Les frères Barberousse

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."

Oriental adventure has starring Jeff Chandler and Mauren O'Hara battling the famous and real Redbeard brothers, though it has not historical perspective. When princess Tanya's : Maureen O'Hara, father dies, she is threatened with an unwanted marriage to Redbeard brothers: Lon Chaney Jr, Buddy Baer . But if she can win a horse race, fiery Tanya has a chance for freedom if she can only convince good-looking Bedouin chief Tamerlane : Jeff Chandler, who has the fastest black stallion in the desert to come to her aid. Along the way they find adventure, treason and love.

Enjoyable adventure movie with noisy action, pursuits, fights , sword-play and spectacular horse races. This film is made at one time, in which Universal Pictures was a studio quite noted for its Oriental or Eastern adventure movies . As this one results to be an Oriental action/adventure with usual actors of the genre and ordinary ingredients. Stars the handsome Jeff Chandler who starred various films until his early death at 42 while shooting Merril's Marauders . He performed various genres particularly Adventure, Wartime and Western, such as : Away all boats, Man in the shadow, Because of you, The Jayhawkers, Red ball express, Return to Peyton Place, being especially famous for playing chief Cochise in Broken arrow , The battle of Apache Pass, Taza son of Cochise, for whom the grey-hair had won considerable popularity . And what better co-starring could there have been than the sweet redhair Maureen O'Hara, here performing a smoldering, passionate princess who struggles for getting the possession her kingdom overthrown by her cousin played by Maxwell Reed. She along with Yvonne de Carlo were two of the best action women and swashbuckleresses in the Hollywood business . As she acted in adventure and swashbucklers as Against all flags, At sword's point, Tripoli, Bagdad, Kangaroo, Lady Godiva, The Black Swan, The Spanish main, Sinbad the Sailor, among others. Although most her popularity came from John Ford movies as The Quiet Man, Rio Grande and How green was my valley. They are very well accompanied by a fine support cast as Maxwell Reed, the gorgeous Susan Cabot, Richard Egan, Royal Dano, Dewey Martin, and special mention for the two sympathetic but bloody Redbeard brothers : Buddy Baer and Lon Chaney Jr.

The motion picture with enjoyable script by Gerald Adams, well produced by Leonard Goldstein, and being professionally directed by Charles Barton. The latter was a craftsman who directed all kinds of genres with special penchant for adventure western and comedy in which he made various Budd Abbott and Lou Costello vehicles such as : African screams, Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein, Abbot and Costello meet killer Boris Karloff, Shaggy dog, Toby Tyler, Dance with me Harry, Me and Pa Kettle at the fair, Helltown, Buck Privates go home, Harmon of Michigan, Thunder trail, Thunder pass, Forlorn river, Desert gold, Wagon wheels. Rating 6/10. Decent, acceptable adventure movie.

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.

Back in the 1940s Universal studios big star was Maria Montez who hit a gold mine in those Arabian sand and sandal epics with Jon Hall and Sabu. A whole set was built for her and her films.

Now boss Carl Laemmle at Universal was always practical and why waste those sets. So Universal made a whole lot of those films for its post war pin up boys, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and Jeff Chandler.

But this was one of the worst of them. Of course the obvious flaw is Maureen O'Hara as the Red-headed Arab princess. Ms. O'Hara was great when she was cast right, but here, she looks ridiculous and she knows it.

The plot such as it is involves Jeff Chandler as a Bedouin chief who has one aim, to capture the Black Stallion, Shozada. Along the way he develops a yen for Maureen. Well who wouldn't, redheads being such a premium out there in the Tunisian desert.

Maureen wants the horse too. She wants it so she can win the annual horse race and not have to marry one of the two Corsair Brothers, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Buddy Baer. Yoikes, what a choice.

So hero and heroine find a commonality of interest in the horse and each other.

I've often wondered what Jeff Chandler, who's real name was Ira Grossel, and who took being Jewish very seriously thought about playing an Arab. Remember this is post the Israeli war of independence and Chandler was a noted Zionist. He didn't look thrilled to be in this picture either. Was it politics or was it because it was such a stinkeroo.

I am writing this because another wrote a throughly shoddy review which is undeserved; complaining about hair color & other unimportant things, whilst going on & on about Maria Montez, not that I am being disrespectful towards her, not at all, but as much as I too enjoyed the Jon Hall/Maria Montez movies, but ne'er could Maria Montez ever compare to Maureen O'Hara. I just this moment, finished watching the movie 'Bagdad', this other reviewer wrote a similar review for that movie also & it is just a pitiful.

I do not consider any of the parts overacted, nor do I find it odd for a Bedouin princess princess to have Flaming Red Hair. Where did it say that she was Bedouin, only a Bedouin princess. For all we know her mother could be Irish (like Maureen), just as Cleopatra VII had no Egyptian blood within her veins, or more currently, (1810) the current dynasty of Sweden (the Bernadottes) originally were French (Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, a Marshall of France, during the time of Napoleon I), was elected heir to King Charles XIII of Sweden.

But aside from these justifications regarding hair color, we must remember that things like hair color are not important things to consider when reviewing a movie, but only whether or the the movie was entertaining. In that regard I can say that I shan't be clambering to see this one again, or 'Bagdad' either. The sets were beautiful, the costumes even more so, but the movie itself, just wasn't that good. But this is the fault of the script, not any other.