Director: Al Pacino.
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Al Pacino, Kevin Anderson, Roxanne Hart.
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 95 minutes.
Synopsis: A documentary chronicling Pacino’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Salome.
Al Pacino has recently fallen so in love with Oscar Wilde, that not only did he take to the stage in SALOME and subsequently film it as a motion picture, but he also made this documentary that chronicles his film adaptation and certain key parts of Oscar WIlde’s life.
Although this makes a lovely companion piece to the spectacular film, it also feels a bit jumbled. The parts that detail the filming process are exceptionally funny and interesting, as Pacino had to shoot with the cast of the stage play at specific times. Although the exploration into Wilde’s own dealings with romance are also quite enlightening, it doesn’t feel as though we are exploring anything new, and some of the reconstructions, with Pacino taking a part, do seem a tad rushed together and silly.
Most disappointingly, the documentary contains lengthy sequences of its accompanying film, which would be useful if you had no intent on seeing SALOME, but is needless if you have and spoiler filled if you haven’t. These sequences may reinforce some of the points made, but it also makes the documentary feel like a DVD extra, which perhaps it should have been, rather than a separately released cinematic piece.
Pacino is a wonderfully humble man throughout the entire documentary, and it is his passion that continues to drive the film. It’s always a joy to see the passionate fight for their artistic visions, and that’s exactly what we get in WILD SALOME.
This will be a wonderful experience for those wishing to experience the thought process behind transferring a play, which is mostly a line reading, into a cinematic feature, but Pacino is the true focus rather than Wilde. There’s a lot to learn and enjoy from WILD SALOME, but best hope for it to be included with the DVD, as there’s only around an hour of great stuff.
[usr=3]WILD SALOME is out now.
