The Garden of Allah (film)
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| The Garden of Allah | |
|---|---|
 Original Italian film poster |
|
| Directed by | Richard Boleslawski |
| Produced by | David O. Selznick |
| Written by | William P. Lipscomb Lynn Riggs Robert S. Hichens (novel) |
| Starring | Marlene Dietrich Charles Boyer Basil Rathbone C. Aubrey Smith Joseph Schildkraut John Carradine Alan Marshal Lucile Watson |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | Virgil Miller |
| Editing by | Hal C. Kern Anson Stevenson |
| Distributed by | Selznick International Pictures United Artists |
| Release date(s) |  15 October 1936 |
| Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Garden of Allah is a 1936 film made by Selznick International Pictures, directed by Richard Boleslawski and produced by David O. Selznick. The screenplay was written by William P. Lipscomb and Lynn Riggs, based on the 1905 novel by Robert S. Hichens. Hichens's novel had been filmed twice before, as silent films made in 1916 and 1927. The film stars Marlene Dietrich and Charles Boyer with Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith, Joseph Schildkraut, John Carradine, Alan Marshal, and Lucile Watson. The music score is by Max Steiner.
It was photographed in Technicolor and lushly decorated and costumed, garnering an honorary Academy Award for cinematography.
[edit] Plot
Trappist monk Boris Androvski (Charles Boyer) wants to live and love, so he flees his monastery. Yet he is the only one who knows the secret recipe of the monastery's famous liqueur. Meanwhile, heiress Domini Enfilden (Marlene Dietrich) is newly freed from her own prison of caring for her just deceased father and also seeks the frisson of the North African desert to nurture her soul.
They meet, fall in love, and get married by the local priest, after which the newlyweds are whisked off into the scorching desert, a trip that the local sand diviner has forecast will come to a bad end.
When a lost patrol of French legionnaires finds its way into camp, one of their number recognises the liqueur he is served. The truth comes out, and a guilt-ridden Boris decides to return to the monastery, parting from his wife.
[edit] Cast
- Marlene Dietrich as Domini Enfilden
- Charles Boyer as Boris Androvski
- Basil Rathbone as Count Ferdinand Anteoni
- C. Aubrey Smith as Father J. Roubier
- Joseph Schildkraut as Batouch
- John Carradine as the sand diviner
- Alan Marshal as Captain De Trevignac
- Lucile Watson as Mother Superior Josephine
- Henry Brandon as Hadj
- Tilly Losch as Irena
