De sable et de feu

"All the characters you are about to see existed "... Yes, and that's the problem. The tagline is misleading. All the characters existed, but there is no proof that they all met, and even less that they acted as this fiction claims - particularly as regards the two main protagonists, Domingo Badia y Leblich and Esther Stanhope, known as 'The Queen of Palmyra', who very probably never crossed paths.

The production is successful, the actors credible, the landscapes and settings splendid and the historiographical details sumptuous. The film has a certain romantic power, well served by a score that isn't particularly memorable but is powerful and well used, if not memorable. In short, it's a treat for the senses and a great cinematic experience, offering an interesting perspective on the fascination that the Arab and Maghreb world held for Westerners in the early 19th century.

But you have to bear in mind that the whole thing is essentially a novel, and that the script writers have twisted reality violently to achieve their ends. A quick trip to wikipedia on leaving the cinema is most beneficial.