Princess of the Nile (1954)

Directed by Harmon Jones. Starring Debra Paget, Jeffrey Hunter, Wally Cassell, Michael Rennie, Michael Ansara, Dona Drake, Edgar Barrier, Robert Roark, Jack Elam.

Very silly adventure movie set in 13th-century Egypt, originally intended for Marilyn Monroe and Tyrone Power(!). Paget’s princess moonlights as a dancer to inspire downtrodden villagers; Hunter is a Persian prince who somehow can’t put two and two together when he’s bewitched by the beauty of “each” of them; Rennie is the usurper with an army at the gates who demands the princess give herself over to him; Cassell is a contemporary-styled thief-turned-slave-turned-sidekick. More sword-fighting and dancing than story, which is just as well since the story is so unoriginal. Unfortunately, the sword-fighting and dancing aren’t much to write home about either. Okay if you’re just looking for a way to kill an hour-and-change in the company of a mindless programmer in the Saturday matinee tradition, but it’s never as exciting or funny (intentionally or otherwise) as it ought to have been. Production values aren’t bad at this budget level; acting from Paget and Hunter aren’t good at any measurable level. Look for Lee Van Cleef as one of Hunter’s loyal followers.

46/100