The Arab (1924 film)
Encyclopedia
The Arab is a silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

 film starring Ramon Novarro
Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...

 and Alice Terry
Alice Terry
Alice Terry was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era, appearing in thirty-nine films between 1916 and 1933.-Career:...

, written and directed by Rex Ingram
Rex Ingram (director)
Rex Ingram was an Irish film director, producer, writer and actor. Legendary director Erich von Stroheim once called him "the world's greatest director."-Early life:...

, based on a 1911 play by Edgar Selwyn
Edgar Selwyn
Edgar Selwyn was a prominent figure in American theater and film in the first half of the 20th Century.Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Selwyn flourished in the Broadway theater as an actor, playwright, director, and producer from 1899 to 1942...

.

Production background

The movie was filmed in North Africa just before the MGM merger, and edited under the new regime. Ingram reacted negatively to the supervision of studio bosses Mayer
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...

 and Thalberg
Irving Thalberg
Irving Grant Thalberg was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and his extraordinary ability to select the right scripts, choose the right actors, gather the best production staff and make very profitable films.-Life and...

. He was backed by the New York powers of Marcus Loew
Marcus Loew
Marcus Loew was an American business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .-Biography:...

 and Nicholas Schenck
Nicholas Schenck
Nicholas M. Schenck was a motion picture mogul and impresario.One of seven children, Schenck was born to a Jewish household in Rybinsk, a Volga River village in Tsarist Russia...

 and moved to the French Riviera, where all his subsequent films were made .

Preservation status

This is one of 12 surviving films of Terry. Copies are housed at both the Czechoslovakian Archive and the Russian archive Gosfilmofond in Moscow.

Remake

The film was remade as The Barbarian
The Barbarian (1933 film)
The Barbarian is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film about an American woman tourist in Egypt who has several suitors, among them an Arab guide who is more than he seems. The Barbarian stars Ramon Novarro and Myrna Loy...

(1933) again with Novarro and co-starring Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy was an American actress. Trained as a dancer, she devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. Originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, her career prospects improved following her portrayal of Nora Charles...

.

Plot

Jamil (Ramon Novarro) is a soldier in the Bedouin defence forces during a war between Syria and Turkey, who has deserted his regiment. In a remote village, he encounters an orphan asylum run by American missionaries Dr. Hilbert (Jerrold Robertshaw) and his daughter Mary (Alice Terry). The village is attacked by the Turks, and its ruler, eager to placate the invaders, intends to hand over the children for slaughter; he disguises his intents under a move to Damascus for their safety.

The Bedouins arrive at the scene, and reveal that Jamil is the son of the tribal leader. With his father's revealed death, Jamil's he becomes the new leader of the tribe, which endows him with a sense of responsibility. Risking his own life, he proceeds to save the children, defeating the Turks and the local leader in the process (and winning the girl).

Cast

  • Ramon Novarro
    Ramón Novarro
    Ramón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...

     - Jamil Abdullah Azam
  • Alice Terry
    Alice Terry
    Alice Terry was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era, appearing in thirty-nine films between 1916 and 1933.-Career:...

     - Mary Hilbert
  • Max Maxudian - The Governor
  • Jean de Limur
    Jean de Limur
    Jean de Limur was a French film director, actor and screenwriter. His works include La Garçonne and The Letter .-Filmography:* 1929 : The Letter...

     - Hossein
  • Paul Vermoyal - Iphraim
  • Adelqui Migliar
    Adelqui Migliar
    Adelqui Migliar , also known als Adelqui Millar, was a Chilean film actor, director, writer and producer. He appeared in 31 silent films between 1916 and 1928. He also directed 24 films between 1922 and 1954....

     - Abdullah
  • Alexandresco - Oulad Nile
  • Justa Uribe - Myrza
  • Jerrold Robertshaw
    Jerrold Robertshaw
    -Selected filmography:* The Wandering Jew * Should a Doctor Tell? * Guy Fawkes * Don Quixote * The Arab * She * A Royal Divorce * Huntingtower * Tommy Atkins...

     - Dr. Hilbert
  • Paul Franceschi - Marmount
  • Giuseppe di Campo - Selim

External links

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