Salomé

Over the past quarter century renowned Spanish director Carlos Saura has specialized in dance films, with particular emphasis on flamenco. His latest, Salomé, is essentially an hour-long flamenco ballet depicting the biblical story of Salomé, King Herod, and John the Baptist, concluding with the Dance of the Seven Veils and John's decapitation. Choreographed by Jose Antonio and Aida Gomez (who also stars in the title role) and set to a newly-composed score by Roque Baños (that interrupts the flamenco numbers with more conventionally classical moments—and even some vocals, unfortunately not translated), Salomé is an exuberant piece with interesting touches, even if the clatter of heels on the wooden stage does occasionally become wearying (Saura's fluid camerawork beautifully captures the dance on an elegant, though simple, set). The initial 25 minutes present a pseudo-documentary account of the process of putting the ballet together (in which actor Pere Arquillue stands in for the director), a subject also covered in the disc's major extra, Looking for Salomé, a real hour-long documentary on the creation of Salomé, from original idea to finished film. Presented in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, this is a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)