Die Flamme von Arabien

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.

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."

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 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....

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.