Solomon and Sheba is a 1959 American Biblical epic historical drama film directed by King Vidor, shot in Technirama (color by Technicolor), and distributed by United Artists.

The Queen of Sheba conspires with the Egyptian Pharaoh to undermine Solomon's rule by seducing him and introducing Sheban pagan worship into Jerusalem.

Things come to a head when Solomon recklessly allows a Sheban 'love festival' (in fact an orgy in celebration of a pagan god Almaqah) to be held within Israel.

In an act of divine retribution, lightning from heaven destroys the Sheban altar and damages the newly built Temple in Jerusalem, and the land is beset with a deadly famine.

Meanwhile, Adonijah, banished by his brother after an assassination attempt, goes and strikes a bargain with Pharaoh; given an army, he will conquer Israel for Egypt, in exchange for being placed on the throne as a kind of viceroy.

The tiny army mustered by Solomon (who has been abandoned by his allied states) is quickly routed, and Adonijah presses on to Jerusalem and makes himself king.

The Israelites, who have arranged themselves to face east, then use their highly polished shields to reflect the light of the rising sun into the Egyptians' eyes.

Blinded, the Egyptians are prevented from seeing the chasm in front of which the Israelites have positioned themselves, and the entire army rushes headlong over the edge and falls to its death.

The orgy scene cost approximately $100,000, and was choreographed by Jaroslav Berger, the ballet chief of the Berne State Theatre in Switzerland.

[15] Two thirds of the movie had been shot and the unit was in Madrid when on 15 November, Tyrone Power filmed a duel scene with George Sanders, who played his brother.

[16] A memorial service was held in Spain on 16 November at the U.S. Air Force base in Torrejon (Power was a Marine Corps pilot during the Second World War).

The issue was complicated because three different parties had full script, star, and director approval: Small, Copa Productions, and Gina Lollobrigida.

[10] Another option was to cancel Solomon and Sheba altogether: the production was insured up to $3 million in the case of the death of one of the six lead players;[20] Lloyd's of London covered the daily $100,000 bill while the film was halted.

[24] Solomon and Sheba received its world premiere on 27 October 1959 at the Astoria Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, where it was presented in 70mm.

[25] Variety, however, praised some of the film's sequences as "magnificent production scenes" and described Lollobrigida as showing "the queen to be a woman of sharp brain as well as sensual beauty.

"[26] The magazine also stated that Brynner "does a fine job in presenting a Solomon who credibly suggests a singer of songs, yet finally is a man of ordinary flesh and blood who cannot resist Sheba.