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| The Barbarian - 1933 |
Coming up next we have 1933's "The Barbarian", the story of an Egyptian dragoman who easily seduces women visiting the country. A young woman newly arrived in the country presents him with his most difficult challenge yet.
The film's cast includes Ramon Novarro, Myrna Loy, Reginald Denny, Louise Closser Hale, C. Aubrey Smith, Edward Arnold, Blanche Friderici, and Hedda Hopper.
In Egypt, Jamil is a dragoman, a sort of interpreter and guide. He is also a hustler. He pretends to be in love with tourists. When it's time to go, they leave him jewelry as parting presents.
As old "loves" leave, Jamil is on the lookout for his next mark. He finds it in pretty Diana Standing, a half-Egyptian lady who has come to Egypt to meet her fiancé and be married.
Diana largely ignores him. So, when she's not looking and her little dog, Mitzi, is left unattended, Jamil takes the opportunity of snatching the little canine away.
Of course, he has every intention of returning the dog so that Diana can see just how indispensable he is. He is engaged as her dragoman while she's in Egypt, much to the consternation of her fiancé, Gerald.
Diana's intended groom is Gerald Hume, who is working on an aqueduct project. They are to be married as soon as Gerald's mother can arrive from Europe. He quite a smooth talker. "Is Cairo always as beautiful as this?" asks Diana. Gerald smiles and says, "It wasn’t anything yesterday. Suddenly, it became beautiful about...let me see, what
time did your train get in? About four-thirty."
Gerald whisks Diana off to see the pyramids by moonlight. While having a drink in the pyramids' shadow, they are met by Gerald's friend Pasha Achmed, who takes quite a fancy to Diana. She isn't amused.
At the pyramids, Jamil sends Gerald off on a fool's errand and then scoops Diana up to the top of one of the structures to serenade her with a romantic song.
Jamil keeps turning up in the most unwelcome places. Diana quickly gets annoyed by his constant presence and attentions. "Jamil, are you impertinent or just stupid?" she asks. "Stupid, mademoiselle," comes his reply, "if I have failed to please you."
Gerald is called away on business and leaves Diana behind in the capable hands of Pasha Achmed. However, unbeknownst to any of them but Jamil, it was the pasha who arranged for Gerald to be away so he could move in on Diana.
Tired of both Jamil and Pasha Achmed, Diana hires a guide to take her to Gerald. She travels with her companion, Powers, who can't quite seem to get a handle on the camel she's riding. When the camel bumps her off, Diana asks Powers if she's hurt. "My feelings are!" comes Powers's reply.
Jamil has followed them into the desert and dismissed her guide, assuming that responsibility himself. He has also told Diana that he is a Prince of Egypt, which she doesn't believe. Then, he proceeds to kiss her.
A furious Diana grabs a whip and lays it on Jamil hard. Jamil is equally furious at the embarrassment she's caused him. Diana wants to return to Cairo immediately and orders him to make preparations.
To get even with her, Jamil sends the others in the caravan away and leads Diana the "long way" to Cairo. Wanting to escape from him, she sees a house in a lush area of the desert and heads for it.
Inside, Diana is treated like a queen. She's very thankful for a warm, scented bath to remove the dust and grime of the desert sands.
However, this was all part of Jamil's plan to get even. He knows that the house actually belongs to Pasha Achmed, who is thrilled to have Diana there.
Diana calls out to Jamil for help in escaping the Pasha's evil clutches. He rescues her and the two ride out across the sands on horses from the Pasha's stables.
They are set upon by some of the Pasha's men and one of their horses escapes. Jamil easily defeats them, but, still smarting from Diana's whip, he causes her further humiliation by making her walk while he rides.
At a desert oasis, Jamil makes Diana wait while he and the horse drink first. Then, he forces his intentions on Diana, who later sits despondently against a palm tree for support.
As they continue through the desert, they meet some men whom Jamil knows. It turns out he wasn't lying about being a Prince of Egypt. The men lead them to Jamil's tribe, where his father is waiting to receive them.
While taking some refreshment, Diana is surprised when Jamil makes an impassioned speech declaring his love for her and desire to marry her. At first caught of guard, Diana steadies herself and then agrees to be his bride.
However, Diana has the final say in the matter during the marriage ceremony. Before the rites can be completed, she throws a goblet of sacred water in his face, causing extreme humiliation before his people. Jamil decides to let her go.
Diana is met by Gerald and a whole battalion of Egyptian military, who vow to catch Jamil and bring him to justice. Diana is all for that plan.
Days later as she's preparing for her marriage to Gerald, Diana inexplicably finds herself dreaming of Jamil. Her future mother-in-law doesn't help matters by fussing and trying to control every aspect of Diana's life. Just as she's about to head out for the ceremony, something happens.
Jamil appears and serenades her like he used to do. Diana falls into his arms and the two share a kiss.
Later, we see the two traveling down the Nile on a felucca. Diana asks Jamil if he knew that her mother was an Egyptian. He replies that he wouldn't care if she were Chinese, and the two kiss again.
Elsewhere on the boat, Powers (who has always had a soft spot for Jamil) is reclining against a bunch of pillows wearing a very interesting costume. She's also cradling Mitzi in her arms.
Cast rundown:
Ramon Novarro.....................................Jamil El Shahab
Myrna Loy.............................................Diana Standing
Reginald Denny......................................Gerald Hume
Louise Closser Hale................................Powers
C. Aubrey Smith....................................Cecil Harwood
Edward Arnold.......................................Pasha Achmed
Blanche Friderici....................................Mrs. Hume
Hedda Hopper........................................Mrs. Loway
And that's it for The Barbarian. In her autobiography, Myrna Loy wrote: "Every woman's dream of heaven was to be carried off to an oasis by Valentino, Ramon Novarro, or any reasonable facsimile. Well, that's just what happened to me in The Barbarian." Instead of Egypt, the desert scenes were actually filmed amongst the sand dunes outside of Yuma, Arizona. During her bathing scene, Loy wore a flesh-tinted body suit to provide the illusion of nudity.
Though the film stars Ramon Novarro and Myrna Loy, the film is absolutely owned by Louise Closser Hale, who plays Powers. Upon seeing all the men in Egypt wearing fezzes, she says, "My heavens! Is everyone in Egypt a Shriner?" She also cautions her fellow travelers at the railway station to watch their luggage. "Now count the luggage. They can hide a trunk in their pants. I read 'The Thief of Baghdad'," says Powers.
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