Kismet (1944)

In ancient Bagdad, Hafiz is a beggar - self coined the King of Beggars - and a master of the slight of hand. He often likes to wander the streets late at night pretending to be a Prince, ... See full summary »

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

John Meehan (screenplay), Edward Knoblock (play)

Stars:

Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, James Craig

Nominated for 4 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ronald Colman	...	Hafiz
Marlene Dietrich	...	Jamilla
James Craig	...	Caliph
Edward Arnold	...	The Grand Vizier
Hugh Herbert	...	Feisal
Joy Page	...	Marsinah (as Joy Ann Page)
Florence Bates	...	Karsha
Harry Davenport	...	Agha
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Moolah
Robert Warwick	...	Alfife

Storyline

In ancient Bagdad, Hafiz is a beggar - self coined the King of Beggars - and a master of the slight of hand. He often likes to wander the streets late at night pretending to be a Prince, specifically of Hassir located in the farthest reaches of the empire. In the process, he has entered into a passionate romance with a beautiful woman, Jamilla. He is unaware that she is one of the queens of the Grand Vizier - the most powerful man in the empire - to who she was provided in a power deal with Macedonia, the deal agreed to by Jamilla only under the condition that she retain her independence. In turn, Jamilla knows that her lover is not who he says he is, she, however, not having any idea that he is mere street beggar. She doesn't mind his lies as they are a means to escape into a fantasy world away from the reality of life with the Grand Vizier. At home, Hafiz has told his daughter, Marsinah, since she was a child that she would marry a prince, rather than the reality of she probably ...

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Plot Keywords:

pearl necklace | bare chested male | hairy chest | royalty | beggar | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oriental Dream

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Life Magazine reported that Marlene Dietrich had her legs painted with four coats of gold paint, and her hair sprinkled with powdered gold for her exotic dance number.

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Goofs

Ronald Colman's character eats with his left hand, which is taboo in Arabic culture.

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Quotes

Karsha: [Referring to Hafiz's daughter, Marsinah] You think she's going to wither away waiting for your fairy tales to come true?
Hafiz: She's waiting for her fate in all its splendor.
Karsha: The fate for a beggar's daughter is a camel boy.
Hafiz: Silence, misery!

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Connections

Version of Kismet (1930)

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Soundtracks

Willow in the Wind
(1944) (uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Sung by Joy Page (dubbed by Doreen Tryden) and chorus

User Reviews

Old Bagdad via 1940s Hollywood...

Third version of popular story (without the musical score) involving beggar/magician in Bagdad who impersonates a prince. Meanwhile, the beggar's daughter falls for a camel-boy who's really a prince in disguise! Somehow, Marlene Dietrich gets shoehorned in as sheltered royalty who rebels by doing a hot dance routine which must've been pretty risqué for 1944 (she's slathered in gold paint). MGM adventure does a nice job rewriting the original play by Edward Knoblock, featuring a colorful production and welcome comedic elements. It's jaunty fun with a fairly fast pace, hindered only by Ronald Coleman's miscasting in the lead (and his surprising lack of chemistry opposite Dietrich). **1/2 from ****