Solomon and Sheba
Israel remains united and affluent under King David's rule, despite being surrounded by foes such as Egypt and its allies. David's aging son Solomon is preferred as his successor, but David's elder son Prince Adonijah, a warrior, declares himself King. When David becomes aware of this, he publicly proclaims Solomon as his heir. Adonijah and his general, Joab, flee in wrath. Israel flourishes under King Solomon's intelligent and beneficent administration and is viewed as a threat to the region's more authoritarian monarchs. Egypt's Pharaoh agrees to relinquish a Red Sea port to the Queen of Sheba as part of a conspiracy to destabilize Solomon's reign. Sheba's mission is to seduce Solomon and bring Sheban paganism to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, now-exiled Prince Adonijah conspires with Pharaoh and is given an army to defeat Solomon. The film is a heavily dramatized retelling of biblical events from First Kings chapter 10 and Second Chronicles chapter 9.
Released: 1959-12-25