Movie spotlight
The Desert Song
Shiek Yousseff, poses as a friend of the French while secretly plotting to overthrow them. Apposing Yousseff are the Riffs, whose secret leader, The Red Shadow, is Paul Bonnard, a professor who is studying the desert, and whose attacks on the supply trains intended for Yousseff keep the Riff villages in food. Foreign Legion General Birabeau arrives to conduct an investigation, accompanied by his daughter, Margot. Birabeau hires Bonnard to tutor her, and she is attracted to a Legionaire captain, Claud Fontaine. While the general, Bonnard and Fontaine pay a visit to Yousseff, an American newspaper man, Benji Kidd, discovers a secret way in and out of Yousseff's palace, with the aid of Azuri, a dancing girl in love with Bonnard. The latter is forced to resume his role as the Riffs leader, and kidnap Margot until he can convince her of Yousseff's treachery. But Yousseff's men attack the Riff camp and take Margot prisoner.
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Plot Summary
In Morocco, the French Foreign Legion battles the Riffs, a rebel army. The legionnaires are led by the heroic "Red Shadow," a mysterious figure who secretly is the charming Parisian singer Pierre Birabeau. While fighting the rebels, Pierre also navigates a burgeoning romance with the beautiful Azuri, who is torn between her affection for the valiant Red Shadow and her loyalty to her people.
Critical Reception
The Desert Song (1953) was a Technicolor musical adaptation of the operetta that received a mixed to positive reception. While praised for its vibrant colors and the performances of its leads, particularly Kathryn Grayson and Gordon MacRae, it was often seen as a somewhat dated or less imaginative entry in the musical genre of its time. The story and musical numbers, while pleasant, did not always reach the heights of more innovative musicals.
What Reviewers Say
Praised for its colorful Technicolor presentation and the vocal talents of its leads.
The musical numbers and romantic plot were considered enjoyable but somewhat conventional.
Felt like a classic operetta brought to the screen, with both the charm and limitations that implies.
Google audience: Information on specific Google user reviews and their consensus for this 1953 film is not readily available.
Fun Fact
This film is a remake of a 1926 silent film and a 1929 musical film, both also titled 'The Desert Song,' based on the 1926 operetta by Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Frank Mandel, with music by Sigmund Romberg.
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