In front of a celebrity-studded crowd in San Francisco’s Castro Theater, Al Pacino presented his documentary “Wilde Salome,” the behind-the-scenes look at the production of Oscar Wilde’s 1891 play, “Salome” a tale of power, eroticism and opulence.
A long time fan of the Irish poet, Pacino played King Herod in “Salome” in 2003 on Broadway and again in 2006 at the Los Angeles Wadsworth Theater. “Wilde Salome” follows the 2006 play and, along with intimate moments during rehearsals, Pacino looks into Oscar Wilde’s history and background.
Oscar Wilde was quite the controversial figure in his day, known for an audacious fashion sense and liberal view on sexuality, he was one of the most famous people in Europe for his plays like “Importance of Being Earnest” and his novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
Things went downhill for Wilde though, a father of two and married, he was arrested in London after a counter-trial exposed his relationship with a young man. Charged with gross indecency- in other words he was arrested for being homosexual- he served two years in jail and moved away to Paris with a torn reputation. At the age of 46 he passed away.
Back at Castro Theater, Pacino praised Wilde for ten-minutes before showing the documenrary. “An Evening With Al Pacino” raised funds for the GLBT Historical Society, which houses Gay, Lesbian and Transgender art and artifacts- the first of its kind in the United States.
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Source: Examiner
