The Seventh Veil of Salome

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content, graphic violence, and death.

To film a historical epic, Vera and other cast members rely on extravagant costumes. The skimpy costumes worn by the women in the film were part of the allure of the “sword and sandals” genre and yet were also tricky to navigate in an era of strict censorship. The motif of costumes thus highlights the complexity of attitudes toward female sexuality and toward women’s social roles in general. In these costumes, women are simultaneously exposed and inauthentic.

This tension is particularly evident when Vera wears her costume to perform the Dance of the Seven Veils (and by extension, when Salome herself dances). For those watching, the veils represent simultaneous titillation and concealment; a veil reveals more than opaque fabric but prevents complete nudity. This betrays a contradictory attitude toward women’s sexuality—one that simultaneously positions women as sexually desirable objects but also penalizes them for sexual displays (e.g., Nancy’s nude photographs).

However, Vera’s costume symbolizes how her sexuality is both hidden and displayed in another, more empowering sense. Though the spectacle of her exposed body is received as sexual by onlookers, this is not how Vera experiences it.