Princess of the Nile

Good fun!
In 13th century Egypt, a royal princess (Debra Paget) secretly escapes from the palace each night and disguises herself as a dancer at a tavern. By this method, she can relay information to her people about the evil Shaman (Edgar Barrier), who keeps her father drugged and her a prisoner of the palace in order to rule the kingdom. When the son (Jeffrey Hunter) of the Caliph of Baghdad arrives, she hopes to persuade him to help rid her country of the Shaman. For a low budget programmer, the film has a vivid palette and first rate production values. Most likely because reputedly it was filmed on left over sets of bigger budgeted films like DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS and THE EGYPTIAN and cinematographer Lloyd Ahern (MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET) makes the most of it. Paget, the "go to" girl whenever Fox needed an exotic type like Polynesian, Egyptian or Indian, gets a couple of dance numbers though none as sexual as her snake dance in Lang's INDIAN TOMB. The blue eyed Jeffrey Hunter is as out...

A camp classic!
All hands in this film take it seriously, which means they're fully committed to the hokey material and that's what makes it hilariously fun - sort of a Fifties update of a Maria Montez - Jon Hall movie. Deborah Paget essays a double role, Jeffrey Hunter is a dashingly handsome love interest, Michael Rennie has to say and do ridiculous things, there are lots of ham actors, a bevy of handmaidens who all look like Christine Jorgenson and have deadpan lines, and even a Borscht Belt-type comedian - and they're all on cardboard sets in lurid color and full Arabian glory. Lots more fun than "The Egyptian," though not in CinemaScope nor with such a big budget. By the way, it starts disappointingly with a notice that the print "has been altered to fit your screen," but it appears to be a full-frame print anyway ... no panning and scanning or any other indication that we are missing something. The picture is crisp and the colors are dazzlingly bright.

For Once Fox Cinema Archives Does It Right
Although Princess of the Nile is really a three star movie I gave it four because of the gorgeous Technicolor transfer. After several inferior transfers of other films from Fox Cinema Archives they finally came up with one that is so beautiful it must have been remastered at some point. The movie itself was filmed by the Fox "B" movie unit, Panoramic Pictures, on left over sets from The Robe (not Demetrius and The Egyptian as stated by another reviewer). It is closer in spirit to the Maria Montez/Jon Hall Arabian Nights movies than a historical epic, but it is an entertaining 71 minutes and Debra Paget and Jeffrey Hunter are as handsome a couple as ever graced a movie screen.

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