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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you have about ninety minutes and a soft spot for 1920s desert romances, you might find something to like here. It is definitely for people who enjoy over-the-top acting and sets that look like they cost a fortune in 1929 money.
But if you hate slow-moving plots where people stare at each other for ten seconds before doing anything, you will probably hate this. It is one of those movies that feels like it belongs in a museum more than a theater.
I watched this late last night and kept thinking about how much sand must have gotten into the cameras. Rod La Rocque plays Prince Ahmed, and he has this very intense way of moving his eyebrows that I found kind of distracting.
He is on a boat heading back to his home when he meets Lady Bond, played by Marceline Day. She looks great in those 1920s hats, but she spends most of the movie looking like she just smelled something slightly off.
There is this one scene on the deck of the ship where the lighting is just perfect. You can see the shadows of the rigging moving across their faces, and for a second, it feels like a much better movie than it is.
The whole idea is that the Prince is supposed to have a harem, but he decides he only wants one woman. It feels a bit like Beau Geste if you took out all the fighting and added more long walks in the garden.
I noticed a guy in the background of the marketplace scene who looked like he was just wandering through the set by accident. He looks at the camera for a split second and then scurries away behind a pile of baskets.
The titles in this movie are very flowery. One of them says something about the 'perfume of the soul,' and I honestly had to pause the video because I was laughing too hard.
It reminds me a bit of the vibe in The Silent Partner, where everything feels very heavy and serious for no real reason. The music—at least the score I heard—didn't really match the desert vibe, it sounded more like a funeral in Paris.
Sharon Lynn shows up as this character named Zorah, and she is basically there to be the jealous one. She has this huge hair ornament that looks like it would give anyone a massive headache after five minutes.
There is a moment when the Prince is looking at his palace and the camera pans across the courtyard. It is actually quite a stunning shot, even if you can tell some of the pillars are just painted wood.
I wish the movie spent more time on the actual conflict instead of showing us so many shots of people drinking tea. It feels like they had a great costume department and wanted to make sure we saw every single bead on the dresses.
If you have seen Miracle of the Wolves, you know how these big productions can sometimes get lost in their own scale. This movie has that same problem where the characters feel like they are drowning in the scenery.
The ending is exactly what you think it is going to be. No surprises there, which is kind of a bummer because the middle part actually had some decent tension.
I think I liked the boat scenes more than the desert scenes. There was something about the cramped spaces that made the acting feel a bit more real and less like a stage play.
One thing that really bugged me was how clean everyone's clothes were. They are in the middle of a desert, but Prince Ahmed looks like he just stepped out of a dry cleaner's in London.
It is not a bad movie, it just feels very much of its time. Like a postcard that someone spent way too much time writing on.
I would say watch it if you are a fan of Marceline Day. She does a lot with her eyes, even when the script doesn't give her much to actually say or do.
Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. It is just a pretty distraction for a rainy afternoon when you don't want to think too much.
I keep thinking about that one extra who looked at the camera. I hope he got paid well for his two seconds of fame.
IMDb 6.7
1921
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