Peneflix MOVIE REVIEWS BY PENEFLIX
“Salome” and I have been friends for eons; our first encounter was in Bible Studies, she was introduced as a Jewish princess, daughter of Herodias and step-daughter of Herod Antipas; cursed with immeasurable beauty and an ungodly, iniquitous mother, demanding the head of John the Baptist, basically strip-teasing for her licentious stepfather; at sixteen she should have known better. Nonetheless, I have forever pitied her.
Opera, an emotional and edifying tool dramatically enhanced “Salome’s” mystifying appeal; Richard Strauss (1864-1949) a child prodigy and a stunning German Romantic composer wrote “Salome” in 1903 (based on the 1891 play by Oscar Wilde); Salome’s complexity has been depicted by a myriad of sopranos over time: Jennifer Holloway, Leontyne Price, Elza van den Heever, Patricia Racette, recently remarkable 6’2 Lise Davidsen; privileged, in 2009 I witnessed German Soprano Nadja Michael perform Salome at the San Francisco Opera House; never have I believed in the transformative power of the operatic genre as I did that evening: Michael’s physical and balletic acuity, matched the teenaged Salome, believable madness ripped through her addictive attraction for John; no one can replace a Salome scripted for perpetuity.
“Seven Veils” directed by Atom Egoyan (“Chole”) was filmed while Egoyan was directing the 2023 opera “Salome” in Toronto, Canada; Amanda Seyfried (a frequent collaborator) is “Jeanine” a theatre director mimicking her past mentor; Seyfried’s in-depth performance saves the film from sensationalism and actual opera singers (Karita Mattila, “Herodias; Michael Schade “Herod”, Ambur Braid, “Ambur”; Michael Kupfer-Radecky “John the Baptist”) lends strong legitimacy to the scenario which oftentimes slips haphazardly from the surreal past to a blurry present day. The “veiled” erotic dance sequences highlight Salome’s innate sexuality, uncontrollability, powerlessness, and her marvelous manipulative agility in achieving disastrous desires.
For me, the “7” veils are a reflection on the “Seven Deadly Sins”.
THREE &1/2 STARS!!!
Peneflix
