Flame of Araby (1951) User Reviews

Stretching an Arabian tale to its limit!

[jjnxn-1 · 6/10 · 18 September 2016]

Your enjoyment of this will depend on your ability to swallow the preposterous liberties the studios took with casting in the 50's. In this instance we have the Irish Maureen O'Hara, slight lilt intact, and the Jewish Jeff Chandler playing an Arabian princess and a Bedouin chieftain respectively racing around what is obviously the California desert standing in for the Sahara.

Queen of Technicolor Maureen is breathtaking and Jeff properly rugged but most of the acting tends towards woodenness. If you appreciate the campiness of that scenario than this is harmless fun, all others beware.

Not her Maureen's Best, but her beauty & presence is always a pleasure!

[vleonica · 5/10 · 17 August 2007]

I am writing this because another wrote a throughly shoddy review which is undeserved; complaining about hair color & other unimportant things, whilst going on & on about Maria Montez, not that I am being disrespectful towards her, not at all, but as much as I too enjoyed the Jon Hall/Maria Montez movies, but ne'er could Maria Montez ever compare to Maureen O'Hara. I just this moment, finished watching the movie 'Bagdad', this other reviewer wrote a similar review for that movie also & it is just a pitiful.

I do not consider any of the parts overacted, nor do I find it odd for a Bedouin princess princess to have Flaming Red Hair. Where did it say that she was Bedouin, only a Bedouin princess. For all we know her mother could be Irish (like Maureen), just as Cleopatra VII had no Egyptian blood within her veins, or more currently, (1810) the current dynasty of Sweden (the Bernadottes) originally were French (Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, a Marshall of France, during the time of Napoleon I), was elected heir to King Charles XIII of Sweden.

But aside from these justifications regarding hair color, we must remember that things like hair color are not important things to consider when reviewing a movie, but only whether or the the movie was entertaining. In that regard I can say that I shan't be clambering to see this one again, or 'Bagdad' either. The sets were beautiful, the costumes even more so, but the movie itself, just wasn't that good. But this is the fault of the script, not any other.

Exotic and Arabian action/adventure with a great horse race providing a breathtaking climax

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 5 May 2020]

Oriental adventure has starring Jeff Chandler and Mauren O'Hara battling the famous and real Redbeard brothers, though it has not historical perspective. When princess Tanya's : Maureen O'Hara, father dies, she is threatened with an unwanted marriage to Redbeard brothers: Lon Chaney Jr, Buddy Baer . But if she can win a horse race, fiery Tanya has a chance for freedom if she can only convince good-looking Bedouin chief Tamerlane : Jeff Chandler, who has the fastest black stallion in the desert to come to her aid. Along the way they find adventure, treason and love.

Enjoyable adventure movie with noisy action, pursuits, fights , sword-play and spectacular horse races. This film is made at one time, in which Universal Pictures was a studio quite noted for its Oriental or Eastern adventure movies . As this one results to be an Oriental action/adventure with usual actors of the genre and ordinary ingredients. Stars the handsome Jeff Chandler who starred various films until his early death at 42 while shooting Merril's Marauders . He performed various genres particularly Adventure, Wartime and Western, such as : Away all boats, Man in the shadow, Because of you, The Jayhawkers, Red ball express, Return to Peyton Place, being especially famous for playing chief Cochise in Broken arrow , The battle of Apache Pass, Taza son of Cochise, for whom the grey-hair had won considerable popularity . And what better co-starring could there have been than the sweet redhair Maureen O'Hara, here performing a smoldering, passionate princess who struggles for getting the possession her kingdom overthrown by her cousin played by Maxwell Reed. She along with Yvonne de Carlo were two of the best action women and swashbuckleresses in the Hollywood business . As she acted in adventure and swashbucklers as Against all flags, At sword's point, Tripoli, Bagdad, Kangaroo, Lady Godiva, The Black Swan, The Spanish main, Sinbad the Sailor, among others. Although most her popularity came from John Ford movies as The Quiet Man, Rio Grande and How green was my valley. They are very well accompanied by a fine support cast as Maxwell Reed, the gorgeous Susan Cabot, Richard Egan, Royal Dano, Dewey Martin, and special mention for the two sympathetic but bloody Redbeard brothers : Buddy Baer and Lon Chaney Jr.

The motion picture with enjoyable script by Gerald Adams, well produced by Leonard Goldstein, and being professionally directed by Charles Barton. The latter was a craftsman who directed all kinds of genres with special penchant for adventure western and comedy in which he made various Budd Abbott and Lou Costello vehicles such as : African screams, Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein, Abbot and Costello meet killer Boris Karloff, Shaggy dog, Toby Tyler, Dance with me Harry, Me and Pa Kettle at the fair, Helltown, Buck Privates go home, Harmon of Michigan, Thunder trail, Thunder pass, Forlorn river, Desert gold, Wagon wheels. Rating 6/10. Decent, acceptable adventure movie.

Red-haired Arab princess

[VernC · 7 February 2001]

Saw this film when I was 13, and it struck me at the time that Maureen O'Hara -- as Irish as the Blarney Stone -- plays an Arab. They didn't even give her a brunette wig.

At one point one of Maureen's retainers says "You will ride unveiled!" Maureen replies "If necessary I would ride unclad!" now that would be worth seeing!

Jeff Chandler does his usual solid job. 4.8/10 might be a bit of an overrating.

Jeff Chandler wins the Maureen O'Hara handicap

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 16 December 2004]

Back in the 1940s Universal studios big star was Maria Montez who hit a gold mine in those Arabian sand and sandal epics with Jon Hall and Sabu. A whole set was built for her and her films.

Now boss Carl Laemmle at Universal was always practical and why waste those sets. So Universal made a whole lot of those films for its post war pin up boys, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and Jeff Chandler.

But this was one of the worst of them. Of course the obvious flaw is Maureen O'Hara as the Red-headed Arab princess. Ms. O'Hara was great when she was cast right, but here, she looks ridiculous and she knows it.

The plot such as it is involves Jeff Chandler as a Bedouin chief who has one aim, to capture the Black Stallion, Shozada. Along the way he develops a yen for Maureen. Well who wouldn't, redheads being such a premium out there in the Tunisian desert.

Maureen wants the horse too. She wants it so she can win the annual horse race and not have to marry one of the two Corsair Brothers, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Buddy Baer. Yoikes, what a choice.

So hero and heroine find a commonality of interest in the horse and each other.

I've often wondered what Jeff Chandler, who's real name was Ira Grossel, and who took being Jewish very seriously thought about playing an Arab. Remember this is post the Israeli war of independence and Chandler was a noted Zionist. He didn't look thrilled to be in this picture either. Was it politics or was it because it was such a stinkeroo.

Horse-orientated Arabian adventure

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 20 May 2021]

Bedouin chief Tamerlaine (Jeff Chandler) is engaged in the hunt for the legendary black stallion Shahzada. Also chasing the prize steed is Tunisian Princess Tanya (Maureen O'Hara), who desires to capture the horse to race in competition against hated brothers Borka (Lon Chaney) and Hakim (Buddy Baer), so she will not be forced to marry one of them. After a prolonged and deadly rivalry, Tamerlaine decides to join forces with Tanya to trap the stallion - and in the process, the two fall in love.

Intelligent adventure starring Maureen O hara and Jeff Chandler is beautifully shot, the landscapes and horse chasing are great, but it can be talky in between, and seems to be a bit ponderous, however, if it's a well-shot Arabian adventure with horses you're looking for, then don't look further....

Beautiful to look at...but terrible.

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 6 July 2022]

In the 1940s and 50s, Hollywood did a horrible job in portaying ancient Muslim lands and its people. For the most part, the dialog was terrible and VERY stilted. Additionally, the actors chosen for the leads often looked about as Muslim as Mantan Moreland or Anna May Wong! Think about it...the red-headed Maureen O'Hara as well as Marlene Dietrich playing fiery Muslim women in films like this one and "Kismet"! When seen today, the films generally seem very misguided and naive...and for some, insulting.

"Flame of Araby" is certainly NOT among the better films set in ancient Muslim lands. O'Hara is completely ill-suited for the role...showing way too much skin, way too much independence and way too much fire for a woman of this time and place. Likewise, her hero and eventual lover (Jeff Chandler) is an odd choice, being a Jewish-American from Brooklyn! All this MIGHT have worked had the film had believable dialog...which it doesn't.

Overall, it's a silly and possibly insulting hodgepodge that seems very dated today. The story about court intrigue, red-bearded pirates and horses also seems odd...as well as the Alabama Hills shooting location...perfect for westerns but simply bizarre for this confection.

Jeff Chandler and Lon Chaney

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 28 November 2023]

1951's "Flame of Araby" was a fairly ordinary though well made adventure, aided greatly by the pairing of rugged Jeff Chandler and ravishing Maureen O'Hara, shot in saturated color as first "Wildfire," then "Flame of the Desert." It's strictly by the numbers scripting by Gerald Drayson Adams, a stodgy Arabian Knights outline depicting the conflicts between a regal Tunisian princess and a Bedouin chieftain, transformed by the staging of director Charles Lamont into a straightforward Western in the pursuit of a wild black stallion known to be the swiftest horse of them all, Shahzada. Jeff Chandler was described by future costar Jane Russell as more a personality than an actor (specifically 'a charming man'), which works here as his relentless desire to tame that which cannot be tamed equals that of Princess Tanya (Maureen O'Hara), whose hand in marriage has been promised to one of the dreaded Corsair brothers, desperately in need of a champion who can outrace their finest steeds to defeat them both. Much of Maureen's thunder is stolen early on by the stunning Susan Cabot, whose erotic dance before Chandler's Tamerlane made quite an impression on her instructor: "with a figure like yours, the only person who'll look at your feet will be Arthur Murray!" Once interiors conclude at the midway mark, it's an all outdoor feast most appealing to equestriennes everywhere who can appreciate the characterization of the horse Shahzada, his sleek nobility and sheer power essayed by 8 year old saddlehorse Highland Dale, best remembered as the 1946 "Black Beauty," and as Broadway Bill in Frank Capra's "Riding High." Back at Univeral for only his second film since 1945's "House of Dracula," Lon Chaney was cast as Borka Barbarossa, never seen without brother Hakim (Buddy Baer), preying upon the spinelessness of Tanya's ruler cousin (Maxwell Reed) to secure a princess in their midst (two years later, he appeared opposite John Payne's pirate Barbarossa in "Raiders of the Seven Seas"). Appearing unbilled are Neville Brand as a horse trader (reunited with Chaney from Gregory Peck's "Only the Valiant"), Richard Hale as Tanya's dying father, and pretty Dorothy Ford, a tall starlet soon to play opposite Buddy Baer again in Abbott and Costello's "Jack and the Beanstalk."

Flame of Araby

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 3 December 2022]

Without leaving California, Maureen O'Hara and Jeff Chandler are transformed into characters from Arabian folklore, and like their faux-location they are not very authentic! She is "Tanya" - a feisty Tunisian princess who is doomed to marry one of the marauding Corsair pirates. Fortunately for her, though, the ever-wooden Chandler ("Tamerlane") is on hand. He is seeking "Shazada" - a stallion of great fame, and it may be that he and this great horse might be the only way of thwarting the dismal fate awaiting the trapped princess. The plot is actually quite fun, but the execution is really poor. There is no chemistry at all between the stars, the sets look like they have been made of polystyrene and the dialogue is about as banal as it is possible to be. This vein of fantasy and mythology ought to have provided for a much richer storyline, but somehow here everyone seems to be just going through the motions and what little action there is, is all too theatrically staged. Maybe nobody liked filming in the desert on a hot day? The advertising was in colour, the film in monochrome - that rather sums this whole thing up.

Chandler and O'Hara in a Beautiful, Intelligent Adventure

[silverscreen888 · 8/10 · 11 July 2005]

This is physically one of the most beautiful films ever produced, in my judgment, with art direction by Bernard Hertzbrun, Bill Thomas's superb costumes, Russell Mettey's photography and wonderful outdoor scenes and lavish indoor sets. The cast is exemplary also, by any viewer's standards. Jeff Chandler has one of his best roles as Tamerlane the independent-minded Bedouin warrior, Maureen O'Hara is lovely as the exotic and intelligent Princess he wants. In the talented cast, one can also find Dewey Martin and Royal Dano as Chander's men, Maxwell Reed as the villain, Susan Cabot, Richard Egan, Buddy Baer, Lon Chaney Jr., Richard Hale and others. As if this were not enough, the author of the script was Gerald Drayson Adams, veteran of the Grecianized Near-Eastern genre; and the film was directed by action-film expert Charles Lamont. This color thriller is several things-- a strong romance, an historical adventure and a male-versus female story all in one... The clear storyline opens with Chandler and two men in pursuit of a fabled black horse, Shazzada. He is about to capture the stallion when O'Hara comes riding along and scotches his try;. She finds her father has been poisoned, and that her cousin has been named ruler--but Tamerlane had spanked her before he had learned she is a princess and before she learned that her father lies dying. She is grateful for his saving her from the stampeding horses, and forgives his understandable anger, promising to repay his help. Both head for the city of Tunis separately, and she hears her father's last speech. He leaves her cousin in command of the city and dies; his final order is that the Barbarossas, red-bearded corsair pirates, not be given her hand in marriage as they have asked. They threaten the city, by their mere presence in the harbor with two warships at present. The cousin vows a holy oath promising to protect her. That day also, Chandler arrives to sell the one fine blooded mare he did capture on his hunt. At the Barbarossas' camp, their champion's favorite, Susan Cabot, causes the death of one man by enticing him and the champion slays him with a dagger, all according to the Corsair Law. The new king arrives and is coerced into agreeing to the marriage after all. Then Chandler arrives, once he has left, just as the cruel pirates are ignoring the pleas of newly-captured Christian slaves. He offers his mare for sale. The two Corsair lords tell him to leave her till the morning. Before he can depart, Cabot dances again and flirts with him. The angry champion challenges him to a duel over her. Chandler chooses an Israelite sling against the other's dagger as weapons and kills him. Cabot howls for revenge; Tamerlane and his man hide, as the corsairs' men seeks them through the city. To escape their pursuers, he boldly goes to the palace and demands audience with the princess. She is contemplating suicide rather than marry one of the Barbarossas as her cousin has informed her she must. Arguing with Tamerlane, she learns he is off to catch the black stallion, and sends her own men to try to beat him to the great horse--because he is the swiftest horse in Arabia and only he can outrun the Barbaraossa brothers' champion steeds. He goes; she brilliantly announces to the brothers that the winner of the grand Taifa horse race will be the one able to name whom she marries. They expect to win the race as they have in the past and so agree, laughing raucously about the prospect. The capture goes well, for Tamerlane. But when the great race begins, he is hidden nearby and enters, after the others, saluting the Princess. What he can only guess is that the cousin has threatened him with death if he does win. The race is run fairly, and he finally outdistances the furious brothers. Tossing to the Queen her royal token which she had given to him, he proclaims that she is free to wed the man of HER choice; then he dashes off. The king orders him caught. but the brothers know no horse in the land can catch him, and trample the new king to death in their barbaric wrath. Meanwhile, the princess quits the royal palace with its death, cruelty and intrigue, and she goes to Tamerlane; then they learn they both have much to teach each other. This is a splendidly-photographed and lavish-looking "B" film. It is a classic of its genre and very satisfying on many counts, not the least of which is the ethical stature of the lovers and the capabilities of the actors who play them so unusually well. Its message about being free of restraints in order to be truly happy would play well in any nation of freedom-loving minds; it was indifferently reviewed and received in the United States, whose leaders had turned against the independent mind long since without officially admitting this had been done. I predict it will be rediscovered in the future, many times.

Bedouin's horse vs. Barbarossa's horses to determine Maureen's husband

[weezeralfalfa · 8/10 · 11 April 2018]

One of many Universal B films of the '40s and '50s, shot in Technicolor, with the theme of exotic locals and stories, or westerns. This one has the style of an Arabian Nights story, but more earthy. It stars Jeff Chandler, as the Bedouin chief Tamerlane, and flaming-haired Maureen O'Hara as the Tunisian princess Tanya, whom her cousin, the new king of Tunisia, wanted to auction off to one of the piratical Barbarossa brothers, who headed a long-established sizable enterprise of pirate ships in the Mediterranean and beyond......I find the choice of Tamerlane as Chandler's Bedouin name curious. The historical Tamerlane, of course, was a quasi-Mongol of west-central Asia, with the ambition of conquering as much territory as he could in one lifetime. ......Some reviewers criticize the acting and dialogue as wooden. The dialogue of the principals is somewhat stilted, in the style of The Arabian Nights, but that's also the way Maureen and Chandler talked in most of their films......There has been some discussion as to whether Tanya's red hair was appropriate for a Tunisian princess. Unexpected, but perhaps her mother was Irish. You should note that the beards of the 2 main Barbarossa chiefs were slightly or clearly reddish. In fact, Barbarossa means 'with red beard' in Italian.......Tamerlane and Princess Tanya spend the better part of the film trying to decide if they hate or love each other. The fact that they had been brought up in such disparate circumstances didn't help their sometimes attraction to each other. Supposing they did marry, where would they reside? Tamerlane flat out told her that he was not going to live in her palace. On the other hand, Tanya wasn't sure she could hack the typical life of a Bedouin wife, giving up her luxurious lifestyle. Finally, she decided her love and respect for Tamerlane trumped her fear of a culture shock. These 2 spent much of the film arguing who would be the owner of the superfast wild black stallion Shahzada, assuming that Tamerlane and aids captured him. Tanya claimed she needed a horse which would win the annual horse race, because it was decided that the owner of the winning horse would have the honor of naming her husband. She didn't want to marry either of the Barbarossa brothers, whose horses usually won. Finally, she relented, and agreed to allow Tamerlane, on Shahzada, to race, with the understanding that Tamerlane would name himself, if he won...... I think Shahzada merited a special acting award, as he progressed from the leader of a herd of horses, to being roped, to being tamed, to accepting a saddle and rider, to becoming a race horse, all in a few days. Or did they use different all- black horses for the various stages in his domestication?.......Tiny Susan Cabot(Clio), on screen for only a short stretch, acts as a dancing slave girl for one of the Barbarossa clan: Malik, who gets jealous when she flirts with Tamerlane He challenges Tamerlane to a dual with weapons, and loses. Clio then leads a mob to tear Tamerlane apart., which he survives......I thought the film was rather fun, if a tad unrealistic. It had an interesting screenplay, and interesting landscapes , often with big boulders, or very narrow canyons, and even a hidden tunnel behind a waterfall, that perplexed everyone hunting for Shahzada. Seems unlikely that Tamerlane, as a Bedouin chief, would be unmarried. Perhaps he was allowed 2 wives? From photos I've seen, Maureen might have trouble competing with some of the more beautiful Bedouin women. See it at YouTube

Mighty horse-racing in Araby

[clanciai · 10/10 · 17 October 2022]

Regarding it casually it's just a bloody exaggerated adventure film of the romantic kind brought to excess, but there is much more to it than that. Just the horse scenes make this film a masterpiece of the very special genre of horse movies, the greatest and most unique of which is John Lee Thompson's "Taras Bulba" ten years later, and nothing will deserve more admiration in this film than the horse in question, which is even adored by all the protagonists, among which Jeff Bridges is just the king of the sport. Maureen O'Hara makes its queen more lovelier than ever, and although there are several other dames to vie with her in beauty, charm and dancing, she will carry the day. They all chase the horse and desire hotly to possess it, and among them is even Lon Chaney Jr as the most boisterous of the barbarous corsairs called Barbarossa. Jeff Chandler is called Tamerlane, but there is no connection between him and the great Turkish conqueror. For the rest, it is all a dashing splendid adventure, and all you can do is to relax and enjoy the sumptuous show until the last horse comes to rest. The music is also magnificent, and the script is a marvel in itself, stylishly adapted to the romantic and lavishly flamboyant intrigue, and just to hear Maureen O'Hara's diction will reward any lover of good theatre. The film is a wonderful consummation of all possible Hollywood tricks to accomplish a superior adventure movie, and even Rudolph Valentino is completely outshadowed here. This is the perfect romantic entertainment, all assets combining to accomplish a perfect cinematic masterpiece of Hollywood studio craft, so it would be a shame not to give it a full score.

Maria Montez - Jon Hall heirs....

[searchanddestroy-1 · 15 January 2023]

Ten years earlier, you would have seen Maria Montez and Jon Hall, but at the turn of the fifties, Montez - Hall left Hollywood, so Universal Studios had to replace them and the choice was excellent. There will be several films starring Maureen O'Hara, Yvonne de Carlo, whilst Paramount Studios will hire Arlene Dahl and Rhonda Fleming for this kind of exotic, colorful adventure yarns which settings - studios lot most of the time, not necessarily natural locations - will be paradise islands of the South Seas, Jungle, Arabic deserts; modern stories or One Thousand and One nights tales.... This one is pretty entertaining, excellent time waster for old timers seeking their lost childhood. No matter the story, just enjoy the magic, fantasy atmosphere of this magnificent little gem.