The Garden Of Allah (1936)

 

The Garden Of Allah - 1936

Coming up next is that sweeping 1936 epic romance "The Garden Of Allah".  A woman desperately in need of love and a man whose past he prefers to remain a secret find each other in the deserts of northern Africa.

The film's cast includes Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Tilly Losch, Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith, Joseph Schildkraut, John Carradine, Lucile Watson, Helen Jerome Eddy, Marcia Mae Jones, and Corky.

After the death of her father, Domini Enfilden returns to the convent where she was educated to get some guidance.  She was her father's caretaker for many years.  Looking for happiness, she has gone from one European city to the next, but can't seem to get hold of anything to help her.

Mother Superior Josephine suggests that she try the desert.  When Domini asks what she will find there, Mother Josephine replies, "There in the solitudes you may find yourself.  In the face of the infinite, your grief will vanish, and you will realize that life is larger and fuller than you dream."  So, Domini decides to go to the desert.

Meanwhile, at a Trappist monastery outside Tunis, the monks are all shocked to discover that one of their own has disappeared and gone out into the world, leaving behind his vows before God.

When Domini arrives in a town on the outskirts of the desert in Africa, she is instantly captivated by all she sees by day and by night.

At a local nightspot, Domini makes the acquaintance of Boris Androvsky, a mysterious man who doesn't seem to know much about the world.  He saves Domini from a spot of trouble.

They begin to spend time together, traveling to an oasis, and they enjoy each other's company.

Domini confides to an acquaintance, Count Ferdinand Anteoni, that she wishes to make a pilgrimage into the desert.  He advises her to wait.  "Wait until the call is so strong that it can't be ignored," he says.  He also tells her that the Arabs have a name for the desert, "The Garden of Allah".

Domini and Count Ferdinand pay a visit to a sand diviner at a bazaar.  He begins to tell Domini her future.  She will find great happiness.  He starts to continue with a warning, but she stops him.  If great happiness is to be hers, she doesn't care what comes next.

Over the next weeks, Domini and Boris see more of each other.  When she tries to ask about his past, he stops her.  "There are things in a man’s life it’s best to forget.  There are dark places which should be left dark," he says.  So, Domini drops the subject entirely.

Boris's past confuses many.  He seems to have a deep aversion to all things religious and doesn't want to discuss it at all.  A local priest tries to coax some info out of him, but he doesn't have any success.

The priest cautions Domini about getting too close to Boris.  However, she has made up her mind.  She loves him and won't be dissuaded.

They are married shortly thereafter in a small ceremony.  Both of them, though they don't look it, are very happy.

They use their wedding as an excuse to begin a pilgrimage into the desert.  However, they have an inauspicious start.  A sandstorm slows them down considerably.

Eventually, the storm subsides, and they wander through the desert in a caravan, stopping where and when they want, reveling in their happiness.

Soon, though, their happiness is shattered.  Count Ferdinand Anteoni comes to visit them and tells Domini that he has discovered something about Boris.  He was a Trappist monk who fled his monastery and his vows.  To the ultra-religious Domini, this is unthinkable.

She confronts Boris, who tells her the whole story, including his reasons for leaving the monastery.

Domini tells him that vows made before God must come before anything else, and he must return to the monastery.

Back at the monastery, Domini bids Boris a tearful goodbye as he heads back to the church and to God.

Cast rundown:

   Marlene Dietrich......................................Domini Enfilden

   Charles Boyer..........................................Boris Androvsky

   Tilly Losch..............................................Irena

   Basil Rathbone........................................Count Ferdinand Anteoni

   C. Aubrey Smith......................................Father J. Roubier

   Joseph Schildkraut...................................Batouch

   John Carradine........................................Sand Diviner

   Lucile Watson..........................................Mother Superior Josephine

   Helen Jerome Eddy...................................Nun

   Marcia Mae Jones.....................................Convent Girl #1

   Corky.....................................................Bous-Bous

And that's it for The Garden Of Allah.  The music in the film is absolutely beautiful.  Max Steiner, who also wrote the score for "Gone With The Wind", composed the haunting melody.  The scenery is also very well-done.  The movie was filmed outside Yuma, Arizona, at the Imperial Sand Dunes.  Most of the "Arabic" spoken in the film was actually gibberish.

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