Temptation (1946)

In a flashback, late-Victorian beauty Ruby, a divorcee with a shady past, calculatingly marries rich Egyptologist Nigel, who installs her at his Cairo estate while he digs for mummies. ... See full summary »

Director:

Irving Pichel

Writers:

James B. Fagan (play) (as James Bernard Fagan), Robert Hichens (from the novel "Bella Donna")

Stars:

Merle Oberon, George Brent, Charles Korvin

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Merle Oberon	...	Ruby
George Brent	...	Nigel Armine
Charles Korvin	...	Mahoud Baroudi
Paul Lukas	...	Sir Meyer Isaacson
Lenore Ulric	...	Marie
Arnold Moss	...	Ahmed Effendi
Robert Capa	...	Hamza
Aubrey Mather	...	Dr. Harding
Ludwig Stössel	...	Dr. Mueller
André Charlot	...	Prof. Dupont
Suzanne Cloutier	...	Yvonne Dupont
Gloria Lloyd Roberts	...	Jean McCormick (as Gloria Lloyd)

Storyline

In a flashback, late-Victorian beauty Ruby, a divorcee with a shady past, calculatingly marries rich Egyptologist Nigel, who installs her at his Cairo estate while he digs for mummies. Bored, Ruby undertakes to recover a friend's letters from Baroudi. But when she meets the blackmailer, mutual attraction leads to an affair. As Ruby gets in deeper, she finds Baroudi is even more unscrupulous than she dreamed.

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Plot Keywords:

period piece | remake | based on novel | based on play | 

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Taglines:

The men in her life sometimes lived to regret it.

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 December 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bella Donna

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Hedda Hopper Show - This Is Hollywood" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on March 1, 1947 with Merle Oberon reprising her film role.

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Quotes

Ruby: Men are just begging to be lied to... so I lie. They don't fall in love with me; they never trouble to know me; they just fall in love. And they're cheated by their own imaginations.
Isaacson: Interesting viewpoint.
Ruby: It's the truth! If I can have everything I want, money, pleasure, admiration, just by a little harmless lying, I'd be a fool not to lie, wouldn't I?

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Connections

Version of Bella Donna (1934)

User Reviews

Life in Egypt

We are in Egypt and Merle Oberon (Ruby) is approached by friend and Chief of Police Arnold Moss (Ahmed). He is visiting her as both a friend and in an official capacity. He asks that she attends his station the following day allowing her a final night to come clean with her husband Egyptologist George Brent (Nigel). She asks for a moment with her husband's friend Paul Lukas (Meyer) and so begins the flashback story of her life over the recent 3 years or so, especially her relationship with Charles Korvin (Baroudi).

The cast are good in this film and Oberon is a strong lead character. The dialogue is entertaining and the story keeps the audience engaged. George Brent doesn't have much to do and is pretty much a wet fish throughout the proceedings. The ending is somewhat predictable, forced and rushed but it does allow you to ignore the narrative as presented and come up with your own conspiracy theory. Is that what really happened?

Would you marry a boring man? A work colleague of mine did just that and whilst they are now divorced and she hates him, she found that the grass hasn't been greener and she has been hurt by her cheating next encounter. Sometimes boring can be jolly nice indeed. Actually, boring is one of the worst things - ignore that last thing. My work colleague is a bit weird.