauffman writes: "According to IMDb, Solomon and Sheba had a 4-track stereo soundtrack for its 35mm screenings and a 6-track mix for its 70mm engagements, but this Blu-ray offers only a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 option. That may keep the (admittedly sporadic) battle scenes from offering huge immersive capabilities, but fidelity is actually excellent on this track, nicely detailing both the film's often risible dialogue as well as the fun, if occasionally hokey, score by Mario Nascimbene (again according to the IMDb, as Malcolm Arnold contributed to the music without receiving credit). Everything is cleanly and clearly rendered, with good prioritization and no damage of any kind to report."

Solomon and Sheba Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unlike the Limited Edition 2015 Twilight Time release, which included an isolated score track and multiple trailers, the Sandpiper release of Solomon and Sheba only delivers an original theatrical trailer.

Solomon and Sheba Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Solomon and Sheba is a far cry from the golden-era Biblical Epic at its best. Manufactured melodrama rules this portrayal of the Kingdom of Israel, its 600-time married suitor and his latest chosen love, here named Sheba rather than being called The Queen of Sheba. Sandpiper Pictures' Blu-ray is a solid release if you enjoy the film, with a decidedly decent AV presentation. Extras would have been a nice addition but so it goes.