Two Arabian Knights (1927)

Two American soldiers are captured by the Germans on the Western Front during World War One and escape a POW camp only to stumble into further life-threatening adventures when they come across an Arabian king's daughter while on the lam.

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

Wallace Smith (screen version), Cyril Gardner (screen version),

Stars:

William Boyd, Mary Astor, Louis Wolheim

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Boyd	...	W. Daingerfield Phelps III
Mary Astor	...	Mirza
Louis Wolheim	...	Sergeant Peter O'Gaffney
Ian Keith	...	Shevket
Michael Vavitch	...	The Emir
Michael Visaroff	...	The Skipper (as M. Visaroff)
Boris Karloff	...	The Purser
DeWitt Jennings	...	American Consul (as De Witt Jennings)
Nicholas Dunaew	...	Mirza's Man Servant (as Nicholas Dunaev)
Jean Vachon	...	Mirza's Maid Servant
David Cavendish	...	The Emir's Advisor (as Denis D'Auburn)

Storyline

Americans Sgt. Peter O'Gaffney and one of his soldiers, privileged "pretty boy" W. Daingerfield Phelps III (who is always drawing caricatures), are captured and interred at a POW camp in Northern Germany near the end of WWI. Their relationship has always been an antagonistic one based on what Phelps sees as O'Gaffney pushing him around. O'Gaffney's rank is despite being wanted by the police back home as a con man. It is because of these differences that their resulting friendship at camp is so unlikely, the friendship based on both having the nerve to attempt to escape. On a snow covered day, they do manage to escape, in part by stealing white robes to camouflage themselves against the snow. In their adventures and misadventures on the outside in trying to get to safety, those adventures which include being mistaken for Arab prisoners, they find themselves as stowaways on board a cargo ship headed to Arabia. It is there that they meet a beautiful Arab woman named Mirza, who they save ...

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Plot Keywords:

ship | escape | emir | soldier | arab | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Adventure

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1927 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dois Cavaleiros Árabes

Filming Locations:

San Bernardino Mountains, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Caddo Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 92 min (2004 alternate)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was once believed to have been lost. A copy was found in the vaults of producer Howard Hughes, following his death, along with copies of two other "lost" films produced by Hughes, The Racket and The Mating Call.

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Connections

Referenced in Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies (2000)

User Reviews

A inventive comedy unavailable for decades

TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS has been restored by Flicker Alley and TCM after being unavailable for decades. The film is the only recipient of the "Best Direction of a Comedy Film" Academy Award that was only given out in 1927-1928. William Boyd and Louis Wolheim are two feuding G.I.s that are both captured by the Germans in World War I. The film is more of an adventure/comedy rather than a straight comedy. They have a suspenseful escape from their prison camp, only to be recaptured and sent to Turkey. They end up being stuck on a train, and a ship, as well as well as being marked for death by an Arab suitor. A very young and beautiful Mary Astor is a veiled woman who boards the ship and is a target of romantic advances by both men. Look fast to spot a very young Boris Karloff as the ship purser. Louis Wolheim has a face only a mother could love, but he is perfect in his part as the gruff sergeant.

I'm not sure how this film could have beaten out Chaplin's THE CIRCUS, Keaton's STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. and Harold Lloyd's SPEEDY for the "comedy direction" Oscar. Still, it is a fun, sophisticated, and exciting film that is well written. I particularly liked the scene where they escape from a jam with a little help from God (or Allah). If you like silent films, you won't be disappointed.