After five films together with Jon Hall it's almost like watching infidelity when you see Maria Montez cosy up to Turhan Bey, despite the fact that Hall is still in the movie (and what's more is billed about Bey). Universal must have thought it was time to vary the formula a little. They also must have been building Bey into a star, although that didn't last long.
Bey is an odd sort of dashing leading man - he plays the part in his usual smooth-tongued gigolo style (only without a moustache). He's the leader of a band of ex-slaves turned rebels in Ancient Egypt. Maria Montez is an Egyptian princess who likes to pretend to be one of the people - she thinks Bey killed her dad and goes undercover to get him.
This saw Montez, Bey and Hall reunited with the writer and director of Arabian Nights, and the plot is similar to that film, with Montez instead of Hall as the royalty who who falls in with a rough crowd (Hall and And Devine as horse thieves) and a rebel, and there is palace intrigue involving a villainous adviser (here played by George Zucco). There's even a climax where the male romantic hero (here, Bey) fights the baddy (Zucco) - but the baddy is killed by someone else (Hall).
The best things about the film are, once again, the sets and colour - the ancient Egyptian setting is a real novelty. Maria Montez looks really lovely, but Bey is a bit out of his depth and he and Hall look a bit silly to be honest with their head gear and tight shorts. Some pretty shots of horses galloping across the desert (singing on the soundtrack but we don't see them sing). Not enough action.
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