Siren of Bagdad ** (1953, Paul Henreid, Patricia Medina, Hans Conried) – Classic Movie Review 12,051

Hans Conried, Paul Henreid and Patricia Medina in Siren of Bagdad.

Director Richard Quine’s 1953 Columbia Pictures Technicolor fantasy adventure film Siren of Bagdad is set in the medieval Persian Empire and boasts nice stars in Paul Henreid, Patricia Medina and Hans Conried. Henreid said that Quine ‘wanted to do the film as a satire, a Chaplin-esque burlesque of pirate films.’

But alas Siren of Bagdad comes over only a cheap imitation of an exotic comedy adventure with travelling master magician Kazah the Great (Henreid) and his sidekick Ben Ali (Conried) trying to free a bevy of Eastern dancing girl beauties from the evil clutches of a slave trader who plans to sell them into slavery. Patricia Medina plays Princess Zandi in the first film in her three-picture contract with producer Sam Katzman. Princess Zandi seeks the magician’s help to overthrow the corrupt Grand Vizier.

Henreid and Medina are good, but Conried really steals the show as a magician’s assistant, though even his bravura performance cannot save this rather tawdry-seeming spoofy amalgam of Oriental clichés from oblivion.

Siren of Bagdad is exotic and colourful, and has some pleasant aspects. Quine and his actors have a light, smooth touch, and it is brisk, smooth and professional. But this is perhaps one Arabian Night you could fitfully sleep through.

Also in the cast are Charlie Lung [Charles Lung] as Sultan El Malid, Laurette Luez as Orena, Anne Dore as Leda, George Keymas as Soradin, Vivia Mason, Michael Fox as Telar, Karl ‘Killer’ Davis as Morab, and Carl Milletaire as Hamid.

Henreid recalled its successful preview: ‘Every situation joke worked. The audience howled. I came out beaming, and producer Sam Katzman, Quine and I congratulated one another on the very funny picture.’ But Katzman’s wife warned: ‘This picture pokes fun at the pirate formula and I don’t think audiences will accept that.’ Henreid said ‘she was absolutely right. The picture was a flop.’

Filming started 3 September 1952 and it was released on 20 May 1953.

It runs 73 minutes.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,051

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