2 The citizens of these Twin Cities often wear sneers on their faces, but they don't seem all that much more depraved than average rich folk in other ancient epics. He's both a sinner and a fool, as The Queen has used him to remove the only threat to her rule.Ĭommonly considered a disaster in an already undervalued genre, Sodom and Gomorrah has an added snicker value built into its title. Only after he avenges his family pride does Lot realize that he's fallen into The Queen's ultimate trap. But Astaroth seduces Lot's own daughter Shuah (Rossana Podestà). He prides himself on his ability to make an honest living without becoming corrupted, even though (to Ildith's delight) they no longer live like paupers. The Queen 'graciously' invites the Hebrews to live within the walls of the twin cities, and Lot agrees. Worse, the water from the broken dam has washed salt across the Hebrew farms, making them barren. When the Helamites attack, the Hebrew counterattack destroys them, at the cost of the dam the tribe labored so long and hard to build. But Lot has promised the Queen military support. Seeking to overthrow his sister, Astaroth makes a traitorous deal with the nomadic, warring Helamites. The depraved queen and her loathsome, rapacious brother Astaroth (Stanley Baker) cannot wait to see the Hebrews corrupted. Negotiating an uneasy agreement with the Queen, Lot feels that his tribe may be a good influence on her people.
#The last days of sodom and gomorrah mitchell free
She gives her chief handmaiden slave Ildith (Pier Angeli) to Lot, who wastes no time making the unhappy woman his wife: Ildith would rather be a pampered slave than a free peasant. Way back in the Book of Genesis, Hebrew chieftain Lot (Stewart Granger) leads his tribe to settle in a new land not far from the wicked cities of Sodom & Gomorrah, ruled by an evil queen called simply, "The Evil Queen" (Anouk Aimée). More in line with Aldrich's violent view of human nature, it instead preaches that peaceful coexistence among nations may be impossible. Unlike most other Biblical epics of the time, the film made from Butler's script doesn't serve as an allegory about contemporary politics - i.e., the plight of modern Israel, the Communist threat. These included frequent screenwriter and collaborator Hugo Butler ( World for Ransom, Autumn Leaves, The Legend of Lylah Clare), a major victim of the blacklist. Although Aldrich was a director for hire he spent several months in preproduction, lining up key members of his crew. Vast sets designed by Ken Adam were built in Morocco 1, English effects experts were brought in, Maurice Binder did the titles and the legendary Miklos Rozsa composed the impressive music score, his fourth straight for a Biblical epic. Levine and Italy's Titanus Films, Sodom and Gomorrah doesn't lack for production value. Released by Fox but produced by a partnership of deep pocket interests that included Joseph E. In this case the fire and brimstone come from the hand of God himself.
The Biblical epic surely appealed to Aldrich's interest in characters under extreme stress in apocalyptic times. Aldrich's last film-in-exile was the enormously expensive The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah (usually just called Sodom and Gomorrah), filmed in Italy and Morocco with an all-star European cast. Although the critics have always found something to champion in any Aldrich film, his subsequent Ten Seconds to Hell, The Angry Hills and The Last Sunset weren't positive additions to his career filmography.
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The energetic and dynamic director Robert Aldrich found his Hollywood career at an impasse in 1957, when an irate Harry Cohn forced him to work in TV or leave the country to continue his career. Second Unit Directors Oscar Rudolph, Sergio Leone Starring Stewart Granger, Pier Angeli, Stanley Baker, Anouk Aimée, Rossana Podestà, Rik Battaglia, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Scilla Gabel, Anthony Steffen, Enzo Fiermonte, Gabriele Tinti, Daniele Vargas, Feodor Chaliapin, Mitsuko Takara, Mimmo Palmara, Alice Kessler, Ellen Kessler, Archie Savage.Ĭinematography Silvano Ippoliti, Cyril Knowles, Mario Montuori