So there’s a poster for Al Pacino’s forthcoming drama-documentary about the Oscar Wilde play but I’ve yet to see any release details. The tagline connects Salomé with The Ballad of Reading Gaol: “We kill the thing we love.”
Searching around for posters turned up this item for an Italian-French co-production of the Wilde play directed by Claude d’Anna. I’ve not seen this but it can’t be any worse than Ken Russell’s version so it may be worth seeking out.
Far better poster-wise is this splendid creation by Anselmo Ballester for the Italian release of the 1953 Hollywood film (which isn’t based on the play). Rita Hayworth was too old for the role, and the film is simultaneously lavish and dull in the way that so many sword-and-sandal epics manage to be, but the poster is a gem. This site has many more examples of Ballester’s poster art.
Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The Oscar Wilde archive
• The Salomé archive
He must have enjoyed doing Looking for Richard if he’s doing the same sort of thing again.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_for_Richard
I notice he’s also up to doing King Lear which could be interesting but isn’t Anthony Hopkins also planning to film it? Both due in 2012
Not obvious to make a full length movie with a one act play. Then again, if you can make a full blown opera out of it…
It’s easier to extend a short play into 90 minutes than to cram a long one like Hamlet into convenient length. The Ken Russell film and the Steven Berkoff production fill out the time with ease.
Though I’m not a big fan of his, I actually enjoyed Pacino’s Looking for Richard (or as I like to call it, Looking for Dick!). so it could be very interesting.