Sodom and Gomorrah
Lot leads his people to a fertile valley adjacent to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, hotbeds of vice and corruption ruled by the merciless Queen Bera. When Lot orders a dam to be busted in order to prevent the destruction of the cities by the attacking Helamites, the queen, in gratitude, allows Lot's people to settle in Sodom. Soon, however, the veneer of civilization begins crumbling as Lot and the Hebrews become corrupted by the Sodomites.
The film earned $5.5M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Sodom and Gomorrah (1962) exhibits precise plot construction, characteristic of Robert Aldrich's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 28 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.6, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The Hebrews wander through the desert wasteland, struggling to survive as nomadic refugees after fleeing slavery, establishing Lot as a leader seeking a homeland for his people.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 18 minutes when Lot discovers the lush Jordan valley and the thriving cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, offering an end to the Hebrews' suffering. Queen Bera of Sodom offers them refuge and land, presenting a tempting solution to their desperate situation.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 37 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Lot makes the fateful decision to lead his people into Sodom, accepting Queen Bera's terms and entering the city. He chooses immediate survival over moral purity, crossing into a world of wealth and corruption., moving from reaction to action.
At 74 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat The Elamite army attacks Sodom. Despite an apparent military victory, Lot realizes the city's moral decay has infected his own people—Hebrews have become slaveholders and pleasure-seekers. His brother is killed, and the true cost of their bargain becomes clear., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 111 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Ildith is murdered by the corrupt Sodomite elite as punishment for Lot's resistance. Her death represents the destruction of innocence and virtue in Sodom, and Lot loses both his love and his hope that the city can be redeemed., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 118 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Divine messengers appear and warn Lot that God will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot receives clarity and purpose—he must save whoever will listen and flee before dawn. He embraces his role as shepherd again, choosing faith over compromise., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Sodom and Gomorrah's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Sodom and Gomorrah against these established plot points, we can identify how Robert Aldrich utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Sodom and Gomorrah within the adventure genre.
Robert Aldrich's Structural Approach
Among the 5 Robert Aldrich films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Sodom and Gomorrah represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Robert Aldrich filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional adventure films include Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Bad Guys and Zoom. For more Robert Aldrich analyses, see The Dirty Dozen, The Longest Yard and The Frisco Kid.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
The Hebrews wander through the desert wasteland, struggling to survive as nomadic refugees after fleeing slavery, establishing Lot as a leader seeking a homeland for his people.
Theme
A Hebrew elder warns Lot about the corrupting influence of cities and wealth, stating that prosperity can destroy a people's soul more effectively than persecution, foreshadowing the moral struggle ahead.
Worldbuilding
The Hebrew people struggle through the desert, their resources depleted and hope fading. Lot emerges as a compassionate leader while tensions build between survival needs and moral principles. The wealthy cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are introduced as potential salvation or damnation.
Disruption
Lot discovers the lush Jordan valley and the thriving cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, offering an end to the Hebrews' suffering. Queen Bera of Sodom offers them refuge and land, presenting a tempting solution to their desperate situation.
Resistance
Lot debates whether to accept Sodom's offer, torn between saving his people from starvation and protecting them from moral corruption. He negotiates terms with Queen Bera while observing the decadence and cruelty of Sodomite society, including slavery and hedonism.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Lot makes the fateful decision to lead his people into Sodom, accepting Queen Bera's terms and entering the city. He chooses immediate survival over moral purity, crossing into a world of wealth and corruption.
Mirror World
Lot meets and falls in love with Ildith, a Sodomite slave girl with inner goodness and dignity. She becomes his moral compass and represents the possibility of finding virtue even in corrupt surroundings, embodying the film's theme about individual conscience.
Premise
Lot navigates life in Sodom, trying to maintain Hebrew values while integrating into the city. His romance with Ildith deepens, and he rises in status, but witnesses increasing depravity. The Hebrews begin adopting Sodomite customs, and political intrigue intensifies as the Elamite threat looms.
Midpoint
The Elamite army attacks Sodom. Despite an apparent military victory, Lot realizes the city's moral decay has infected his own people—Hebrews have become slaveholders and pleasure-seekers. His brother is killed, and the true cost of their bargain becomes clear.
Opposition
Lot struggles to reform Sodom from within while Queen Bera's power and corruption grow. His relationship with Ildith becomes strained as he becomes more compromised. The Hebrews continue assimilating, forgetting their values. Political conspiracies threaten Lot's position and life.
Collapse
Ildith is murdered by the corrupt Sodomite elite as punishment for Lot's resistance. Her death represents the destruction of innocence and virtue in Sodom, and Lot loses both his love and his hope that the city can be redeemed.
Crisis
Devastated by Ildith's death, Lot mourns and confronts the complete moral failure of his compromise. He realizes that he has led his people into damnation and that Sodom cannot be saved—only escaped. He faces his darkest moment of guilt and despair.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Divine messengers appear and warn Lot that God will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot receives clarity and purpose—he must save whoever will listen and flee before dawn. He embraces his role as shepherd again, choosing faith over compromise.
Synthesis
Lot races to gather his family and faithful Hebrews, warning them to flee immediately. As they escape, God rains fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's wife looks back and is turned to a pillar of salt. The cities are utterly destroyed as punishment for their wickedness.
Transformation
Lot and the surviving Hebrews stand in the wilderness again, but transformed—sadder and wiser. Having witnessed both the temptation of civilization and divine judgment, they head toward their true destiny with renewed faith and understanding that righteousness cannot compromise with corruption.