Kismet

1955

Action / Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy / Musical / Romance

5
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 57% · 7 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 49% · 250 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.3/10 10 1783 1.8K

musical beggar bagdad romance impostor

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Plot summary

A silver-tongued poet and self-proclaimed "King of the Beggars" searches old Baghdad for a rich bachelor to marry his dreamy daughter, Marsinah. Along the way, he poses as the renowned sorcerer Hajj and gets in and out of scrapes with an elderly thief, a dim-witted wazir, and his wife. Meanwhile, his daughter develops feelings for a handsome caliph.

Director

Stanley Donen Photo
Stanley Donen

Top cast

Norman Leavitt Photo
Norman Leavitt as Fig Vendor
Howard Keel Photo
Howard Keel as Poet
Aaron Spelling Photo
Aaron Spelling as Beggar
Norbert Schiller Photo
Norbert Schiller as Beggar
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
1.01 GB
1280*496
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 53 min
Seeds ...
2.09 GB
1920*704
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 53 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by malvernp 5 / 10

Baubles, Bangles and Beads---Indeed!

The 1950s was the decade that reflected the greatest sense of irony in the history of movie musicals. The genre was then well past its prime, and the Studio System that made these films possible was beginning its slow but noticeable decline and ultimate fall. Yet in the midst of all this bad news, the movie musical actually reached its ultimate apex of artistic and popular accomplishment. During the 1950s, we saw what most people now regard as the greatest musical film of all time (Singin' in the Rain); the first musical to win a Best Picture Oscar (An American in Paris); one of the greatest transfers of a Broadway musical to the screen (Kiss Me Kate): some of the very finest musical films ever made by Fred Astaire (The Band Wagon, Funny Face and his last great major musical---Silk Stockings); and some fine musicals of comparable lofty accomplishment made by Gene Kelly (Brigadoon, It's Always Fair Weather and his last great major musical---Les Girls). And then there is Kismet--produced in 1955.The accumulation of high quality talent dedicated to the project, the success realized by its Broadway and other antecedents and the significant prestige and reputation of the MGM Studio should have guaranteed that the film version of Kismet would be a fine postscript to the genre---a worthy addition to the great twilight period of the movie musical's Golden Age. Alas---this was not to be. Why? Apparently, there were a number of possible reasons.First---perhaps foremost--the director (Vincente Minnelli) did not like the property, did not want to be associated with its filming and agreed to do so only to help facilitate his commitment to the movie project of his dreams that he was working on almost simultaneously (Lust for Life). Also, Kismet was a highly stylized (and rather dated) musical property that probably worked better in the less realistic medium of a live stage performance. In addition, Minnelli's overall disinterest in Kismet may have contributed to some rather indifferent attention to detail that detracted from the film's enjoyment by its audience. One example--Keel's vocal delivery in some scenes seems "rushed" and often was somewhat difficult to understand. Furthermore, the less expensive Eastman Color process was generally considered to be inferior to the almost universally used (by MGM) Technicolor format, and that detracted from the film's presentation. Finally, with the exception of Howard Keel and Dolores Gray, some of the assembled movie cast just seemed to miss the overall strength required to elevate the quite light fantasy nature of the material to a more memorable and timeless status.Perhaps by 1955, it was too late to make a successful musical film version of Kismet. Maybe the audience for such totally fantasy/escapist fare was then too small to justify the high cost of its creation. It cannot be denied that the Borodin-inspired songs, lively dance numbers and gorgeous sets and costumes were thoroughly enjoyable. But the time for Hollywood to indulge in making such entertainment was now rapidly changing and coming to an end. With West Side Story that came just a few years later, Hollywood reinvented the musical film to reflect a greater sense of contemporary realism and social significance that persists to this day.
Reviewed by

Reviewed by ptb-8 7 / 10

Harum Scarum

Thanks to the mega surprise success of SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, and the income of $7m in rentals (wow!) MGM lurched into a series of 'robust' macho musicals: ATHENA, ROSE MARIE, HIT THE DECK, and the best of all: IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER. KISMET today, 50 years later, it is best enjoyed knowing it came from that mindset and is a product of a lavish budget itself: $2.6m. Like all those above it made money, but only just. In 2004 it is the production values and the music/dancing that is sensational and compared to modern film production quality is positively a masterpiece. I am sure even Madonna has seen this because the Market Place dance number is certainly recycled into her music video imagery. Dolores Gray is suitably brassy and the absolutely awesome NIGHT OF MY NIGHTS number with Vic Damone is one of the most visually enchanting set pieces committed to film ever. Try and see it in cinema scope, as pan/scan TV prints cut the sides off and the impressive visuals are crippled. It's quite rude too.

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