JohnHowardReid Although he wrote many later novels (including "The Paradine Case" which was also filmed by Selznick), Robert Smythe Hichens (1864- 1950) never equaled the success of his early "The Garden of Allah" which sold a staggering 800,000 copies in its initial hardcover editions. A well-written book with much accurate, closely-observed detail (too much in fact for modern tastes), it offers not only a grandly romantic story of love and mystery set against a fascinatingly unusual yet breathtakingly picturesque background, but meticulously describes the inner rewards and setbacks of an idealized heroine's self-imposed search for peace, love and fulfillment. As for the title, it is explained by Count Anteoni: "The Arabs have a saying: "The desert is the garden of Allah."The novel was filmed three times: Helen Ware and Thomas Santschi starred in a 1917 version, while Alice Terry and Ivan Petrovich were the leads of an MGM/Rex Ingram film (screenplay by Willis Goldbeck — Selznick's assistant on this one) ten years later.Green and Rosson were handed an Honorary Award by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their color cinematography. "The Garden of Allah" was the world's 5th three-strip Technicolor feature. Negative cost: $1,447,760. Locations in the Mojave Desert near Yuma, Arizona.The film was originally to star Merle Oberon and Gilbert Roland. Fortunately, Selznick was astute enough to grab Dietrich and Boyer for the leads instead, when they suddenly became available by both walking out on Paramount's "Hotel Imperial" in protest over the firing of director Ernst Lubitsch. COMMENT: Unlike the 1927 version which took considerable liberties with both plot and characterization, this is a remarkably faithful transcription of the original novel. Admittedly a few incidents and characters have been compressed (and one minor player, Domini's maid, Suzanne, omitted altogether); but with one or two exceptions, all the changes — slight as they are — represent distinct dramatic improvements. Not only are atmosphere and suspense heightened, but the exotic romance of the book is perfectly captured.The players are collectively nothing short of superb. Dietrich is brilliantly cast. It's a role calling not only for glamour and allure, but one requiring the actress to express a quality of urgent, desperate seeking. Dietrich's exotic appeal goes without question, but her most fascinating and interesting roles are usually those in which she herself is actively seeking something (Dishonored, The Scarlet Empress, A Foreign Affair, Witness for the Prosecution, Judgement at Nuremberg) rather than being sought (Blonde Venus, Song of Songs, Stage Fright, Rancho Notorious). Her face (especially her eyes) and the accented timbre of her voice convey urgency, energy, drive — even ruthlessness — extremely well. Domini Enfilden is not only an embodiment of all these qualities, but she has a romantic restlessness which Marlene portrays with totally convincing sympathy. It's impossible to imagine any other star in this part. If ever there was a role that seemed completely made to order for Dietrich, this is it.Charles Boyer was also never more perfectly served — although he did have a few other roles the equal of Boris Androvsky in romantic intensity, particularly in Mayerling (his very next film) and Hold Back the Dawn. Boyer would have made an ideal Hamlet. As a romantic character, he is often at the mercy of events. He struggles to extricate himself, sometimes succeeding (History Is Made At Night), often not (Algiers, All This and Heaven Too). Anxiety, restlessness, despair — these are Boyer's stock-in-trade. Most of the support players are not quite so impressively catered for, though Basil Rathbone and Joseph Schildkraut judiciously match their respective characters to those in the book. C. Aubrey Smith, Alan Marshal and Lucile Watson are also ideally cast. John Carradine, however, is so completely unrecognizable — even his voice is different — it's hard to believe it's really him!If it were possible to overshadow the richness of these excellent performances with a wealth of striking production values, producer Selznick and his accomplished technicians certainly give it a rousing try. Director Boleslawski, forsaking the sterile tableau approach he employed in "Clive of India", has directed every scene with admirable deftness and style. He is aided — indeed bested — by superlative Technicolor photography of the film's ravishing sets, costumes and locations.Max Steiner contributed a movingly atmospheric, delightfully captivating score.All in all, a beautifully produced, grandly exotic yet totally engrossing romance. One of my favorite films of the 1930s. Fortunately available on DVD (from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) in a really excellent print.

wes-connors After her father expires, moody Marlene Dietrich (as Domini Enfilden) leaves her convent to seek solace from God in the Sahara Desert. Meanwhile, chaste Charles Boyer (as Boris Androvsky) abruptly leaves his monastery. After taking his sacred vows, he's off to find "love" in the desert. They seem like a match made in Heaven, but don't be fooled. The copulation turns out to be an affront to God. Even worse, for lovers of liqueur, Mr. Boyer takes with him the secret recipe of an alcoholic drink, handed down from monk to monk. "God will not punish us," declares Ms. Dietrich, "if we can trust Him to show us the way..."Although "The Garden of Allah" drew viewers into cinema seats, there weren't enough to justify the cost. The film helped studios decide stars like Dietrich and Boyer looked more profitable in black-and-white. Classic performers did not always appear in color; a major star's paycheck already upped the budget. Herein, Dietrich models and Boyer pouts... The film's main strength is the outstanding achievement in color photography, by W. Howard Greene and Harold Rosson. A fine supporting cast helps, especially fast-talking Joseph Schildkraut (as Batouch). And, dancer Tilly Losch (as Irena) make a great first impression.***** The Garden of Allah (10/15/36) Richard Boleslawski ~ Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Joseph Schildkraut, Basil Rathbone

Marcin Kukuczka "Sunshine all the time makes a desert." (an Arab proverb).A viewpoint that great visuals and skillful performances are enough to turn even a dull screenplay into an entertaining motion picture seems too much simplified. However, in some instances, such perspective occurs to make sense. Seldom may it occur as relevant as in THE GARDEN OF ALLAH directed by Richard Boleslawski and produced by David O. Selznick. The strengths of the movie do not lie in clever storyline but in amazing camera and lighting work as well as performances. As one of the first three strip Technicolor films after BECKY SHARP and long before THE WIZARD OF OZ, the colors of THE GARDEN OF ALLAH have much to boast of. In many of its scenes attempted at purely visual experience, the aesthetic impressions are in no way dated. Clarence Slifer, collaborating with other artistically innovative people, does a wonderful job. Just to note the effective use of red (one of the most beloved colors in the period of color experimentation) symbolizing the land of fire and desire where the protagonists' destinies meet, the shots of the desert as backdrop with persons and caravans in silhouettes as well as the interiors. The elaborate visuals are particularly memorable in a little scene of Domina and Father Roubier when he tries to warn her against the man she loves. Consider the particular detail as she leaves the sacristy. Besides the cinematographic pearls of location shots and camera work, what strongly contributes to the memorable impressions are costumes by Jeannette Couget and music by Max Steiner (in particular the use of Schubert's "Ave Maria" and the atmospheric song "No One But God and I Know What is in My Heart"). But let me now develop, perhaps, the most striking feature of the film – performances, which I am not going to divide into main roles and supporting characters since this is one of the movies of the 1930s which cannot be treated as 'a vehicle' for Marlene Dietrich solely. Single individuals deserve unique praise for making the hardly believable content still communicative.Marlene Dietrich, freed from the guidance of her tutor Josef Von Sternberg) portrays a character whose mind and dreams are occupied by the search for happiness, for finding herself. As a young, beautiful actress with subtle presence on the screen and girlish movements she is nothing but outstanding. The effect of her screen presence is, of course, multiplied by the use of colors and a number of costumes she wears. Ms Dietrich reminds me a lot of her earlier role (also away from Sternberg) in THE SONG OF SONGS. However, she is not Garbo who proved to be 'a queen on her own' preferring to be left alone to go on with her lines and cooperation with the camera. Dietrich was more generous with her co-stars. Consequently, Ms Dietrich cannot be considered fully without her leading men. And one is truly captivating. That is... Charles Boyer. Although his character lacks logical sense of his motifs and may be less communicative with audiences, he proves unbelievable acting skills. His performance is filled with extravaganza, rebellious attitude, self-imposed, almost blasphemous ignorance of the hard past, neurotic struggle for materializing his inner desires. It is all a great insight into the tormented, almost tortured character who does not seek refuge in loneliness but in the arms of a woman. Having experienced the extreme silence and hermit-like life as a Trappist monk, his tortured soul strives for passions (to fulfill them) and the fire of lust (to extinguish it). While Ms Dietrich's scene is the memorable finale (after she received the harsh test she prayed for), his moment is the speech scene when teary eyes and sweaty forehead manifest the most inner struggles. Although it does not necessarily work so logically, the moment is worth seeing thanks to his compelling performance. Even the liqueur would not taste that good... Although Boyer worked with the various female stars of the time, including Garbo and Bette Davis, there is a strong chemistry between him and Marlene Dietrich. Their scenes are sweet, fussy and overly sensitive but worth seeing. The finale is also something of a genius collaboration of the leading protagonists. Joy, tears, smile evoke.Joseph Schildkraut has particularly witty and charming moments as Batouch, a sort of character no one will be after but everyone will like. C. Aubrey Smith with his specific strength and rhetoric in his performances crafts the role of Father memorably. I particularly sympathized with his sweet dog that seems to perceive sometimes more than humans do. Basil Rathbone carries the restrain and appeal as Count Andreoni. Apart from them, there are two of the cast who, though given just a minimum time on the screen, and yet appear to be truly memorable: John Carradine as a seer who, in a haunting moment, foretells Domina's future and Tilly Losch as a dancer who, in her Salome-like lustful crush, provides the movie with one of the most erotic sequences ever found in motion picture. And finally, who contributes to the entertainment and mood are great extras who speak gibberish in the backdrop.But who is in the lead? No one so much as the title garden of Allah itself with its endless attraction and cleanliness of catharsis, with its oases of fresh water and the heat of vast loneliness where you can hear the whisper of your inner self, the desert.All is touched by the search of happiness that the protagonists struggle to find. The desert seems to be a perfect place for that target and yet...do they find it? The unforgettable finale seems to answer this question where the religious and the secular, where purity and desire reach the heights of their mutual, though fairy tale, collaboration. But if you seek something thought provoking, search for it elsewhere...enjoy the visuals and performances offered by THE GARDEN OF ALLAH.

lugonian THE GARDEN OF ALLAH (Selznick International/United Artists, 1936), directed by Richard Boleslawski, returns Marlene Dietrich to desert setting since her Hollywood introduction under Josef Von Sternberg's direction in MOROCCO (Paramount, 1930). Paired for the only time on screen opposite Charles Boyer, the role offers Dietrich a chance away from her home based studio in something slightly different from her previous efforts, that of troubled heroine trying to find her inner self. Taken from the novel by Robert Hichens, THE GARDEN OF ALLAH was previously filmed in the silent era in 1916 with Helen Ware, and by MGM (1927) starring Alice Terry and Ivan Petrovich. This new edition to an old-fashioned theme benefits greatly from its then and now impressive Technicolor photography that makes the plot even more modern and simplistic than it did back in 1936.Revolving around two troubled souls bound together, the first to be introduced is Domini Enfilden (Marlene Dietrich) returning to the Convent of Cecile near a central capital of Europe where she was educated as a child. After devoting her time caring for her invalid father who had died some months prior, Domini, sad and lonely, comes seeking for spiritual guidance from Sister Josephine (Lucile Watson), the mother superior. She suggests the one way to find peace and tranquility is to isolate herself in the Algerian Desert. Next scene finds the other troubled soul living in "A Trappist monastery in Northern Africa, where men have sworn eternal vows of chastity, poverty and silence." De Trevignac (Alan Marshal), a visiting soldier of France who, about to depart after spending a month among the fellow monks, finds the monastery terrified by the news of Boris Androvsky, known as Brother Antoine (Charles Boyer), having broken his vows and fled his order. Bound for Beni-Mora, Domini and Boris, strangers on a train, end up as fellow travelers sharing the same compartment and destination. Regardless of his secretive past, Domini, going by the philosophy of, "Only God and I know what's in my heart," forgets about herself and devotes much of her time with the moody Boris. Going against the advise of Father Roubier (C. Aubrey Smith), a priest looking after her during her stay, Domini, still unaware of what secret Boris keeps within himself, marries him anyway. "Journeying without aim, drawn by the mystic summons of blue distances," the couple find true happiness in the their "land of forgetfulness," or The Garden of Allah. Their past soon catches up with them upon the arrival of an unexpected visitor seeking food and shelter.Of the troubled souls depicted on screen, Charles Boyer, shows his range as a fine actor by turning his weak character into a strong presence. Scenes worth noting include that of Boris angrily throwing his crucifix into the pond for the beggars, who take fascination by it, to dive in after it; his sense of guilt while facing the presence of a priest (Smith) and/or the cross on top of the church. The most crucial scene of all is when the camera captures Boris' moment of despair with the buildup of tears in his eyes before dripping down his face. With the script taken out of context from a fictional novel, the story of a man denying God but unable to deny himself is definitely something from Scriptures in the Bible. The message of God never giving up on those who give up on Him, by offering spiritual guidance rather than condemnation, is as timely as the theme itself. Dietrich's Domini on the other hand is the softer of the two central characters, having more faith than Boris, even when having doubts about her inner self and what the future may hold.Appearing in smaller roles are Basil Rathbone Count Ferdinand Anteoni, a French Legion officer appearing either in suit or sheik's attire who befriends Domini and Boris; the unrecognizable John Carradine a psychic who foretells the future through the secrets of the sands; Joseph Schildkraut, the comedic tour guide; and Bous-Bous, a dog as portrayed by Corky. Special screen introduction goes to Tilly Loch, appearing briefly playing Irena, the fiery Ouled-Nail dancing girl whose flirtatious eyes on Boris that starts a riot. The children appearing uncredited in the opening scene in the convent feature such familiar faces as Ann Gillis, Marcia Mae Jones and Bonita Granville. In spite of slow passages, THE GARDEN OF ALLAH is quite an indifferent yet interesting story. While sources label this at 85 minutes, circulating prints, ranging from home video to 2004 DVD release, are clocked at 79. It's a wonder whether certain scene(s) were edited prior to theatrical release or this being a reissue copy from the 1940s.Formerly presented on American Movie Classics (1995-96), THE GARDEN OF ALLAH occasionally turns up on Turner Classic Movies where it premiered October 2002 as part of its tribute to producer David O. Selznick. (**1/2)