Princess of the Nile (1954)

Time: A.D. 1249. Shalimar, an Egyptian princess, striving to rid her country of its Bedouin conquerors, forms an alliance with Prince Haidi, son of the Caliph of Bagdad. She practices her ... See full summary »

Director:

Harmon Jones

Writer:

Gerald Drayson Adams

Stars:

Debra Paget, Jeffrey Hunter, Michael Rennie

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Debra Paget	...	Princess Shalimar / Taura
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Prince Haidi
Michael Rennie	...	Rama Khan
Dona Drake	...	Mirva
Michael Ansara	...	Capt. Kral
Edgar Barrier	...	Shaman
Wally Cassell	...	Goghi
Jack Elam	...	Basra
Lisa Daniels	...	Handmaiden
Phyllis Winger	...	Handmaiden
Merry Anders	...	Handmaiden
Honey Bruce Friedman	...	Handmaiden (as Honey Harlow)
Suzanne Alexander	...	Handmaiden
Genice Grayson	...	Handmaiden
Jeanne Vaughn	...	Handmaiden

Storyline

Time: A.D. 1249. Shalimar, an Egyptian princess, striving to rid her country of its Bedouin conquerors, forms an alliance with Prince Haidi, son of the Caliph of Bagdad. She practices her intrigues both at the court and, disguised as a dancing girl, in the market place.

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Plot Keywords:

princess | bedouin | secret passage | egypt | sword fight | 

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Taglines:

Shalimar THE FLAME THAT IGNITED EGYPT! (original print ad - almost all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Princesa do Nilo

Filming Locations:

Norfolk, Virginia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Panoramic Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the sets were reused from Demetrius and the Gladiators

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Quotes

Rama Khan: Stretch him on the rack till his tongue loosens.

User Reviews

Rousing Adventure; Strong Characters; a Very-Underrated Adventure

This is one of my favorite films for many reasons. To begin, there are standout performances from lovely Debra Paget as a princess/dancing girl, from Michael Rennie as the villain, handsome young Jeffrey Hunter investigating crime in her city/state and others. The film is an unusually colorful adventure, and we even see the princess rehearsing the dance she later performs (for once). She manages to skewer Hunter before she learns he is on her side; also the photography, the costumes by Travilla, Lionel Newman's music and the film's style are unusually fine. Add to this rousing action, intelligent characterization and fine direction by veteran Harmon Jones of a Gerald Drayson Adams' script set in 1249 AD, and you have the ingredients of an enjoyable Grecianized Near-Eastern. But there is much to praise about the unusual and well--developed storyline here, as there is much more to praise other than the film's swift pace, well-managed physical action sequences and superior technical aspects. Classically-trained actors such as Michael Ansara, Edgar Barrier, Wally Cassell, Jack Elam and Dona Drake are not commonly found in one "B" film together; nor are there fascinating sets, a variety of locales and a mystery of the quality that is supplied here. One way of assessing a film is, "If I were guaranteed to live through the experience, would I choose to undergo these events and perform these actions?" Since my answer is a resounding "yes" in this case, this film remains one of my choices as a favorite and very-underrated cinematic work. Could it be that US critics' all-too-frequent disdain for females as warriors and thinkers that as in so many other cases has caused closed minds to misprize this estimable film's obvious anti-tyranny and pro-entertainment qualities?