Le chant du Nil

I am a big fan of classic films, so I was looking forward to seeing what I thought would be a good screwball comedy. Myrna Loy is a frequent performer in that kind of film. However I didn't find this to be very enjoyable at all. In fact I found it to be insulting. All throughout the film I was hoping it would get better but it gets worse. The biggest insult is how it ends.

I will not spoil the film but I will say that the way the Prince treated Myrna Loy's character is offensive. If you would like details, please read other reviews that contain spoilers.

I give it 3 stars only because the production quality of the film is excellent. It looks like it could have been made in the early 1950s.

It's hard to rate this movie because of the combination of artistic admiration and cultural disgust it evokes. Following new archaeological finds, the elite classes of the U.S. went gaga in the 1920s and early 30s for the anything Middle Eastern, especially Egyptian. At this same time, Europe and the U.S. were in the process of shedding Victorian restrictions and recognizing that women, too, could have sexual feelings. Alas, what was called Orientalism did not stop Americans or Europeans from feeling superior to West Asians, but it did make the latter seem exotic and "romantic." And alas, again, the male film-makers of the time believed that one element of "romance" for a woman was a fantasy that some exotic brute would carry her off by force and ravish her (thus allowing her to express her long-denied sexual feelings). "The Barbarian" is a product of that era, a version of the same fantasy that had been seen in many earlier silent movies, most famously in Rudolph Valentino's "The Sheik." Its artistry is by no means perfect. The technical elements--sets, costumes, cinematography, editing, sound--are fine, but there is a jarring disconnect between the comedy of the first half of the movie and the drama of the second half. Some movies have found the right mix to pull this off (for example, "The Graduate"), but "The Barbarian" is not one of them. The character played by Roman Novarro is initially presented as a lascivious con-artist and later as a particularly annoying hustler (both of which are supposed to be "cute"), which makes it nearly impossible to later accept him as a sincere and honorable hero. The final scene is especially cringe-worthy. On the other hand, Myrna Loy gives an astonishing performance, both as the harassed female of the "comic" first half and in the dramatic second half (though even she can't save the last scene). She remains a believable human being in a role that is about as sexy as any role Loy ever played (and she played a lot of sexy roles). If you think the worst elements of U.S. cultural history are better denounced and rejected than tolerated as appropriate to their times, you will hate this movie. But if you do watch, please do it to mainly to admire Loy's wonderful performance.

Originally meant to be a steamy romance filled with temptation and scandal, The Barbarian comes off today as antiquated and shocking but for all the wrong reasons. Diana Standing (Myrna Loy) is a wealthy woman from America who comes to Egypt to visit the land of her heritage. Her mother was half Egyptian. There she meets a ruthless womanizer who cons himself into being her guide. Jamil El Shehab (Ramon Novarro) has a history of romancing women and taking their money. He sets his eyes on Diana who no matter how she resists, cannot escape the watchful and menacing eye of Jamil.

Beginning in the 20s, America went wild for all things Arab and mysterious. Women fainted at the thought of men like Rudolph Valentino ravaging them in the desert, something they feared but also longed for. These kinds of stories became commonplace both in Hollywood and in trashy romance novels. Thus, we have The Barbarian. What better subject (rape, brutality, forbidden desire) for a pre-code film? Although she wore a nude bodysuit in the scene, Loy takes a bath in a tub with no bubbles and few flower petals inside to cover her. The soft focus says it all; this movie is all about sex.

Unfortunately today, many women see Novarro as a brute and a savage. Their negative reactions to him make for difficult viewing. His character was intended to be representative of the nagging desire for the unattainable, but by todays standards, Jamil is creepy and bothersome.

Despite these obstacles, the film has some undeniably merits. Novarro's singing enhances the story with a lovely ballad that strains throughout. The direction by Sam Wood leaves the audience with just enough information to tell the story, but not too much as to be smutty. One shot in particular of Diana after her rape is movingly beautiful.

In Cairo, Jamil El Shehab (Ramon Novarro) is a gigolo-conman working out of the train station. He spots his next target, Diana Standing (Myrna Loy), stepping off the train. Her mother is Egyptian. She is met by her wealthy British fiancé Gerald Hume.

This is pre-Code with Myrna Loy in a skimpy nightgown. One's opinion on this depends on how one takes Jamil. He's a cad and a scoundrel. That could be a romantic lead but Diana needs to be up to the challenge. Myrna Loy has that well within her acting range but the character is written a little soft with a healthy dose of western superiority complex. The portrayal of Arab culture is a bit superficial but I expected much less from that era in Hollywood. The chauvinism is interesting. The oasis drinking scene is both brutal and enlightening. This is taming of the shrew on steroids.

I am constantly amazed at how sexy the precode films of 1933 are (the last year before the Production Code was enforced, which resulted in all Hollywood actresses becoming virgins again overnight), including this intense movie, "The Barbarian", the story of an inter-racial attraction between a white British woman (Myrna Loy, looking exceedingly beautiful here) and an Arab prince (Ramon Novarro, in what has to be his sexiest role ever), who disguises his true identity as part of a coming of age tribal ritual. Myrna's character is attracted to Ramon's Arab the moment she steps off the train in Cairo, Egypt. Fireworks promptly ensue between the two but it is unclear that Ramon is actually falling in love with the woman he pursues until closer to the end of the picture.

I completely disagree with another reviewer who called this movie "bilge" because of a certain scene in the desert. It is clear that Myrna finds the Arab desirable, so no real force was involved, it was mutual attraction right from the beginning. This was an important film role for Myrna Loy; she finally got to look beautiful and sexy on screen as the lead, instead of being cast in minor roles in silly exotic parts which didn't do much for her talents. It is not right to attack her memory, as the other reviewer here did, for a theme that has been repeated by Hollywood many times over the decades.

Other cast members were perfect here, including dapper Reginald Denny as the fiancée who quickly realizes the Arab's true intents, and Louise Hale as the grandmotherly Powers, who comes off with some of the most hysterically funny lines in the picture.

A wonderfully entertaining and intense film, and I give it a 10 out of 10. Excellent and very romantic. I just wish that Ramon's silent film "The Arab" from 1924, which was the basis for this re-make, was available to compare with this one, but unfortunately it is sitting in European archives and unlikely to ever be seen on video or DVD. Even "The Barbarian" is only available for viewing whenever TCM bothers to show it (usually once per year).