Wilde Salomé

I have never seen such an actor or actress that can play in any movie and just make the movie great by his/her performance alone. This woman is unbelievable. Even Ava becomes watchable only because of her. Salomé is a special theatre/study filmed in a couple of days but what a gem it is. Al Pacino rises up to the challenge of Jessica and the both of them rise the hair of your arms until it hurts.

I just saw the opening of "Wilde Salome" in San Francisco, with Al Pacino there to give an introduction to the film. He described the passion he felt when he first saw a staged version of "Salome," in London years ago. He was riveted by the writing and wanted to meet the author - before he realized that it had been written by Oscar Wilde. That set him upon a journey to learn more about Wilde and the play itself. In form, it's like, "Looking for Richard," his 1996 exploration of Shakespeare's "Richard III."

What follows is a dissection of Wilde's "Salome" that cuts between a stage performance, the filming of that stage performance, filming in the desert to catch the feeling of Biblical life, and a documentary about Pacino's own exploration. While the film can seem a bit disjointed, it's actually a circular route that ends at the most dramatic parts of the play.

Pacino weaves in bits of Wilde's tempestuous private life and how it relates to the themes of the play. (I didn't know that his wife and children changed their last name to "Holland" after his jail sentence.) It includes visits to Wilde's London house and ultimately to the hotel room in Paris where he died - and where he famously said on his deathbed, "Either the wallpaper goes or I go."

The performance of the play itself is anchored by the Salome of Jessica Chastain, in her first film role. Pacino said that he would not have made the movie without her. And one can see why; it's an electric performance filled with passion, coquettishness, raw sexuality, and evil. After Herod promises Salome whatever she wants in return for dancing for him, he is shocked when she demands the head of John the Baptist. Pacino's King Herod then promises her peacocks, jewels, and titles. But Chastain's Salome never wavers in her vengeful demand. She had been spurned by John the Baptist and she is determined to win - at all costs.

But, ultimately, this is Pacino's story. I felt that it was a bit of a vanity project because Pacino overwhelms both the play and Wilde. He is an over-the-top performer and an over-the-top personality. He pulses with passion, fire, frustration, humor, and intellectual curiosity. One can either marvel at his intensity or be irritated by it. At times, he seems to be a caricature of himself - the bellowing Al Pacino of "The Devil's Advocate."

"Wilde Salome" is an enlightening journey into the world of Wilde, acting, preparation, directing - and the art of being Al Pacino.

I appreciate Al Pacino's ambition, and the concept of the whole project: a play, a movie of the play, and a documentary about both that also contains separate dramatic elements. Rarely has the colloquial idiom about spinning multiple plates held so much water, and I admire the effort put into it all. More specifically, the scope of the documentary itself, 'Wilde Salomé,' is brazenly broad, tying together examinations of Oscar Wilde, both his life and writings, as well as peeks at the play, and the production of the play. That's just the start, however, as Pacino further rolls in small scenes that were put together in different settings to further accentuate for audience and actor alike the nature of the story, and in which he himself appears. This is nothing if not a minor insight into the mind of a great actor, and for that alone this is kind of fascinating.

Putting aside the most emphatically staged elements (pageantry at a banquet, or in the desert, or a scene of Pacino as Wilde), it's hard not to feel like 'Wilde Salomé' is filled with substantial additional embellishments that in the very least blur the line of what a "documentary" is meant to represent. Scenes of Pacino in Ireland, for a prime example, are fabricated to the point of feeling forced and kitschy - though, I suppose if the man had fun doing these things, then sure, why not. And there's something to be said for the fact that the wide breadth of the subject matter here is a bit of a hodgepodge, somewhat struggling to maintain cohesion. All this, in a genre of cinema that is the least easy to engage with and enjoy as a viewer. It's not that documentaries can't be interesting or even captivating in their own right, but no matter the topic, it's generally an uphill battle to capture the imagination, to inspire, to enrich, compared to works of pure fiction. 'Wilde Salomé' is operating at a disadvantage from the very beginning.

And - meaning no disrespect, but I'm unclear what special wisdom Bono has to impart to deserve involvement.

With all this said, rather more so than not I think Pacino's documentary is entertaining and deserving on its own merits. There are some difficulties in becoming invested in it, but these are less prevalent toward the end, and are ultimately minor in considering all else that the film presents. From the perspectives on the production of the play, to reflections on Wilde, to candid moments like Jessica Chastain indicating uncertainty about the play's arrangement, or Pacino hurriedly eating a sandwich - in its own way, this is really a small bit of fun. It's hardly going to appeal to all audiences; only those especially enamored of some facet herein is likely to find it meaningfully enjoyable. Yet for anyone who isn't inherently turned off by the concept of 'Wilde Salomé,' this is a suitably worthwhile way to spend 90 minutes.

Chastain gives a captivating performance. As with most of the supporting performances the young guard and John the Baptist are great performances. Pacino, however is almost impossible to watch. His over the top whining and endless, repetitive dialog made me want to cut my own head off. I waited for years and labored over the purchase of this film. I have never really been a fan of poetic license taken with biblical stories, however I understand the tension that Oscar Wilde was trying to create in his interpretation of this event.

Pacino drops the ball at every aspect aside from casting Chastain. It is worth seeing but could have been so much more. His self indulging dribble during the making of documentary, also rings hallow.e.