bkoganbing
Princess Of The Nile is set in the 13th century AD and I always thought that the religion of ancient Egypt had died out by that time. But what we have here is that the city that Debra Paget is princess of on the Nile is still worshiping Isis while their Moslem conquerors are behaving pretty much as conquerors do.The city's salvation just might be Jeffrey Hunter son of the Caliph of Bagdad making an inspection tour of the empire. The real rulers of the city are vizier Michael Rennie and shaman Edgar Barrier with a gang of assorted hooligans enjoying the spoils of conquest. Therein lies the plot of this desert potboiler.The whole cast deserves a round of applause for mouthing this drivel dialog somewhat convincingly. You have a few players here like Rennie and Barrier who have classical backgrounds.What they must have thought.
bensonmum2
Basic plot: Set in 13th Century Egypt, Princess Shalimar (Debra Paget) wishes to see the band of Bedouin conquerors, led by the ruthless Rama Kahn (Michael Rennie), ousted from her city. While disguised as dancing girl Taura, Shalimar sees an opportunity when Prince Haidi (Jeffrey Hunter), son of the Caliph of Bagdad, pays a visit. Shalimar, Haidi, and a band of thieves form an alliance to fight back against the tyranny of Rama Kahn.Princess of the Nile is 100% Grade-A Saturday matinée popcorn fun. If you're looking for a serious drama or high art, pass on by. Instead, you'll find sword fights, secret passages, dancing girls, intrigue, a young Jack Elam, a young Lee Van Cleef, and a lot of other hokum that all add up to a good time. At 71 minutes, the movie is quick-paced and never drags. And to top it all off, Princess of the Nile is in glorious Technicolor. What's not to love?One of the biggest draws for me is the cast. Rennie is so deliciously over-the-top evil as Rama Kahn. He's easy to root against. Hunter is equally good as Prince Haidi. Paired with Paget, there's not a more beautiful couple. And, then there's Debra Paget. She is the star of every scene in which she appears. Her dance numbers as Taura are . . . WOW! Just . . . WOW!Overall, Princess of the Nile is a winner with me. I've got not problems giving it a 7/10.
heliopause
For the most part, I only enjoy the kind of movie that allows one to escape the current time into the future or past. This movie is pure escapism. The dancing starts almost immediately, and Debra Paget in her "purple harem" bikini dress simply has no equal in film in my opinion. Her dancing, while sultry, is surpassed by her dance in Fritz Lang's Tiger of Eschnapur, available on DVD, where she played the temple dancer Seetha.One problem with the movie is the closed setting. There are few outdoor scenes shot, and they as well as other scenes are a bit claustrophobic. The same locations are used over and over again, but with some interesting secret passages and waterways. Her secret double identity is totally unbelievable with beauty of that magnitude. Debra even wields a sabre and holds 2 enemy soldiers at bay on a staircase, she could do it all.What does work is Debra Paget as a princess. With her beauty, she certainly would be the center of attention anywhere at any time in history. This movie, when hopefully it becomes available on DVD, will be a must buy. Overall, taken with a bit of humor, I loved it.
tracyb
I first saw this movie as a SaturdayMatinee, at the Crest Theater in Portland,OR. I adored it -- it had theincomparable Debra Paget doing herpatented hip-wiggling Exotic Maiden role,evil villains, secret passages, secretidentities, 50's-style exotic scenery andcostumes -- the works. I'd love to haveit on video, but as a hootch-cootchyadventure flick it's not likely to beavailable soon, if at all. What a shame!
AD
