Young, lovely Naila becomes queen of the ancient Egyptian kingdom of Khemis when her father is killed in a slave revolt. Continuing her penchant for going incognito among the people, she ...
See full summary »
Read our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're watching in March, including "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," Boss Level, and Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Related News
-
Turhan Bey obituary
10 October 2012 | The Guardian - Film News -
Actor Turhan Bey Dead at 90
10 October 2012 | WeAreMovieGeeks.com -
DVD Review: "The Four Feathers" (Criterion Edition)
12 October 2011 | CinemaRetro
Looking for something new to add to your Watchlist? Check out our favorite stills from shows you can stream now on Paramount +.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Sudan (1945)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Maria Montez | ... | Queen Naila | |
| Jon Hall | ... | Merab | |
| Turhan Bey | ... | Herua | |
| Andy Devine | ... | Nebka | |
| George Zucco | ... | Horadef | |
| Robert Warwick | ... | Maatet | |
| Philip Van Zandt | ... | Setna (as Phil Van Zandt) | |
| Harry Cording | ... | Uba | |
| George Lynn | ... | Bata | |
| Charles Arnt | ... | Khafra | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (56) »
Storyline
Young, lovely Naila becomes queen of the ancient Egyptian kingdom of Khemis when her father is killed in a slave revolt. Continuing her penchant for going incognito among the people, she seeks out rebel leader Herua. But through palace treachery, she herself is captured and enslaved. After various adventures, she finds herself rescued by (and attracted to) the very rebel she was seeking. Will gratitude or revenge win out? Gorgeous scenery and costumes. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords:
father dies daughter lives relationship | song | singer | singing | man in short skirt |Taglines:
THRILLS!...as 1000 wild horses stampede! (original poster) See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Written by Milton Rosen
Lyrics by Everett Carter
Sung by chorus
See more »
Did You Know?
Soundtracks
PROUD AND FREEWritten by Milton Rosen
Lyrics by Everett Carter
Sung by chorus
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
18 April 1945 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Sudan See more »Filming Locations:
Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Ostensibly set in the Arabian desert, the third in a series of highly profitable films produced by Universal with Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Turhan Bey (the other two being ARABIAN NIGHTS (1942), and ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES (1944), SUDAN is a formulaic romance with a disguised princess sold into slavery (Montez), a rebel leader suspected of killing her father (Bey) and a pickpocket with romantic intentions (Hall) aided and abetted by his comic sidekick (Amdy Devine). Add to that George Zucco in one of his hissable villain roles - and ludicrous costumes - and you have all the ingredients for another rip-roaring epic with plenty of fights and a rousing musical score (by Milton Rosen).
In truth John Rawlins's production doesn't have much to do with the mystic East. Shot in and around Los Angeles, its chase-sequences, with horses galloping across the sun-drenched desert, have more in common with the Western. Likewise the shots of the lovers (Montez, Bey) embracing in the mountains at night, with the peaks stretching like fingers into cloudless skies.
The story has clear propaganda elements: at one point Bey's Herua talks about ridding the world of "evil hours" while ensuring that his people will make Naila (Montez) "forget what has happened." When the villains have been vanquished, and the lovers ride off into the sunset, a heavenly choir strikes up another patriotic song praising freedom that exists like "the wild wind," protecting a people "always proud and free," and "that's the way we will remain," "fighting together for ever." The two lovers might be non-white (in the accepted racial sense of the term), but Rawlins's film projects a transcultural message; in the peace following six years of bitter war everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, will be able to live together harmoniously.
This wish might be idealistic, but it provides a suitably climactic coda to a highly entertaining adventure that is more about America's future than elsewhere.