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Information
- A.k.a.
- A Night in Cairo
- Year
- 1933
- Runtime
- 83 min.
- Director
- Sam Wood
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Adventure
- Rating *
- 6.2
- Votes *
- 281
- Checks
- 55
- Favs
- 0
- Dislikes
- 0
- Favs/checks
- 0.0% (0:55)
- Favs/dislikes
- 1:1
Top comments
-
Siskoid
The Barbarian presents Ramon Novarro as an Egyptian con man in a fun opening sequence where he swindles a couple of foreign women of their riches, and then he sets his sights on the newly-arrived Myrna Loy. She will of course be more than a match for him, and though his ploys are clever, it's a strong story of resistance using Egypt as an exotic backdrop. The film ultimately fails because we can never trust the grifter's sincerity, even when he starts showing signs of actually falling in love with her. It's the performance. Everything he says and does feels like mannered melodrama, so he never seems honest, nor should Myrna ever fall for it. Sure, her performance is more natural and textured, and there are moments of genuine attraction, but the film does not earn its romantic ending, especially considering how brutish he is with her in the third act. I feel like a fourth act would finally show him running off with the money. Quite watchable until the climax where Hollywood takes over and you start grimacing. That's not good. 4 years 6 months ago