Abdulla the Great
| Abdulla the Great | |
|---|---|
.jpg) French film poster | |
| Directed by | Gregory Ratoff |
| Written by | Boris Ingster George St. George |
| Based on | My Kingdom for a Woman by Ismet Regeila |
| Produced by | Gregory Ratoff |
| Starring | Gregory Ratoff Kay Kendall Sydney Chaplin Alexander D'Arcy Marina Berti |
| Cinematography | Lee Garmes Lambert Williamson |
| Edited by | Maurice Rootes |
| Music by | Georges Auric Lambert Williamson |
Production companies | Misr Universal Cairo Sphinx Films |
| Distributed by | British Lion Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom Egypt |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.2 million[1] |
Abdulla the Great (also known as Abdullah's Harem) is a 1955 comedy film. It was directed and produced by Gregory Ratoff who also stars in the title role from a screenplay by Boris Ingster and George St. George, based on the novel My Kingdom for a Woman by Ismet Regeila. The music score was by Georges Auric and the cinematography by Lee Garmes.
The film stars Gregory Ratoff, Kay Kendall, Sydney Chaplin, Alexander D'Arcy and Marina Berti. Ratoff denied that the story was a thinly veiled parody of the life of King Farouk of Egypt and the events preceding his overthrow in 1952.[2]
Plot[edit]
The film is set in Bandaria, a Middle Eastern country whose absolute ruler, Abdullah (Gregory Ratoff), lives a life of great luxury, surrounded by lovely women. When Ronnie, a beautiful English model (Kay Kendall), arrives, Abdullah falls for her and offers her great riches. She resists his advances as she is more interested in Ahmed (Sydney Chaplin), an officer in the King's army. While this is going on, Abdullah is unaware of the growing discontent among his subjects which threatens to overthrow him.
Cast[edit]
- Gregory Ratoff as Abdulla
- Kay Kendall as Ronnie
- Sydney Chaplin as Ahmed
- Alexander D'Arcy as Marco
- Marina Berti as Aziza
- Mary Costes as The Countess
- Marti Stevens as Singer
References[edit]
- ^ "Me as King Farouk? Tut Tut". Variety. 23 March 1955. p. 2.
- ^ pp.89-94 Fun in Farouk's Palace LIFE 22 Mar 1954
External links[edit]
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- 1955 films
- British comedy films
- Egyptian comedy films
- 1950s English-language films
- Films based on novels
- Films directed by Gregory Ratoff
- Films scored by Georges Auric
- Films scored by Lambert Williamson
- Films set in a fictional country
- Films shot in Egypt
- Films set in Asia
- Films à clef
- British Lion Films films
- 1955 comedy films
- 1950s British films
- English-language Egyptian films
- English-language comedy films
- Egyptian film stubs