The Garden of Allah

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Blu B Felt like over 2 hours. The acting isn't good at all. Marlene is shockingly not that good here. It feels like she's over the top half the time and other times wooden and just gazing into the camera like she just saw King Kong. There is no chemistry at all between the two leads as well and is super stilted along with pretty much all the other actors in this. The music is terrible and I actively hated it. There is NONSTOP music playing in this and it becomes ear grating, makes things even MORE boring, and just never stops. The cinematography and editing isn't good and the pacing is somehow terrible. This is the earliest color film I've ever seen and it's gorgous in certain shots and there is plenty of prodction value. But there is no life to any performances, most of the time the direction is super basic, and scenes just meander terribly. I don't really get the point of this overall. I think it's about being torn between love for the Church and for a significant other. But it never works. It feels like stuff just happens once they meet. The scene where they meet when the indian dancers are there sums up the problems here perfectly. Gorgous colors that pop, Marlene is beautiful, tons of production value, but it just goes on and on with no real point or takes forever to get to it with actors who look bored or over the top. It reminds of me of Heaven's Gate honestly at times with a simliar problem. And the dialouge just feels very meandering which I don't know if it's because of poor delivery or the music making it worse. Either way skip this. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/24/24 Full Review william k Star-cast melodrama in an Oriental setting is slow-going, and the romance is quite absurd, but it's all photographed in glorious color and beautiful settings. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review james g I slept through the last half of this relatively short (85 minutes) film the first time I saw this: I was uncertain of the plot. But upon a second viewing, I realized the real problem for me: Marlene Dietrich and Charles Boyer - both fine actors - performed as if they really didn't want to be in this, the 3rd version of the film-as per another reviewer)- or perhaps they were overshadowed by Selnick's desperation for a BIG FILM. It's true this was made during the heyday of studio powers and contract players. And no doubt producer David O. Selznick goes for a BIG FILM: big music, nice sets, and beautiful costumes for Dietrich. But the story is a simple romance (reminded me of "Marty") and everything about the romance is just overshadowed. A touching, lovely final scene, though, is done simply and is the outstanding scene of the film. Sometimes, keeping things simple is best. One thing stood out as just wrong: a sultry dance by a lady of unusual beauty is supposedly one of seduction, but frankly I felt scared: her close-ups I think had been lit odd, maybe it was her make-up, but she looked a tad too masculine in said close-ups. Today, that'd be fine, but I don't think that was the intention in 1936. For fans of Dietrich and Boyer and older movies. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Heavy duty dramatics in beautiful color. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Starring Dietrich and Charles Boyer, this disappointing third version of the popular 1904 novel, is mostly known for its use of three-color Technicolor, which won an Oscar. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member What a hilarious yarn of ill-starred romance in an exotic location. The wedding of Boyer to Dietrich totally caught me by surprise. I didnâ(TM)t even think they were getting along. Heâ(TM)s supposed to be a Trappist monk on the run, so I suppose itâ(TM)s understandable he doesnâ(TM)t have much to say for himself. And he displays remarkable acting chops by, alternately, breaking a sweat and shedding a tear on camera. This is a dumb blonde of a movie: good looking but very silly. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Garden of Allah

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