Kismet (1955 film)
Encyclopedia
Kismet is an American musical film
in Cinemascope
and Eastman Color released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
. It is the fourth movie version of Kismet—the first was released in 1920 and the second in 1930 by Warner Brothers—and the second released by MGM. The 1955 film is based on the successful 1953 musical
Kismet
, while the three earlier versions are based on the original 1911 play
by Edward Knoblock
.
, an impoverished poet goes to the marketplace to sell his rhymes for food. Because the Poet has set up shop in a spot usually reserved for a man named Hajj, some men kidnap the Poet and take him to the desert tent of Jawan, an elderly thief. Jawan, assuming that the Poet is Hajj, orders him to reverse the curse Hajj put on him fifteen years ago, which led to the kidnapping of Jawan's beloved son. The Poet asks for one hundred gold pieces to reverse the curse; Jawan agrees, and returns to Baghdad to look for his son.
In Baghdad, a huge procession welcomes Lalume, favorite wife of the Wazir, back from Ababu. The King of Ababu is willing to give the Wazir a badly needed loan if the Wazir arranges for one of his three daughters to marry the young Caliph. Meanwhile, the Caliph, who has been traveling incognito, sees the Poet's daughter, Marsinah, and is immediately attracted to her. Marsinah falls in love with the Caliph, too, but she thinks he is a gardener. They arrange to meet in the garden that night.
The Poet returns to Baghdad and begins spending his hundred gold pieces; then, the Wazir arrests the Poet because his purse carries the insignia of a wealthy family that was robbed. At the Wazir's court, Lalume is impressed with the Poet's looks and gift for words, and lets him defend himself against the charge of robbery. The Poet does, but also curses the Wazir. Jawan, brought before the Wazir on another charge, angrily confirms the Poet's story, and then notices a familiar amulet around the Wazir's neck. In this way, Jawan discovers his long-lost son.
The Caliph announces that he plans to take a bride that night. The Wazir, fearing that this puts his loan from the king of Ababu in jeopardy, and fearing that the Poet's curse had something to do with it, takes Lalume's advice: they will make the Poet an Emir if he reverses the curse. The Poet happily accepts, and when the Wazir leaves him alone with Lalume, the two realize they have similar temperaments.
Hearing the noise of the Caliph's wedding procession, and annoyed that the curse has not been reversed, the Wazir confines the Poet to the palace. The Poet orchestrates an elaborate "curse-reversal" scheme that enables him to sneak out; he finds his daughter Marsinah and convinces her that he will be killed unless they flee Baghdad. Despite Marsinah's protests—she wants to wait for her rendezvous and see the procession—they flee. Word spreads that the Caliph's bride was not there when the Caliph came to claim her. Since the "curse reversal" seemed to have worked, the Poet leaves Marsinah and returns to the palace.
The Wazir wants to kill the Poet because he believes he has dangerous supernatural powers, but Lalume convinces her husband to keep the Poet in the palace and use his power. The Poet tells Lalume that he is worried about Marsinah, and Lalume suggests that she come to live in the palace. Marsinah arrives and confesses that she has fallen in love but does not know her beloved's name. Lalume hides Marsinah in the harem for her own protection.
Meanwhile, the Caliph's men search Baghdad for Marsinah, and the Wazir suggest that the Caliph marry the three princesses and take pleasure in the harem. When the two men see Marsinah in the harem, the Wazir is shocked that the Caliph's intended bride is in his own palace, happy that she cannot, therefore, marry the Caliph. The Wazir tells Marsinah that she must marry him; and the disappointed Caliph must take another bride that night. When the Wazir privately congratulates the Poet on bringing the Caliph's true love into the Wazir's own harem, the Poet realizes that the Caliph is Marsinah's beloved. In revenge, he performs a trick that results in Wazir being held underwater in a pool. As the Wazir struggles, the Poet asks the Caliph what sentence should be given to a murderer and torturer who also cost him his bride. The Caliph answers "death," after which the Poet says the sentence has been carried out, then flees.
The Wazir is still alive, however, and his guards capture the Poet and sentence him to death. Lalume saves the day by explaining everything to the Caliph. The Caliph sentences the Wazir to death and the Poet to exile. The Poet agrees, but asks to take the soon-to-be-widowed Lalume with him. Thus the Poet weds Lalume and the Caliph weds Marsinah—all in the course of a single day.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
in Cinemascope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
and Eastman Color released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. It is the fourth movie version of Kismet—the first was released in 1920 and the second in 1930 by Warner Brothers—and the second released by MGM. The 1955 film is based on the successful 1953 musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Kismet
Kismet (musical)
Kismet is a musical with lyrics and musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin, and a book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, based on Kismet, the 1911 play by Edward Knoblock...
, while the three earlier versions are based on the original 1911 play
Kismet (play)
Kismet is a three-act play written in 1911 by Edward Knoblauch . The title means Fate or Destiny in Turkish and Urdu. The play ran for an extraordinary two years in London...
by Edward Knoblock
Edward Knoblock
Edward Knoblock was an American-born British playwright and novelist most remembered for the often revived 1911 play, Kismet-Biography:...
.
Plot
In old BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, an impoverished poet goes to the marketplace to sell his rhymes for food. Because the Poet has set up shop in a spot usually reserved for a man named Hajj, some men kidnap the Poet and take him to the desert tent of Jawan, an elderly thief. Jawan, assuming that the Poet is Hajj, orders him to reverse the curse Hajj put on him fifteen years ago, which led to the kidnapping of Jawan's beloved son. The Poet asks for one hundred gold pieces to reverse the curse; Jawan agrees, and returns to Baghdad to look for his son.
In Baghdad, a huge procession welcomes Lalume, favorite wife of the Wazir, back from Ababu. The King of Ababu is willing to give the Wazir a badly needed loan if the Wazir arranges for one of his three daughters to marry the young Caliph. Meanwhile, the Caliph, who has been traveling incognito, sees the Poet's daughter, Marsinah, and is immediately attracted to her. Marsinah falls in love with the Caliph, too, but she thinks he is a gardener. They arrange to meet in the garden that night.
The Poet returns to Baghdad and begins spending his hundred gold pieces; then, the Wazir arrests the Poet because his purse carries the insignia of a wealthy family that was robbed. At the Wazir's court, Lalume is impressed with the Poet's looks and gift for words, and lets him defend himself against the charge of robbery. The Poet does, but also curses the Wazir. Jawan, brought before the Wazir on another charge, angrily confirms the Poet's story, and then notices a familiar amulet around the Wazir's neck. In this way, Jawan discovers his long-lost son.
The Caliph announces that he plans to take a bride that night. The Wazir, fearing that this puts his loan from the king of Ababu in jeopardy, and fearing that the Poet's curse had something to do with it, takes Lalume's advice: they will make the Poet an Emir if he reverses the curse. The Poet happily accepts, and when the Wazir leaves him alone with Lalume, the two realize they have similar temperaments.
Hearing the noise of the Caliph's wedding procession, and annoyed that the curse has not been reversed, the Wazir confines the Poet to the palace. The Poet orchestrates an elaborate "curse-reversal" scheme that enables him to sneak out; he finds his daughter Marsinah and convinces her that he will be killed unless they flee Baghdad. Despite Marsinah's protests—she wants to wait for her rendezvous and see the procession—they flee. Word spreads that the Caliph's bride was not there when the Caliph came to claim her. Since the "curse reversal" seemed to have worked, the Poet leaves Marsinah and returns to the palace.
The Wazir wants to kill the Poet because he believes he has dangerous supernatural powers, but Lalume convinces her husband to keep the Poet in the palace and use his power. The Poet tells Lalume that he is worried about Marsinah, and Lalume suggests that she come to live in the palace. Marsinah arrives and confesses that she has fallen in love but does not know her beloved's name. Lalume hides Marsinah in the harem for her own protection.
Meanwhile, the Caliph's men search Baghdad for Marsinah, and the Wazir suggest that the Caliph marry the three princesses and take pleasure in the harem. When the two men see Marsinah in the harem, the Wazir is shocked that the Caliph's intended bride is in his own palace, happy that she cannot, therefore, marry the Caliph. The Wazir tells Marsinah that she must marry him; and the disappointed Caliph must take another bride that night. When the Wazir privately congratulates the Poet on bringing the Caliph's true love into the Wazir's own harem, the Poet realizes that the Caliph is Marsinah's beloved. In revenge, he performs a trick that results in Wazir being held underwater in a pool. As the Wazir struggles, the Poet asks the Caliph what sentence should be given to a murderer and torturer who also cost him his bride. The Caliph answers "death," after which the Poet says the sentence has been carried out, then flees.
The Wazir is still alive, however, and his guards capture the Poet and sentence him to death. Lalume saves the day by explaining everything to the Caliph. The Caliph sentences the Wazir to death and the Poet to exile. The Poet agrees, but asks to take the soon-to-be-widowed Lalume with him. Thus the Poet weds Lalume and the Caliph weds Marsinah—all in the course of a single day.
Cast
- Howard KeelHoward KeelHarold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
as The Poet - Ann BlythAnn BlythAnn Marie Blyth is an American actress and singer, often cast in Hollywood musicals, but also successful in dramatic roles. Her performance as Veda Pierce in the 1945 film Mildred Pierce was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Life and career:Blyth was born in Mount Kisco,...
as Marsinah - Dolores Gray as Lalume
- Vic DamoneVic DamoneVic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...
as The Caliph - Monty WoolleyMonty WoolleyMonty Woolley was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor. At the age of 50, he achieved a measure of stardom for his best-known role in the stage play and 1942 film The Man Who Came to Dinner...
as Omar - Sebastian CabotSebastian Cabot (actor)Charles Sebastian Thomas Cabot was an English film and television actor, best remembered as the gentleman's gentleman, "Giles French," opposite Brian Keith's character, in the 1960s sitcom Family Affair. He was also known for playing Dr...
as The Wazir - Jay C. FlippenJay C. FlippenJay C. Flippen is an American character actor who often played police officers or weary criminals in many films of the 1940s/'50s....
as Jawan - Mike MazurkiMike MazurkiMike Mazurki was an Austrian-born American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in over 100 movies. His towering 6' 5" presence and intimidating face usually got him roles playing tough guys, thugs, strong men, and gangsters.Mazurki was born as Mikhail Mazurkevych in Tarnopol, Galicia,...
as The Chief policeman - Jack ElamJack ElamWilliam Scott "Jack" Elam was an American film actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies .-Early life:...
as Hasan-Ben - Ted de CorsiaTed de CorsiaTed de Corsia was a radio and movie actor.He is probably best remembered for his role as a gangster turned state's evidence in The Enforcer...
as Police sub-altern - Reiko SatoReiko SatoReiko Sato was an American dancer and actress.Born in Los Angeles, California, Sato was interned at the Gila River War Relocation Center during World War II. Sato is best known for playing seamstress Helen Chao in the movie Flower Drum Song. After her death in 1981, she was cremated, and half...
as 1st Princess of Ababu - Patricia DunnPatricia Dunn (actress)Partricia Dunn was an American actress. She was a dancer in many Broadway plays. She died of lung cancer in 1990.- Filmography :*The Wild Wild West Ellen Collingwood "The Night of the Diva" TV Episode...
as 2nd Princess of Ababu - Wonci LuiWonci LuiWonci Lui is an American actress of Chinese ancestry. She performed in Kismet, as an Arabian dancer in the number "Not Since Ninevah." She performed in the Rodgers and Hammerstein production Flower Drum Song from 1958 to 1960.-References:...
as 3rd Princess of Ababu - Barrie Chase as Harem Girl
- Julie Robinson as Zubbediya
- Nita BieberNita BieberNita Bieber is an American film and stage actress and dancer, born in 1926.-Early life:Dancer and actress Nita Bieber was born in July 1926; her father was an accomplished piano player, and her mother was a great dancer...
as Samaris