Old Movie Classics: Kismet

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Kismet

1955 Movie Classic with Howard Keel

Kismet (1955) 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.

Kismet (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Kismet (Vicente Minelli)

In old Baghdad, 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.