Queen of the Desert

PG-13

Released Apr 14, 2017

2 hr. 8 min.

Biography

History

Drama

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18%

80 Reviews

Tomatometer

36%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Gertrude Bell's life as an explorer, cartographer, and archaeologist for the British Empire.

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Critics Consensus

Queen of the Desert unites some undeniably talented professionals, but it's difficult to discern what drew them together -- or understand how its compelling real-life story became such a muddled mess.

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Jenny M

I watched this movie after viewing the documentaries "Letters from Baghdad" and "The Real Lawrence of Arabia" and was very disappointed. I can never understand the need for Hollywood to create fictional events in the life of historical people. Gertrude Bell had plenty of real life experiences to draw from for dramatic effect. And their portrayal of T E Lawrence was shallow and appalling. Most of their interactions in this film never happened. Very lazy research and writing.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/24/24

Full Review

Michael A

Queen of Desert's miscasting is so incredibly bad it almost makes one cry. Kidman is usually so great though certainly not here. It's like if the actors and director know this movie is going to flunk in a major way. Watch Lawrence of Arabia instead or to compare how this very important topic should have been treated at each level. While Franco was somewhat miscast, Pattison is way not credible as Lawrence at all. Kidman looks more like she should be her father's younger wife than his daughter, why she took on this role leaves one feeling bewildered and sad since she is typically such a great actress and seems to choose her roles wisely. Sad, sad, sad.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Damien K

Disappointing. The real life story was complex and compelling, and the 'love interests' (four, not two) were disastrous, each in their own way. Yet the characters are portrayed as romantically beautiful (Bell wasn't, nor was Lawrence) and the storyline lacks a central meaning. The whole thing came across as a pastiche of beautiful but largely unconnected scenes looking for a reason. Pretty to look at but rubbish story-telling.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/27/23

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Marit Risto F

Probably the story could have been better, but I enjoy it anyway. Again and again

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/25/23

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Audience Member

I think it is mesmerising. The scenery, the different way of life through an eye of a woman.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

Excellent, underappreciated, well worth watching I've just finished watching "Desert Queen" in all its 2 hour length. The movie is underappreciated, and reviewers in its year of release were jaded by bang-bang-shoot-em-up and missed what this movie has to offer. Gertrude Bell – Gertrude of Arabia, who inspired jealous comments from many including TE Lawrence – was born into the 6th richest family in England, the first Oxford woman graduate, incredible adventures in the Middle East, tragic love life with two potential husbands dead which constrained her life. Through this all . Ms Bell gained the respect and confidence of the Bedouin (fiercest Arab tribes) and had major role in the creation of the Middle East after the First World War. She published numerous books including photographic records, advised British imperial policy, seeking to win nationhood and independence for the Arab countries. This is a powerful life, and we can understand why famed director Werner Herzog, who also wrote the screenplay, had difficulty getting it all in. The movie, Lawrence of Arabia, covered similar historical and dramatic territory and took almost 4 hours to tell the full personal and historical story. So perhaps this movie was too short to fit in the life, the history, the tragedy and all. But the movie is wonderful. It reads as a reverie, a homage to the career of Ms Bell and also the sociology of the Arab tribes. It has very sophisticated lines, for example, a Bedu sheikh discussing the French poet Rimbaud in his tent with Ms Bell, And this throwaway interchange when Arab guide Fattuh comes with eggs in his hands to Gertrude Bell: F Can the lady show me how to do it? G. To cook an egg? F. The desert knows no eggs, the desert knows no hens G. You boil it for five minutes F. The desert knows no minutes G. The length of a prayer F. Oh. Ever present. (cut to next scene) The photography is glorious. It will get you immediately planning a trip to Morocco to check out the locations. The soundtrack of Arab inspired music is wonderful. Nicole Kidman does a good performance, Damien Lewis is good, others too. I think that Hertzog was trying to present the British "stiff upper lip" attitude of the era while portraying the seething emotions below. He wasn't wholly successful in that aspect, unlike other masterpieces he's done. But who complains about low-key characterisations when we see "2001" or Ibsen or Bergman, when we are expected to be actively thinking about the back story, the environment, the historical milieu. This ain't John Wick. So the movie is definitely worth watching. It's a homage, a dream, a history. It will make you want to find out more about Gertrude Bell, get her books, watch the documentary about her life, and think about travel to Morocco if not Iraq just now.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Werner Herzog

Director

Nicole Kidman

Gertrude Bell

James Franco

Henry Cadogan

Robert Pattinson

Col. T.E. Lawrence

Damian Lewis

Charles Doughty-Wylie

Jenny Agutter

Florence Bell

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Queen of the Desert: Trailer 1

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

As stunningly picturesque as all of this undeniably proves to be, Queen of the Desert is a barren emotional quagmire, Bell's incredible story deserving of so much more than this movie sadly proves to be willing to offer.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 14, 2017

Full Review

Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

The result is a well-made invitation to nod off.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 13, 2017

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Bell was an extraordinary figure, tailor-made for a dazzling presence like Kidman, but Werner Herzog, directing his own script, unwisely structures Bell's story around her intimate relationships with men.

Apr 13, 2017

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

[It] demonstrated that Herzog can fail big, as well as on a DIY scale.

Nov 10, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The director fails to find a dramatic framework through which to view his subject.

Rated: 1.5/4

Apr 4, 2022

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

With so many classics to his name, Werner Herzog need not apologize for helming Queen of the Desert -- it's just shocking that his name is attached to something as arid and uninspired as this stillborn drama.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 22, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Gertrude Bell's life as an explorer, cartographer, and archaeologist for the British Empire.

Director: Werner Herzog
Executive Producer: John Aglialoro, Jonathan Debin, Cathy Gesualdo, Harmon Kaslow
Screenwriter: Werner Herzog
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Benaroya Pictures, Raslan Company of America
Rating: PG-13 (Some Thematic Elements|Brief Nudity)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 14, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 6, 2017
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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