Haley Fohr of Circuit des Yeux: Salomé

The plot of Salomé has often been an inspiration for moving musical work, notably in Strauss’s opera of the same name, which saw in Wilde’s text a shock of modernity. Like Strauss, Fohr finds contemporary resonance in Salomé’s sensuality and violence, scoring the film with extended vocal technique and beat frequencies to turn a mirror on our time.

Though now regarded as a classic, the film adaptation of Salomé was remarkably less successful upon is release – partially due to the perceived offstage excesses of lead actress and producer Alla Nazimova. In the years since, its combination of Art Nouveau, modernism and the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age have led to its growing recognition as an exotic gem and a cornerstone of camp.