Vintage Photos Featuring Alla Nazimova in “Salomé” (1923)

Salomé (1923), was directed by Charles Bryant and starred russian silent-movie queen Alla Nazimova – the film is an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play of the same name.

The play itself is a loose retelling of the biblical story of King Herod and his execution of John the Baptist (here, as in Wilde’s play, called Jokaanan) at the request of his stepdaughter, Salomé, whom he lusts after.

Salomé is often called one of the first art films to be made in the U.S.  The highly stylized costumes, exaggerated acting (even for the period), minimal sets, and absence of all but the most necessary props make for a screen image much more focused on atmosphere and on conveying a sense of the characters’ individual heightened desires than on conventional plot development.

Alla Nazimova in Salomé 1923, directed by Charles Bryant via

Alla Nazimova in Salomé 1923, directed by Charles Bryant via

Alla Nazimova, in “Salomé” directed by Charles Bryant, 1923 via

Alla Nazimova, in “Salomé” directed by Charles Bryant, 1923 via

Alla Nazimova, in “Salomé” directed by Charles Bryant, 1923 via

Alla Nazimova, in “Salomé” directed by Charles Bryant, 1923 via

Alla Nazimova, in “Salomé” directed by Charles Bryant, 1923 via

Alla Nazimova, in “Salomé” directed by Charles Bryant, 1923 via

Salomé Dances

Vintage Photos of Silent Stars Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino in “Camille” (1921)

Camille is one of numerous screen adaptations of the book and play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas. The original play opened in Paris in 1852.

The 1921 silent film stars Rudolph Valentino as smitten law student Armand and Russian actress Alla Nazimova as ailing courtesan Marguerite Gautier.

The film moves the setting of the story to 1920s Paris, and includes many lavish Art Deco sets, including that of Marguerite’s apartment.

Natacha Rambova, who would later become Valentino’s second wife, was the movie’s art director.

Alla Nazimova photographed by Arthur Rice as Marguerite Gautier in Camille, 1921 via

Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino in “Camille”, 1921 via

Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino in “Camille”, 1921 via

Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino in “Camille”, 1921 via

Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino in “Camille”, 1921 via