Schroeter's virtuosic staging of the Oscar Wilde tragedy is a complex montage of image and sound, filmed on the grand steps of Baalbeck, the ancient Roman temple in Lebanon, and interweaving Lebanese and German folk songs with the music of Verdi, Wagner, Strauss, Mozart, Bellini, and Donizetti. Elfi Mikesch, the cinematographer of Schroeter’s later films, designed the film’s sumptuous costumes. A contemporary critic for Le Monde wrote admiringly of Schroeter’s depiction of "the deadly struggle between dark Christian morality and luminous paganism.“
Where to watch
Not streaming anywhere
Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.
Your rating
Your review
Cast
6 people
Mascha Rabben
Salome
Known for
World on a Wire
Deadlock
Magdalena Montezuma
Herodes
Known for
World on a Wire
Beware of a Holy Whore
Ellen Umlauf
Herodias
Also in
Cabaret
Kaisermühlen Blues
Thomas von Keyserling
Jochanaan
No other roles listed
René Schoenenberger
Narraboth
Also in
Das Geheimnis meines Vaters
Eika Katappa
Joachim Paede
Page
No other roles listed
Werner Schroeter Director · Oscar Wilde Writer Robert van Ackeren Cinematographer
First release June 11, 1971 · Produced in Germany · Languages Arabic, German
Production
IFAGE Filmproduktion
Production
ZDF
Production
Germany
Produced in
Languages
Original language
German
Spoken on screen
Arabic · German
Release dates
Germany · June 11, 1971
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
More from Werner Schroeter
Other films they directed, best known first.
Some details come from TheTVDB.