The
Garden of Allah (1936) was a David O. Selznick production,
with his customary lavish production values. It was also filmed in color, unusual
for those days.
Boyer plays a Trappist monk who flees his monastery during a personal turmoil. Disoriented and confused by the cruel real world, he meets up with, of all people, Marlene Dietrich. They enter into a tender, and from his standpoint, illicit affair.
The story tends to be too overblown,
taking itself a bit too seriously, but with Arizona doubling for the Arabian
desert, the film is beautiful to look at, as are the two stars. Enjoy it for
the fantasy it is.
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poster
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