I must say - Im a little disappointed. I like Pacino and Chastain a lot and they play their roles well but the trouble with this interpretation of Salome lies imo not in the acting but in the interpretation of the material. The use of modern day clothes and very reduced staging for example is overused and just contemporary mainstream theater stuff.
Another very weak point is imo the figure of king Herodias - he resembles more a kind of Pilatus (Im innocent but forced by circumstances or a mistake I made - my pledge - to do the wrong thing) and the lust or craving for Salome (or her flesh) never felt really convincing to me. On top Herodias "kill that woman"-order in the end make things just worse (a killing of Salome is never mentioned in the Bible etc). I simply like the "picture" of Herodias as a scrupulous, decadent, maybe not fully sane mind more than this guy portrayed in Pacinos Salome.
In contrast to the superb play of Chastain the highlight of this movie, the climax - the Dance of Veils - is rather poorly presented. How its well done shows the phantastic performance of Imogen Millais-Scott in The Last Dance of Salome or Brigid Bazlen dancing the Dance of the Seven Veils in King of Kings.
So whats left to say!? Al Pacinos interpretation of the classic tale of Salome is not bad but can't keep up with the refreshing Salome's Last Dance (1988) or the very experimental flick of Carmelo Bene from 1972.
Anyway - this Salome got Al Pacino and Chastain - there is for sure far more bad stuff around to "waste" your time on.
Another very weak point is imo the figure of king Herodias - he resembles more a kind of Pilatus (Im innocent but forced by circumstances or a mistake I made - my pledge - to do the wrong thing) and the lust or craving for Salome (or her flesh) never felt really convincing to me. On top Herodias "kill that woman"-order in the end make things just worse (a killing of Salome is never mentioned in the Bible etc). I simply like the "picture" of Herodias as a scrupulous, decadent, maybe not fully sane mind more than this guy portrayed in Pacinos Salome.
In contrast to the superb play of Chastain the highlight of this movie, the climax - the Dance of Veils - is rather poorly presented. How its well done shows the phantastic performance of Imogen Millais-Scott in The Last Dance of Salome or Brigid Bazlen dancing the Dance of the Seven Veils in King of Kings.
So whats left to say!? Al Pacinos interpretation of the classic tale of Salome is not bad but can't keep up with the refreshing Salome's Last Dance (1988) or the very experimental flick of Carmelo Bene from 1972.
Anyway - this Salome got Al Pacino and Chastain - there is for sure far more bad stuff around to "waste" your time on.