Tentation

"Temptation" is a film very similar to the great films, "The Letter" (1929, 1940). All of them are about an unfaithful with who murders...and who ultimately must pay for her misdeeds. Instead of the tropical locales used in "The Letter", most of "Temptation" is set in Egypt.

Since the film begins with Ruby (Merle Oberon) being confronted by authorities about her having committed murder, this part of the movie shouldn't come as any surprise. She then recounts the events that led to her deplorable state.

It seems she actively pursued a nice, rich Egyptology professor (George Brent). He loved her, though her doctor was shocked, as she had confided in him that she was setting out to find a rich man...any man. So he certainly wasn't thrilled at the union. After they married, she quickly became bored and dealt with it by an affair with a real piece of work! Where does it all go next and what about the murder? See the film and see for yourself.

The story, though similar to "The Letter" is different enough that it's still a fine film. Well acted, well written and well worth your time.

I was surfing online and came across this film, that I had never heard of before and figured, what the heck, I'll check it out. And I'm glad I did!

It's set in Cairo in the 1900's, and since anything set in past times (with past outfits) captures my attention, it was off to a good start. It's quite a story, as Ruby (Merle Oberon), a woman with a less than stellar past, determines to marry Egyptologist Nigel (George Brent) and gain some security and respectability. It's a one-sided love match, as her feelings for him don't go much above slight fondness.

Bored with her life in Cairo, being left alone too much, and the society couples they're compelled to entertain, Ruby amuses herself by coming to the aid of a young women who has written indiscreet letters to the charismatic Baroudi (Charles Korvin), she ends up falling for his charms, and soon they're lovers. Among his many flaws, Baroudi is a compulsive gambler, and when Ruby thwarts his attempt to woo a young heiress, she finds herself agreeing to a plot to murder Nigel, leaving the two of them free to start over, with her widow's wealth.

Soon, however, Ruby's conscience gets the better of her, and then everything begins to spiral.

I don't think you'll regret watching this.

After an undefined past, Merle Oberon decides to marry a wealthy man and does in archeologist George Brent. He whisks her away to Egypt, where he is busy archeologizing. Enjoying her newly luxurious life, she falls in love with local prince Charles Korvin. They hatch a plan to poison Brent and enjoy the wealth, when they are not busy enjoying each other.

This A picture from International Picture -- soon to merge with Universal -- shows the peculiarities of the Production Code. It's ok to poison your husband (so long as eventually you suffer some sort of penalty, usually divinely imposed) but not to show how you became a Bad Woman; I suppose that would be seen as some sort of justification. Also, you can let the audience infer an extra-marital affair, so long as you don't do anything to show it. Either that, or producer Edward Small decided to horsetrade that away for some indiscretion elsewhere. It has been reported that the Majors would emasculate one movie in return for something spicy in another. International, with a total production of ten movies before its merger probably didn't have much to offer in its string.

Miss Oberon is quite lovely and dresses very well, although director Irving Pichel thinks that the way to show an actress is being evil is to make her glare and shoot from below. With Paul Lukas, Arnold Moss, and Ludwig Stossel.

I was a little bit put off watching this movie, because I read a few reviews that didn't give it justice however, I'm glad I decided to go over it with my own eyes because it turned out to be a good quality story of lust and greed and murder. Ms Oberon played the part of the wife and femme fatale to perfection. After visiting the Harley street doctor who encouraged her first husband to divorce her due to her infidelities she finds another unsuspecting wealthy man. (She first learns about his passion) Her interest in him & beauty captures his weak & gullible heart into marrying her which from then shows us what she's all about. The ending was also surprising.

We are in Egypt and Merle Oberon (Ruby) is approached by friend and Chief of Police Arnold Moss (Ahmed). He is visiting her as both a friend and in an official capacity. He asks that she attends his station the following day allowing her a final night to come clean with her husband Egyptologist George Brent (Nigel). She asks for a moment with her husband's friend Paul Lukas (Meyer) and so begins the flashback story of her life over the recent 3 years or so, especially her relationship with Charles Korvin (Baroudi).

The cast are good in this film and Oberon is a strong lead character. The dialogue is entertaining and the story keeps the audience engaged. George Brent doesn't have much to do and is pretty much a wet fish throughout the proceedings. The ending is somewhat predictable, forced and rushed but it does allow you to ignore the narrative as presented and come up with your own conspiracy theory. Is that what really happened?

Would you marry a boring man? A work colleague of mine did just that and whilst they are now divorced and she hates him, she found that the grass hasn't been greener and she has been hurt by her cheating next encounter. Sometimes boring can be jolly nice indeed. Actually, boring is one of the worst things - ignore that last thing. My work colleague is a bit weird.