Initial release: 8 October 1955 (USA)
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Kismet (1955 film) - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kismet_(1955_film)
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 ...
Plot · Cast · Reception · See also
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.
In Baghdad, the Poet's daughter, Marsinah meets and falls in love with the young Caliph, who has been traveling incognito. They arrange to meet again that night.
The Poet is arrested when he begins spending his hundred gold pieces because his purse carries the insignia of a wealthy family that was robbed. At the Wazir's court, he defends himself against the charge of robbery, but also curses the Wazir. Jawan, brought before the Wazir on another charge, angrily confirms the Poet's story, and then notices a familiar amulet around the Wazir's neck. In this way, Jawan discovers his long-lost son.
The Caliph announces that he plans to take a bride that night, discomforting the Wazir, who has a badly needed loan riding on persuading the Caliph to marry a princess of Ababu. The Wazir, fearing that the Poet's curse had something to do with it, offers to make the Poet an Emir if he reverses the curse. The Poet happily accepts, and when the Wazir leaves him alone with his favorite wife Lalume, the two realize they have similar temperaments.
The Poet orchestrates an elaborate "curse-reversal" scheme that enables him to sneak out of the palace; he finds Marsinah and convinces her that he will be killed unless they flee Baghdad. Despite Marsinah's protests—she wants to wait for her rendezvous and see the Caliph's wedding procession—they flee. Word spreads that the Caliph's bride was not there when the Caliph came to claim her. Since the "curse reversal" seems to have worked, the Poet leaves Marsinah and returns to the palace.
The Poet tells Lalume that he is worried about Marsinah, and Lalume suggests that she come to live in the palace. Marsinah arrives and confesses that she has fallen in love but does not know her beloved's name. Lalume hides Marsinah in the harem for her own protection, but there the Caliph sees her and believes her to be a wife of the Wazir. When the Wazir privately congratulates the Poet on bringing the Caliph's true love into the Wazir's own harem, the Poet realizes that the Caliph is Marsinah's beloved.
At a ceremony planned to choose a new bride, the Poet tricks the Wazir and (almost) drowns him in front of the Caliph and the crowd. The Poet is sentenced to death, but Lalume saves the day as Marsinah is revealed to be the Poet's daughter and the victim of the Wazir's scheming. The Caliph sentences the Wazir to death and the Poet to exile. The Poet agrees, but asks to take the soon-to-be-widowed Lalume with him. Thus the Poet weds Lalume and the Caliph weds Marsinah—all in the course of a single day.
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
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.
Plot
In old Baghdad, an impoverished poet is abducted and brought to the desert tent of Jawan, an elderly thief, having been mistaken for a man who cursed Jawan fifteen years ago. As a result of the curse, Jawan's beloved son was kidnapped, and Jawan longs to find him again before he dies. 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, the Poet's daughter, Marsinah meets and falls in love with the young Caliph, who has been traveling incognito. They arrange to meet again that night.
The Poet is arrested when he begins spending his hundred gold pieces because his purse carries the insignia of a wealthy family that was robbed. At the Wazir's court, he defends himself against the charge of robbery, but also curses the Wazir. Jawan, brought before the Wazir on another charge, angrily confirms the Poet's story, and then notices a familiar amulet around the Wazir's neck. In this way, Jawan discovers his long-lost son.
The Caliph announces that he plans to take a bride that night, discomforting the Wazir, who has a badly needed loan riding on persuading the Caliph to marry a princess of Ababu. The Wazir, fearing that the Poet's curse had something to do with it, offers to make the Poet an Emir if he reverses the curse. The Poet happily accepts, and when the Wazir leaves him alone with his favorite wife Lalume, the two realize they have similar temperaments.
The Poet orchestrates an elaborate "curse-reversal" scheme that enables him to sneak out of the palace; he finds Marsinah and convinces her that he will be killed unless they flee Baghdad. Despite Marsinah's protests—she wants to wait for her rendezvous and see the Caliph's wedding procession—they flee. Word spreads that the Caliph's bride was not there when the Caliph came to claim her. Since the "curse reversal" seems to have worked, the Poet leaves Marsinah and returns to the palace.
The Poet tells Lalume that he is worried about Marsinah, and Lalume suggests that she come to live in the palace. Marsinah arrives and confesses that she has fallen in love but does not know her beloved's name. Lalume hides Marsinah in the harem for her own protection, but there the Caliph sees her and believes her to be a wife of the Wazir. When the Wazir privately congratulates the Poet on bringing the Caliph's true love into the Wazir's own harem, the Poet realizes that the Caliph is Marsinah's beloved.
At a ceremony planned to choose a new bride, the Poet tricks the Wazir and (almost) drowns him in front of the Caliph and the crowd. The Poet is sentenced to death, but Lalume saves the day as Marsinah is revealed to be the Poet's daughter and the victim of the Wazir's scheming. The Caliph sentences the Wazir to death and the Poet to exile. The Poet agrees, but asks to take the soon-to-be-widowed Lalume with him. Thus the Poet weds Lalume and the Caliph weds Marsinah—all in the course of a single day.
Cast
- Howard Keel as The Poet
- Ann Blyth as Marsinah
- Dolores Gray as Lalume
- Vic Damone as The Caliph
- Monty Woolley as Omar
- Sebastian Cabot as The Wazir
- Jay C. Flippen as Jawan
- Mike Mazurki as The Chief policeman
- Jack Elam as Hasan-Ben
- Ted de Corsia as Police sub-altern
- Reiko Sato as 1st Princess of Ababu
- Patricia Dunn as 2nd Princess of Ababu
- Wonci Lui as 3rd Princess of Ababu
- Barrie Chase as Harem Girl
- Julie Robinson as Zubbediya
- Nita Bieber as Samaris
- Jamie Farr as Merchant
Reception
According to MGM records the film earned $1,217,000 in the US and Canada and $610,000 elsewhere resulting in a loss of $2,252,000.[2]The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
- "Stranger in Paradise" – Nominated[3]
- 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated
5:14
5:14Stranger In Paradise - Kismet
"Stranger in Paradise" by Vic Damone & Ann Blyth, my favorite song of the Hollywood classic "Kismet" (Destiny) 1955 - Disclamer ...
Kismet (1955) - IMDb
www.imdb.com/title/tt0048260/
Rating: 6.4/10 - 1,069 votes
Adventure · A roguish poet is given the run of the scheming Wazir's harem while pretending to ... 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival Adds More Movies, Stars & Frank Capra's The Donovan Affair (1929) To Lineup 13 March 2013 5:48 PM, -05
A roguish poet is given the run of the scheming
Wazir's harem while pretending to help him usurp the young caliph.
Stars:
Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray | See full cast & crew »Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
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Howard Keel | ... | |
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Ann Blyth | ... | |
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Dolores Gray | ... | |
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Vic Damone | ... | |
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Monty Woolley | ... |
Omar
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Sebastian Cabot | ... | |
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Jay C. Flippen | ... |
Jawan
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Mike Mazurki | ... |
Chief Policeman
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Jack Elam | ... |
Hasan-Ben
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Ted de Corsia | ... |
Police Sub-altern
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Storyline
Like a tale spun by Scheherazade, Kismet follows the remarkable and
repeated changes of fortune that engulf a poor poet. It all happens in
one incredible day when Kismet (Fate) takes a hand. Written by
Betty Frayne
Plot Summary
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ECSTASY of Song Spectacle and Love! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
23 December 1955 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Un extraño en el paraÃso See more »Filming Locations:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USABox Office
Budget:
$2,692,960 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (photographed in) (Eastman Color)Aspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1
Edit
Omar: Pardon him, All Highest. His crime was a service. Let him go free.
Poet: No, don't ask that. Under the circumstances it would embarrass the All Highest to pardon his father-in-law. O, Prince of Justice, let me help you to compose this most difficult of verdicts against a man who in his life never once did right and who never once wronged anyone. Condemn the scoundrel to some dreadful oasis at least a week's camel journey away. Force him to take ...
[...]
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by Aleksandr Borodin
Music Adapted by Bob Wright (as Robert Wright) and Chet Forrest (as George Forrest)
Lyrics by Bob Wright (as Robert Wright) and Chet Forrest (as George Forrest)
Sung by Howard Keel and chorus
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Alfred Drake won the 1954 Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Musical for "Kismet" as the Public Poet. See more »Goofs
Prior to the start of "Not Since Nineveh", Dolores Gray takes the gold purse from the Wazir to throw coins. When she's finished, she tosses it back to Sebastian Cabot which the actor fumbles and drops at his feet. During the song, the bag disappears and reappears at times and ends up behind his feet. It finally disappears by the end of the dance. See more »Quotes
Caliph Guard: [closing lines] Is this man to be pardoned, O Caliph?Omar: Pardon him, All Highest. His crime was a service. Let him go free.
Poet: No, don't ask that. Under the circumstances it would embarrass the All Highest to pardon his father-in-law. O, Prince of Justice, let me help you to compose this most difficult of verdicts against a man who in his life never once did right and who never once wronged anyone. Condemn the scoundrel to some dreadful oasis at least a week's camel journey away. Force him to take ...
[...]
See more »
Soundtracks
Gesticulate(uncredited)
Music by Aleksandr Borodin
Music Adapted by Bob Wright (as Robert Wright) and Chet Forrest (as George Forrest)
Lyrics by Bob Wright (as Robert Wright) and Chet Forrest (as George Forrest)
Sung by Howard Keel and chorus
See more »
User Reviews
Soft Simmering Breeze...Petals in the pool drifting....
KISMET was originally a
play by Edward Knobloch written about 1910, and used as a vehicle for
many years by the popular Broadway character actor Otis Skinner, playing
the role of Hajj, the philosophical thief who saves the Caliph of
Baghdad. Skinner even did a silent film version of the play. Two years
after his death in 1942 a sound version of the film (in color) was made
starring Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, and Edward Arnold. The movie
was a success, but nobody realized it would shortly become extremely
successful in a new way. A song writing team (Bob Wright and Chet
Forrest) constructed a score for KISMET based on the melodies of
Alexander Borodin. The score contained such songs that became standards
as STRANGER IN PARADISE (from the "Polevetsian Dances" in the opera
PRINCE IGOR), BAUBLES, BANGLES, and BEADS, THIS IS MY BELOVED, THIS WAS
THE NIGHT OF MY LIFE, and others. Wright and Forrest would do this
several times on Broadway (they composed reset themes by Heitor Villa
Lobos in another musical, for example) but KISMET was their joint
masterpiece. So successful were they at rejuvenating the old Knobloch
play, it was eventually revived again in the late 1990s in a new form as
TIMBUCTOO (reset from the Califate of Baghdad to the great African
trade city).
Eventually the musical came to the attention to the Freed unit at MGM, and Vincent Minelli was chosen to direct this 1955 version. The musical expanded on the play a little. Howard Keel (as Hajj - the name was restored to the original one, not Hafiz as Ronald Colman was named in the 1944 version) is involved at the beginning with Jay C. Flippen as a violent bandit leader who is seeking his son, and whom Hajj suggests will be found in Baghdad. We see Flippen from time to time looking for his missing son. In the end he does find the son (who lives up or down to Flippen's own reputation).
Keel had the right voice for Hajj, as did Dolores Gray as Lalume, the Vizier's bored wife (Dietrich in the 1944 film). Ann Blyth played Hajj's daughter Marsinah (who falls for the Caliph, Vic Damone). The evil vizier was played by Sebastian Cabot, and his rival government figure Omar (played by Harry Davenport in the 1944 film) is now played by Monty Wooley, in his final major movie part.
Actually the musical is livelier than it's critical history suggests. The old creaky play may turn off many critics, but it had some color, and the Borodin-inspired melodies raised it. But like BRIGADOON, Minelli could not shoot the film on location as it would have been incredibly expensive. Possibly the studio sets may have effected how the film was received by the critics. But it is entertaining, and (because of the music) very memorable. If some numbers were cut most of the big numbers were saved. Besides, I'd rather hear Keel sing A FOOL SAT BENEATH AN OLIVE TREE than hear Cabot (a questionable singing talent) try WAS I VIZIR. I don't think Sebastian Cabot even tried to sing once on FAMILY AFFAIR...his was a distinguished speaking voice, not a singing one.
Eventually the musical came to the attention to the Freed unit at MGM, and Vincent Minelli was chosen to direct this 1955 version. The musical expanded on the play a little. Howard Keel (as Hajj - the name was restored to the original one, not Hafiz as Ronald Colman was named in the 1944 version) is involved at the beginning with Jay C. Flippen as a violent bandit leader who is seeking his son, and whom Hajj suggests will be found in Baghdad. We see Flippen from time to time looking for his missing son. In the end he does find the son (who lives up or down to Flippen's own reputation).
Keel had the right voice for Hajj, as did Dolores Gray as Lalume, the Vizier's bored wife (Dietrich in the 1944 film). Ann Blyth played Hajj's daughter Marsinah (who falls for the Caliph, Vic Damone). The evil vizier was played by Sebastian Cabot, and his rival government figure Omar (played by Harry Davenport in the 1944 film) is now played by Monty Wooley, in his final major movie part.
Actually the musical is livelier than it's critical history suggests. The old creaky play may turn off many critics, but it had some color, and the Borodin-inspired melodies raised it. But like BRIGADOON, Minelli could not shoot the film on location as it would have been incredibly expensive. Possibly the studio sets may have effected how the film was received by the critics. But it is entertaining, and (because of the music) very memorable. If some numbers were cut most of the big numbers were saved. Besides, I'd rather hear Keel sing A FOOL SAT BENEATH AN OLIVE TREE than hear Cabot (a questionable singing talent) try WAS I VIZIR. I don't think Sebastian Cabot even tried to sing once on FAMILY AFFAIR...his was a distinguished speaking voice, not a singing one.
Kismet 1955 Trailer - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD0QzwIPdZ8
Jun 10, 2011 - Uploaded by Paul Waters
Trailer to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayers 1955 musical Kismet.Kismet (1955) - TCM.com
www.tcm.com/this-month/article/411149%7C97644/Kismet.html
Kismet (1955). The big Hollywood musical ... The play was filmed five times, twice with Skinner (a 1920 silent and a 1930 talking film). The most recent version ...
Film Composers in America: A Filmography, 1911-1970
https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn=0195114736
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Kismet (1955) - Diwan Dances, Pt 1 (Rahadlakam)
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Kismet (1955) - Not Since Nineveh Dance - Jack Cole Choreography
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A Stranger in Paradise - Kismet 1955
Kismet 1955 Trailer
Trailer to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayers 1955 musical Kismet.
Kismet (1955)
Academy Award-winner Vincente Minnelli ("Gigi," "An American in Paris") directs this musical film version of the acclaimed ...
Kismet_Stranger In Paradise_Ann Blyth_Vic Damone1955_Lyrics
KISMET Broadway Musical 1955...Stranger In Paradise with Ann Blyth and Vic Damone Stranger In Paradise Lyrics She: Oh why ...
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Kismet Trailer 1955
Kismet Trailer 1955 Director: Vincente Minnelli Starring: Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray, Howard Keel, Jack Elam, Vic Damone, Monty ...
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1:27:15Removed by xY zKismet 'Full Movie' 1955 Top Up
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