''Arabian Love'' is a 1922 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Jerome Storm Jerome Storm (November 11, 1890 – July 10, 1958) was an American film director, actor, and writer. He acted in 48 films between 1914 and 1941 and directed 47 films between 1918 and 1932. He was born in Denver, Colorado, and died in Desert ...

and starring John Gilbert, Barbara Bedford and

Barbara La Marr Barbara La Marr (born Reatha Dale Watson; July 28, 1896 – January 30, 1926) was an American film actress and screenwriter who appeared in twenty-seven films during her career between 1920 and 1926. La Marr was also noted by the medi ...

. It is not known whether the film currently survives. It was partly filmed on location in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

Plot

Shortly after marrying a man, Nadine Fortier travels through the desert to a distant city to visit her dying mother. On her way, she is kidnapped by a group of bandits, who use her when gambling. Nadine eventually becomes the property of Norman Stone, an American criminal who is on the run from the police. Norman helps her to safety and they plan on crossing ways. Nadine, however, contacts him to find her husband's murderer. Themar, the daughter of a sheik, is jealous of Norman's interest in Nadine and she tells Nadine that Norman is responsible for her father's death. Upon confronting him, Norman admits that her husband had several clandestine meetings with his sister and that he was accidentally shot to death in his presence. Although she is initially mad, their love for each other proves to be more powerful. They eventually become a couple and leave the country for America.

Production and release

''Arabian Love'' was made to profit on the success of '' The Sheik'' (1921), a film which romanticizes sheiks and Latin lovers. Most films John Gilbert made at

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film ...

flopped, but ''Arabian Love'' became a great success. Gilbert was praised for his portrayal of a sheik, but the actor himself loathed it and made sure he later would not appear again in that sort of character.

was praised by the critics too, with the film magazine ''Moving Picture World'' stating that "the forlorn lovesickness of the sheik’s daughter sunusually effective".

Cast

* John Gilbert as Norman Stone * Barbara Bedford as Nadine Fortier *

as Themar *Herschel Mayall as The Sheik *

Bob Kortman Robert F. Kortman (December 24, 1887 – March 13, 1967) was an American film actor mostly associated with westerns, though he also appeared in a number of Laurel and Hardy comedies. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1914 and 1952. ...

as Ahmed Bey *

William Orlamond William Anderson Orlamond (1 August 1867 – 23 April 1957) was a Danish-American film actor. Orlamond appeared in more than 80 films between 1912 and 1938. Partial filmography * ''A Rogue's Romance'' (1919) * ''Elmo the Mighty'' (1919) ...

as Dr. Lagorio

References

Bibliography

* Golden, Eve. ''John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars''. University Press of Kentucky, 2013.

External links

* 1922 films American black-and-white films 1922 romantic drama films American romantic drama films American silent feature films Films with screenplays by Jules Furthman Fox Film films Films directed by Jerome Storm 1920s American films Silent romantic drama films Silent American drama films {{silent-romantic-drama-film-stub