Queen of the Desert

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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 1.5/5 Stars •  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 0.5/5 Stars •  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 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/27/23 Full Review Marit Risto F Probably the story could have been better, but I enjoy it anyway. Again and again Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/25/23 Full Review Audience Member I think it is mesmerising. The scenery, the different way of life through an eye of a woman. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review 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 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Queen of the Desert

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