Nick M
I love Ernst Lubitsch, but despite its high production value this is one of his weaker pictures I've seen. Desire drives the plot, and the many conflicting love (or just plain lust) interests make for a rather complicated story. To sustain audience interest, complexity of this degree requires engaging characters whom we grow to have strong feelings for. Unfortunately, each and every one of them remains undeveloped and shallow. I cannot recall a single incident of character growth during this nearly two-hour film. The costumes were gorgeous, the scene setting was sensational, there were interesting lighting effects and framing shots, and the conclusion was dramatic, but I simply didn't care about any of the many people involved. Pola Negri was gorgeous and alluring as she always is, but what was she motivated by? I don't even think she knew. Lubitsch himself played the character of the hunchback, which was the most fleshed-out and interesting character of the bunch, but even his story wasn't explored enough for me to really give a damn about his acute emotional pain and suffering. I would have loved to have seen more thought put into the character of the old snake charmer as well, because that actor *really* got into her role and could have made this a meatier performance if she had more substance to work with. And why handicap yourself further by putting Harry Liedtke in the primary romantic role? There was no chemistry between his character and Sumurun. This picture was helmed by one of the finest directors of his day and had an all-star cast, but I don't think any amount of skill could have turned such a fundamentally flawed script into an enduring success.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
11/10/24
Full Review
Audience Member
Like Ernst Lubitsch's previous film, Anna Boleyn, Sumurun is an impressive production. Even without color the set pieces and costumes are absolutely gorgeous. What's more, unlike Anna Boleyn, Sumurun is actually quite entertaining. The traveling entertainers are one of the highlights, as they add a fresh breath of physical humor to the film. But even the more serious aspects of the plot are captivating, with the film ending on a resonating, melancholy note. One critique is that the score is pretty disappointing. Don't get me wrong it's certainly more dynamic than Anna Boleyn's, but it feels like a missed opportunity to not orchestrate it with more exotic instruments that fit the setting, rather than just the single piano. Sumurun is not without its other faults. It has noticeably aged and takes a while to really get started, but once it does, Sumurun holds its own as a respectable silent film.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/14/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A reconstructed version of this is available on Netflix. An opening title card says, "An Oriental Play in Six Acts Based on the Pantomime by Friedrich Freksa." It is also known as One Arabian Night, as in one of the tales from the 1,001 Arabian Nights. The six acts divide the story into nice manageable portions. Though Pola Negri is top billed on most marketing materials, she is not the character Sumurun. Sumurun, played by Hasselqvist, is the favorite member of an old Sheikh's harem. There is also a younger Sheikh, who has eyes for her, or really any attractive female who crosses his line of sight. Sumurun secretly loves a young cloth merchant (Liedtke) though. She is protected by a kind of den mother and a head eunuch (Kupfer and Tiedtke, respectively). The other part of the story involves Pola Negri as a seductive young dancer working with a traveling minstrel show. Ernst Lubitsch himself is a hunchback clown with the troupe, who's love for the dancer is not returned. The dancer, whether she can attract the old Sheikh's attention herself or use the know-how of a slave trader, wishes to be a part of the harem. She really wishes for the comfort and wealth that goes with being in the Sheikh's palace. Well, Sumurun would rather escape to live a simple life with her love, thus leaving an opening for the dancer. Things don't go as planned for everyone. The different rooms of the palace and the scenes that take place outside the palace are represented by different colors tinting the frames. The orientation and size of some of the shots shifts in a way that I hadn't seen before. There is slapstick humor, romance, tragedy, and an early look at how the Middle East was portrayed.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
Full Review
Audience Member
un mal de fou a suivre. aurais mieux fait de dormir. lubitsch touchant en saltimbanque bossu amoureux.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
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