Sudan
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
John Rawlins
Maria Montez
Jon Hall
Turhan Bey
Andy Devine
George Zucco
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Naila, a young, beautiful Egyptian princess, dances incognito in the marketplace of Kemis, a royal city on the banks of the Nile River. Learning that her father has returned alone from a trip to the desert, Naila rushes back to the palace just in time to see him die. Told by Horadef, the lord counselor, that her father was killed by Herua, the leader of a band of escaped slaves, Naila demands revenge. She tells Herua that she plans to seek her father's killer by traveling the desert disguised as a peasant girl. Horadef then hires mercenaries to abduct the young queen so he can rule in her place. Once she is captured, she is branded a slave, but escapes into the desert as she is about to be sold to slave trader Maatet. She soon meets thieves Merab and Nebka, who take her with them to a nearby horse fair. After winning at the races, the three are captured by Maatet, only to be rescued from execution by Herua and his men. Naila is then taken to the slaves's secret village in the mountains, where the rebel leader professes his love to her. Learning that he is Herua, however, Naila puts aside her own romantic thoughts for those of revenge and asks that she be returned to the royal city so that she can act as Herua's spy. Back in Kemis, Naila reclaims her throne and sets a trap for Herua. The smitten Herua then arrives at their planned rendezvous and is quickly captured by Horadef's men. Though Herua proclaims his innocence in her father's death, the heartbroken Naila orders his execution. While he, too, is in love with Naila, Merab helps Herua escape from the executioner's ax by taking his place in the dungeon. When awakened the next morning, Merab claims to be the victim of black magic, having been whisked on a flying carpet from a harem into his prison cell. A bemused Naila orders his release, only to be taken captive herself by Horadef and his soldiers. While the two languish in their cells, Merab shows Naila the contents of Horadef's purse, which he had stolen. Recognizing her father's royal ring, she finally realizes that the lord counselor was her father's killer, not Herua. Later, Horadef tortures Merab on the rack until Naila agrees to tell him the location of Herua's hideout. She then leads Horadef and his troops down the narrow mountain passage to the slave city, knowing it is well protected. Warned by Merab of the impending invasion, Herua recognizes that Naila is leading Horadef's men to their doom, so he waits until she clears the pathway before unleashing an avalanche of boulders which protect his hideout. Horadef's remaining troops are defeated by the slave soldiers, while Horadef is killed by Merab. Returned to her rightful throne, Naila marries Herua, and Merab and Nebka go back to their lives as thieves.
Director
John Rawlins
Cast
Maria Montez
Jon Hall
Turhan Bey
Andy Devine
George Zucco
Robert Warwick
Phil Van Zandt
Harry Cording
George Lynn
Charles Arnt
Ray Teal
Hans Herbert
Dick Dickinson
Gene Stutenroth
Art Miles
Charles Morton
Tor Johnson
Ed Hyans
James Dime
Art Foster
Jimmy Lucas
Byron Ruggles
Charles Mcavoy
Artie Ortego
Dave Kashner
Dink Trout
Duke Johnson
Joe Bernard
Roy Darmour
Shirley Hunter
Kay York
Mary O'brien
Jack Chefe
Robert Strong
Clarke Stevens
Ann Roberts
Alix Nagy
Maxine Leeds
Kathleen O'malley
Rita Benjamin
Rosemarie Babbick
Vivian Mason
June Terry Pickrell
Lloyd Ingraham
Al Ferguson
Bob Barron
Phil Dunham
Belle Mitchell
Forrest Taylor
Dan White
Crew
Bernard B. Brown
Milton Carruth
Everett Carter
Edward Colman
William Fritzsche
John P. Fulton
Russell A. Gausman
Joseph Gershenson
John B. Goodman
Harvey Gould
Edmund L. Hartmann
William Hedgcock
Natalie Kalmus
Stacy Keach
Paul Malvern
Virgil Miller
Paul Neal
Jack Pierce
Ronald K. Pierce
Richard H. Riedel
George Robinson
Milton Rosen
Milton Rosen
Hans Salter
Leigh Smith
William Tummel
Vera West
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
One meets such nice people in one's dreams.- Nebka
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Queen of the Nile. The film begins with the following spoken foreword: "Out of the land of Egypt have come many tales of ancient times. During the centuries that have passed, the spinning wheel of the ages has mingled truth with fantasy until it is hard to say where the truth leaves off and fancy begins. Yet, all of these stories might have happened, for they tell of people whose ambitions and hates and loves were no different than our own. We tell the story of a girl, Naila, who was a queen and lived in the royal city of Kemis on the banks of the River Nile." According to Hollywood Reporter news items, location shooting was done in Gallup, New Mexico. Modern sources report that other scenes were shot on location in Arizona. Sudan was the sixth and final film to co-star Universal's exotic adventure team of Maria Montez and Jon Hall.
