Princess of the Nile Reviews

This lavish girlie-laden costumer set in 13th-century Egypt stars Hunter as the son of the Caliph of Baghdad. Returning home after winning a decisive battle, Hunter and a traveling companion stop in the city of Halwan only to find that it is being ruled by the villainous Rennie, the head of a Bedouin tribe. Soon afterwards Hunter's friend is murdered. Hunter is determined to uncover the identity of the killer and in the process meets Paget, the daughter of the city's repressed leader. Hunter quickly becomes attracted to Paget in her flowing, colorful clothing. He then learns that Paget is doubling as an exotic dancer at the city's local nightspot. Unfortunately, Rennie also discovers Paget's ruse and flies into a rage, promising to reduce the city to ruins. Trying to calm Rennie, Paget offers herself to him in marriage, but Hunter bravely intervenes and rescues her from an intolerable fate. Paget arms herself with a scimitar, while Hunter recruits the city's thieves to overthrow Rennie. By the finale Halwan rises from under the fist of Rennie, and Paget and Hunter are united in a royal wedding. While PRINCESS OF THE NILE contains very little factual information, it does create a wonderfully exotic locale. The costume design by Travilla (who was nominated for an Oscar the same year for his contribution to THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS) is a superb fashion show of colors, designs, and fabrics worn by a vast number of beautiful belly-dancing harem girls who parade across sets previously seen in 1953's THE ROBE. Interestingly, PRINCESS OF THE NILE was one of two Panoramic-Fox pictures that opened in New York on the same day. Opening down the street was GORILLA AT LARGE which shared the same producer (Jacks), and same director (Jones), and much of the same crew.