Ramon Novarro and Myrna Loy get caught up in a torrid romance in one of the last of the pre-code "sheik" films. To anyone who has not seen "The Sheik" or "The Son of the Sheik", the two most famous examples, the plot is simple. Sexy Arab guy (or white guy posing as an Arab) falls for a Western girl and abducts her across the desert sands where red hot (for the time) romance blooms. Fan magazines of the 1920's would gravely discuss the pros and cons of the "cave man approach" to love. "The Barbarian" must have seemed like something of an anachronism when it was released in the early 30's.
Myrna Loy plays Diana, an American girl with an Egyptian mother. Neatly removing any objections to an interracial romance, this sets the stage for Jamil to enter her life. Novarro's character is a prince posing as a driverman. What exactly he is prince of is unclear since the script will alternately talk about Egypt, Mecca and Tehran as his domain. Quite a cosmopolitan, it seems.
But to Diana, he is a servant and she treats him accordingly. That is, when she is not swooning over his admittedly pleasant singing. But station is station and Jamil's love for Diana takes a decidedly warped turn when the inevitable abduction occurs.
There seems to be disagreement among the viewers as to whether or not Jamil forced himself on Diana. It seems pretty clear to me that he did.
Whether or not she liked him at the time is up to the opinion of the viewer. That does not, however, alter the fact that she was raped. If the viewer believes that she liked him, merely add "date" before the verb. Same crime, different circumstances. For an interesting comparison, try seeing the "love" scene in the equally silly "Fountainhead".
The rest of the film concerns the reactions of Diana's fiancé (Reginald Denny), who isn't really given much to do but stand about and look outraged, and the rest of the cast, who are divided into pro and anti-Jamil camps. Which man Diana will choose is fairly obvious if you know anything at all about Hollywood movies of this time. After all, he IS a prince and she IS half-Egyptian and they DID, well, you know...
So, how was it? Myrna Loy is lovely and tries her best but one gets the impression that she is smarter than the script, provided by the overrated (and supposedly liberated) Anita Loos.
As for Ramon Novarro, he is a personal favorite for his silent work but he is miscast here. Novarro, by all accounts, was a very pleasant man and he just is not convincing in the smoldering roles. He just seems too nice. He was far better with sincere, heroic characters and in light comedy. Sadly, his dark good looks and last name ending in a vowel condemned him to a certain number of Latin Lover roles. He is very charming at the beginning of the film, when is character is more of a rascal. I particularly liked the scenes of him romancing female tourists in English and German!
Is it worth it? Yes, for the glimpse of pre-code Hollywood and just how much they could get away with. It is fun to see big stars in non-typical roles. It will certainly start many discussions of race and gender relations in classic Hollywood. My interest is, frankly, more for research than entertainment. If the plot sounds romantic to you, go for it. If it horrifies you, stay away. If you're like me, you will enjoy the context and theory of the film more than the film itself. It would certainly make a fascinating selection on a DVD set concerning race in early Hollywood. Hint, hint.
PS, does anyone know what language everyone is speaking? It doesn't sound like Arabic but I am no expert.
Myrna Loy plays Diana, an American girl with an Egyptian mother. Neatly removing any objections to an interracial romance, this sets the stage for Jamil to enter her life. Novarro's character is a prince posing as a driverman. What exactly he is prince of is unclear since the script will alternately talk about Egypt, Mecca and Tehran as his domain. Quite a cosmopolitan, it seems.
But to Diana, he is a servant and she treats him accordingly. That is, when she is not swooning over his admittedly pleasant singing. But station is station and Jamil's love for Diana takes a decidedly warped turn when the inevitable abduction occurs.
There seems to be disagreement among the viewers as to whether or not Jamil forced himself on Diana. It seems pretty clear to me that he did.
Whether or not she liked him at the time is up to the opinion of the viewer. That does not, however, alter the fact that she was raped. If the viewer believes that she liked him, merely add "date" before the verb. Same crime, different circumstances. For an interesting comparison, try seeing the "love" scene in the equally silly "Fountainhead".
The rest of the film concerns the reactions of Diana's fiancé (Reginald Denny), who isn't really given much to do but stand about and look outraged, and the rest of the cast, who are divided into pro and anti-Jamil camps. Which man Diana will choose is fairly obvious if you know anything at all about Hollywood movies of this time. After all, he IS a prince and she IS half-Egyptian and they DID, well, you know...
So, how was it? Myrna Loy is lovely and tries her best but one gets the impression that she is smarter than the script, provided by the overrated (and supposedly liberated) Anita Loos.
As for Ramon Novarro, he is a personal favorite for his silent work but he is miscast here. Novarro, by all accounts, was a very pleasant man and he just is not convincing in the smoldering roles. He just seems too nice. He was far better with sincere, heroic characters and in light comedy. Sadly, his dark good looks and last name ending in a vowel condemned him to a certain number of Latin Lover roles. He is very charming at the beginning of the film, when is character is more of a rascal. I particularly liked the scenes of him romancing female tourists in English and German!
Is it worth it? Yes, for the glimpse of pre-code Hollywood and just how much they could get away with. It is fun to see big stars in non-typical roles. It will certainly start many discussions of race and gender relations in classic Hollywood. My interest is, frankly, more for research than entertainment. If the plot sounds romantic to you, go for it. If it horrifies you, stay away. If you're like me, you will enjoy the context and theory of the film more than the film itself. It would certainly make a fascinating selection on a DVD set concerning race in early Hollywood. Hint, hint.
PS, does anyone know what language everyone is speaking? It doesn't sound like Arabic but I am no expert.