| Queen of Sheba | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | J. Gordon Edwards |
| Produced by | William Fox |
| Written by | J. Gordon Edwards, Virginia Tracy |
| Starring | Betty Blythe |
| Cinematography | John W. Boyle |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
| Release date(s) | 1921 |
| Running time | 9 reels |
| Country | USA |
| Language | Silent film English intertitles |
The Queen of Sheba (1921) is a silent film produced by Fox studios about the story of the ill-fated romance between Solomon, King of Israel, and the Queen of Sheba. Written and directed by J. Gordon Edwards, it starred Betty Blythe as Sheba and Fritz Leiber as King Solomon. The film is well known amongst silent film buffs for the risqué costumes displayed by lead actress Betty Blythe as evidenced by several surviving stills taken during the production. This was a rarity in mainstream Hollywood films at the time. As no print of the film survives, a final judgment of this production will most likely never be known.
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The film was originally intended for Theda Bara. However Bara chose not to renew her contract and after making the ill-fated Kathleen Mavourneen all but retired from film. While making Mavourneen, construction began on sets for The Queen of Sheba. Not wanting it to go to waste, William Fox chose to put Betty Blythe in the role. The film became a hit but Blythe never matched its success with her later films.
The topless scenes filmed in this movie were seen only in European release versions of the movie.
The film is presumed lost.[1] A 1937 New Jersey vault fire destroyed most of the Fox silent film negatives and prints and it is unlikely a copy of The Queen of Sheba exists. However, in May 2011, a 17 second fragment of the film was found, and initially mistakenly identified as from Cleopatra (1917), though comparison with stills from the movie have since led to it being identified correctly [2].