It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Actually Ain't so religious,but l like too much biblical epics that re-telling some famous happenings from holly book,this one is too fictional keeping the main fact and making dramatic statements that never occurred according the bible,apart this matter which had so many damages on movie itself,further bad things come together,like a low profile special effects which works sometimes and are so primitive in mainly time,Stewart Granger who are one of my fave actor ever this time disappointed me...anyway the movie sunk in the desert of Marrocos,at least Pier Angeli gave a decent acting noticed for many....pure Italian beauty!!Resume: First watch: 2006 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6

I can imagine why this film flopped when it came out in 1962 (1963 in the States). My take on watching "Sodom and Gomorrah" was no doubt like that of most or many other moviegoers. There was almost nothing in here that resembled any of the story that had come down to us in common lore from its Bible origins. When a movie purports to be about a real event, or recorded event, or well-known and oft-told story, it should resemble that story as much as possible. Of course Hollywood has license to embellish and write fictitious details to fill out a story. But when it totally reinvents the story, it disqualifies the film as a plausible source of some or part of the story.If this film was not a supposed Bible story, it would get a higher rating from me. I agree with a number of other reviewers that it still lacked in some production qualities. But, it would have been an interesting story about a migrating tribe in the ancient Middle East and some of its accomplishments. But one can't watch this film and separate it from the supposed Bible account. Ergo, it fails for its highly fictitious, revisionism in places, and outright erroneous attributions. The only things with any Biblical basis in this film are the names of the cities, Lot and his two daughters, a weak and general portrayal of the wickedness of the cities, and their final destruction. The Biblical accounts of Lot and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are n pieces of Genesis chapters 14, 18 and 19. One big thing missing from the film would have given it some real action. That was Lot's capture by northern kings who waged war on Sodom, Gomorrah and the other south Jordan valley cities; and his rescue by Abram. A real erroneous attribution in the film is Lot trying to allay Sodom's destruction by appealing to God to save the city if just a number of good people are found there. Abram – not Lot, does this in Gen. 18: 22- 33. There were no queen and prince of Sodom as in this film. The king of Sodom at the time was Bera (Gen. 14:2). The Bible does not list names for Lot's daughters, and his wife was not a former slave of Sodom (Ildith in this film, played by Pier Angeli). The Bible has no account of Lot making a contract with the ruler of Sodom; nor does it have the Hebrews building a dam or fighting the battle in the film. The Bible does say that Lot's people were taken captive after they fought with the southern valley kings against the invading kings of the North. And, at the end, Lot and his two daughters and wife had to be taken by the arm by the Lord's angels (as men) to flee the city. He had hesitated and his two sons-in-laws didn't take him seriously. So, only Lot's immediate family fled – to a nearby small town of Zoar. He did not lead a retinue of fellow Hebrews out of the city. The film implies that Sodom was guilty of all types of sins, with an emphasis of hedonistic killing. The Bible clearly refers to the city's degradation to sexual sins of all types – adultery, homosexuality, incest, fornication and anything imaginable – "grave." So, I could not enjoy the film as it unfolded because none of it seemed to ring true to the story as I could remember it. And, that type of distraction is a very real harbinger of an audience's like or dislike for a film of this nature. As I said, had this not been based on a well- known Bible story, more people might have enjoyed it. I would have given it a higher rating by a couple notches. A follow-up Bible story that's not as well remembered is what happens next with Lot and his daughters. Gen. 19: 30-38 relates that his daughters didn't want to see his line die out, so they got their father drunk on successive nights. They took turns sleeping with Lot who wasn't aware of what they were doing. They conceived from their incest and the offspring became the Moabites and Ammonites who were enemies of the Israelites in much of the rest of the Old Testament. The word sodomy, referring to deviant sexual acts, comes from the Latin, meaning "sin of Sodom." Pier Angeli was an Italian actress making movies in Hollywood and Europe when she died in 1972. She was 39 and took a barbiturate overdoes while living in Los Angeles.

I just completed watching the original 154-minute version of this film.Aside from the fact that it features a character named Lot, along with his wife who is ultimately transformed into a pillar of salt, Lot's two daughters, the brief appearance of what we assume to be two Angels, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, there is very little in the storyline which adheres to or resembles the account which we find in Genesis 18:16-19:38 in the Bible. In short, 99.9% of this movie is pure fiction.Let me give you a few examples.In the Scriptures, it is the Patriarch Abraham who has a conversation with the Lord and two of His Angels, and who begs the Lord to spare the two wicked cities if even ten righteous men can be found in them. However, in this movie, it is Lot who has this conversation. Furthermore, while Abraham is briefly mentioned once or twice, he is nowhere to be seen whatsoever.In the Bible, Lot's two daughters are both already married when it comes time to flee from Sodom. Furthermore, when Lot warns their husbands to leave Sodom, they both mock him. As a result, only Lot, his wife and his two daughters flee from Sodom, escorted by the two Angels. In contrast, in this movie, Lot leads a whole band of obedient Hebrews out of Sodom just prior to the city's destruction, and the two Angels are nowhere in sight.While the Bible makes clear that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was homosexuality -- for example, see Genesis 19:4-8 where the word "know" implies engaging in sex -- this is not made evident in the movie. There is some evidence in the film which suggests sexual immorality. For example, in the opening frames we see people -- male and female -- laying all over the place, suggesting that they have just engaged in an orgy. Later on, it is also implied that the queen of Sodom has engaged in a lesbian relationship with one of her dancers. Finally, we are given to understand that the queen's brother has sexually abused both of Lot's daughters. Nevertheless, there is no outright hint that the people of Sodom engaged in homosexuality.There are other problems with the plot in regards to the Scriptures, but I will leave it at that.Aside from the fact that most of the movie is pure fiction -- including the long-drawn-out battle seen -- another problem I had is that I simply did not connect with any of the characters. I felt no empathy for any of them. As a result, because I had no emotional investment in any of them, even when Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt, it really didn't affect me in the least.Regarding the actors' performances, I didn't find any of it outstanding; not even Stewart Granger's or Pier Angeli's.In conclusion, if you view this film with a low expectation that it will adhere closely to the Bible, you may possibly enjoy it. However, if you are like me and Biblical accuracy is important to you, you may watch it once out of curiosity, but then never watch it again.

For those who wish to watch a Bible movie that is engaging, well acted and visually exciting, you can't do much better than Sodom and Gomorrah, starring Stewart Granger and Anouk Aimee.Two cities, both filled with hedonism, treachery and lasciviousness, are visited upon by Abraham's nephew Lot and his people. For a price, they settle in across the river from Sodom, a city wrought with slavery, excess and drunkenness. The citizens of Sodom, long since accustomed to their lifestyles, are intrigued by these hard working, morally upright people who call themselves sons and daughters of a desert God. Sodom's ruler sees these people as an opportunity for wealth, while her brother, the King of Sodom, sees the potential for military strength. Either way, the Hebrews are in more danger than they realize, especially when, after an attack by a desert clan, the Hebrews lose everything and must move inside Sodom for protection.From there it is a downward spiral until the people themselves become like the Sodomites, knowing good but doing evil. And Lot, too, becomes ensconced with this new life of sin and power, until he is brought down by the very ones he obeyed.It is a powerful movie of redemption and righteous judgment, and it is a wonderful movie to see. I highly recommend "Sodom & Gomorrah". For those of us who love the Biblical epics, it's hard to top.~John