By Violet LeVoit
The Desert Song
Brief Synopsis
The story of The Red Shadow and Pierre Bierbeau, both played by the same person.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Roy Del Ruth
Director
John Boles
The Red Shadow/Pierre Birbeau
Carlotta King
Margot
Louise Fazenda
Susan
Johnny Arthur
Bennie Kid, a reporter
Edward Martindel
General Birbeau
Film Details
Genre
Musical
Adaptation
Release Date
Jan
1929
Premiere Information
New York premiere: 8 Apr 1929
Production Company
Warner Brothers Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the play The Desert Song; a Musical Play in Two Acts by Otto Harbach, Frank Mandel and Oscar Hammerstein II. (New York, 30 Nov 1926).
Technical Specs
Duration
2h 3m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White, Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.33 : 1
Film Length
11,034ft
(13 reels)
Synopsis
The Red Shadow, the leader of a tribe of Riff horsemen, is in actuality Pierre Birbeau, the seemingly weak and simple-minded son of the commandant of French forces in the Moroccan desert. Pierre's father champions a marriage between Margot and Paul, and Pierre, who loves the girl passionately, dons his disguise and kidnaps her, taking her to the desert palace of Ali Ben Ali. The commandant follows with a troop of men and challenges The Red Shadow (his own son) to a duel. The Red Shadow refuses the challenge and is disgraced in front of his men, losing their respect. The Red Shadow goes off into the desert, then, dropping his disguise, returns to the fort to be greeted warmly by his father and Margot, who have learned that Pierre and The Red Shadow are one and the same
Director
Roy Del Ruth
Director
Cast
John Boles
The Red Shadow/Pierre Birbeau
Carlotta King
Margot
Louise Fazenda
Susan
Johnny Arthur
Bennie Kid, a reporter
Edward Martindel
General Birbeau
Jack Pratt
Pasha
Otto Hoffman
Hasse
Robert E. Guzman
Sid El Kar
Marie Wells
Clementina
John Miljan
Captain Fontaine
Del Elliott
Rebel
Myrna Loy
Azuri
Crew
Film Details
Genre
Musical
Adaptation
Release Date
Jan
1929
Premiere Information
New York premiere: 8 Apr 1929
Production Company
Warner Brothers Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the play The Desert Song; a Musical Play in Two Acts by Otto Harbach, Frank Mandel and Oscar Hammerstein II. (New York, 30 Nov 1926).
Technical Specs
Duration
2h 3m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White, Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.33 : 1
Film Length
11,034ft
(13 reels)
Articles
The Desert Song (1929) -
If Warner Brothers had not sat on the completed reels of this two-strip Technicolor musical for five inexplicable months, it would have beat MGM's Broadway Melody (1929) into theaters and enjoyed the distinction of being the first all-talkie (all-singie?) musical. But while the considerably stiff and stodgy Broadway Melody won Best Picture in 1929, modern audiences find more to love in this Moroccan desert operetta that steals a great deal of appeal from The Sheik (1927), not only because of the Oscar Hammerstein lyrics but the snappy direction of Roy Del Ruth, the shadowy, sensuous cinematography by Barney McGill, and how stars John Boles and Carlotta King can bolt out the bold music with more power than other wispy singers in the early days of amplified sound. Like many early color films, the two-strip segments have been lost, but an early performance by Myrna Loy (when the studios used her as an all-purpose exotic) can still be enjoyed.
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
The Desert Song (1929) -
If Warner Brothers had not sat on the completed reels of this two-strip Technicolor musical for five inexplicable months, it would have beat MGM's Broadway Melody (1929) into theaters and enjoyed the distinction of being the first all-talkie (all-singie?) musical. But while the considerably stiff and stodgy Broadway Melody won Best Picture in 1929, modern audiences find more to love in this Moroccan desert operetta that steals a great deal of appeal from The Sheik (1927), not only because of the Oscar Hammerstein lyrics but the snappy direction of Roy Del Ruth, the shadowy, sensuous cinematography by Barney McGill, and how stars John Boles and Carlotta King can bolt out the bold music with more power than other wispy singers in the early days of amplified sound. Like many early color films, the two-strip segments have been lost, but an early performance by Myrna Loy (when the studios used her as an all-purpose exotic) can still be enjoyed.
By Violet LeVoit
Quotes
Trivia
All Technicolor prints are lost, only the black and white copies made in the 1950s for TV have survived.
