Les Aventures de Hadji

At least, in France, this adventure film from One Thousand and One Nights tales was very famous, and I understand why after watching it. Full of charm because of the photograpjy, production design, music score and above all Nat King Cole's song. No matter the story, the plot, focus only on the overall film, not details. The best material from director Don Weis, forget the rest. Anyway this director was especially a TV director, more than a big screen film maker. Even if his real influence was not important for this film, it is still a good adventure film and it is very important to consider it in terms of other movies of this kind, as good - but different though - as the Universal ones from the forties and fifties, starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall or Yvonne De Carlo or Maureen O'Hara.

John Derek was ahead of his time in the movement to uplift the status of women. This movie is really about women claiming their power and not being relegated to a status unequal with men. In his own life, he was so appreciative of the feminine ideal and he served the women he loved quite devotedly. I believe that he was more invested in life than in movies. I believe that he was as handsome as any of the great swashbucklers, and as good a performer. It is such a grace that he played Joshua in the Ten Commandments. Joshua is a true hero of the Bible - of the Hebrew and Christian traditions, both. He was an artist of high integrity and profound passion. This movie shows him in one of his best moments, career-wise, and in our insatiable appetite for entertainment, let us not overlook his travail in this life.

The Adventures of Hajji Baba is remotely based on the book by a British writer James Morier who was actually raised in a harem and later served as an English diplomat at the court of the sultan of Iran in the first part of the 19th century. The book called The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan enjoyed quite a success at the time of its release in 1824 not only in England but also in Iran, the fact that encouraged the author to write a sequel called The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan in England where our hero is sent to learn its customs and way of life. This film version hasn't borrowed much from the book except perhaps the name of the main character – Hajji Baba (played by John Derek) and his profession – the barber whose banal, but sweet story we follow as he runs of with a beautiful but very capricious princess Fawzia (Elaine Stewart) who tries to escape from marriage to a man she isn't really crazy about which is imposed by her authoritative father Khalif (Donald Randolph) who is not particularly inclined to consider his daughter's opinion regarding choosing her lifetime partner especially when his power and monetary interests are at stake. But the main Hajji Baba's interest in helping the fugitive princess lies not in her attractive physical appearances but in a ring with a priceless emerald in it, which she happens to possess and which Hajji happens to covet. But gradually a struggle ensues inside of our hero's heart as about the change in the flow of his preferences to the girl instead of the emerald, which are also fed by the attraction the princess feels each time stronger towards the irresistible barber.

While all this internal fight is going on, our heroes come through numerous adventures most excitingly dangerous of them being caught by a band of beautiful women-outlaws several of whom were once Fawzia's personal servants who managed to escape mainly from princess' ill temper and promptly turned into bandits.

Overall Adventures of Hajji Baba is an ultimate what can be called sex and sand adventure comedy with a lot of beautiful women and sand in it all filmed in larger than life Cinemascope, which somehow covers the films poor story and is significantly helped by a pleasant title song performed by Nat King Cole which can be heard several times throughout the film - `Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji, Hajji Baba, Hajji Baba.' 7/10

Priceless junk that is pretty much explained by its title. John Derek was a good looking man and at times an adequate actor but not here although the script such as it is doesn't really lend itself to major thesping. Elaine Stewart as the princess is even worse enacting her role with all the passion of a petulant schoolgirl and showing that her eventual participation in numerous game show as a hostess was probably the best use of her talents. The only cast member to emerge with any kind of distinction is Thomas Gomez who chews the high grade ham as an good hearted but opportunistic trader. The costumes are just about what you would expect from this sort of sword and sandal flick but keep an eye out at about the hour mark for a young slave maiden wearing what truly appears to be a mop on her head!! The most baffling aspect of the whole thing is that it has a score conducted by Nelson Riddle and an (awful) theme song sung by the great Nat King Cole that is repeated over and over again throughout the flick. Enjoyable once in a mindless colorful way.

Sure, many of the performers read their lines as if they had just learned them five minutes before. The plot had already been used to death by 1954, and it was quite juvenile to begin with. But:

It had a catchy Nat Cole song which had been a hit when this movie was released In its own way, it is a protofeminist film Female desert brigands attacked on horseback, many of then standing on their horses, wearing only bra type tops Preternaturally attractive leads; exotic looking feature players (esp. Blake and Stack) Some great lines (e.g. Female outlaw leader to captured woman dancer: can you ride and use a sword? Dancer: I have other ways of conquering men) Nice color Quick and simple entertainment.

What is impressive about this not-very-expensive looking film is that all stunts were done by real people. Much more fun than computer generated effects.