Sodom and Gomorrah (1962)

Directed by Robert Aldrich. Starring Stewart Granger, Pier Angeli, Stanley Baker, Anouk Aimée, Rik Battaglia, Rossana Podestà, Claudia Mori, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Scilla Gabel, Enzo Fiermonte. [G]

Never trust a G-rated movie to do the biblical fable of twin cities Sodom and Gomorrah justice. Beyond its sanitized depiction of Old Testament debauchery and violence, the acting never exceeds the realm of second-rate sword-and-sandal epic, the movie runs on and on without enough plot to fill it out, and director Robert Aldrich tries hard to replicate the spectacle and sun-bronzed drama of The Ten Commandments to no avail (even the harshest critics of the Cecil B. DeMille epic must confess this pic’s flood simply doesn’t compare). Would you believe Stewart Granger as Lot or Anouk Aimée as Bera, King (er, Queen?) of Sodom? Not much in the way of subtlety or moral clarity, but there’s plenty of salt, even before Lot’s wife foolishly turns around at the conclusion. Sergio Leone did some second unit direction before leaving in the middle of production. Also known as The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah.

35/100