We remain fully operational. Our teams are working around the clock to ensure your deliveries continue safely.
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Copyright © 2025 Desertcart Holdings Limited
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Buy anything from 5,000+ international stores. One checkout price. No surprise fees. Join 2M+ shoppers on Desertcart.
Desertcart purchases this item on your behalf and handles shipping, customs, and support to UK.
Take a famed operetta scored by Sigmund Romberg, update its tale of romance and heroics with the then-current Nazi peril, include a lively cast and imaginative direction, burnish the burning desert sands with rich Technicolor cinematography and voila! That's 1943's The Desert Song. Now add an immaculate film restoration and resolve rights issues that had long kept this work out of circulation and -- at last - this widely unseen spectacle can be enjoyed by today's fans. Christmas in Connecticut's Dennis Morgan stars (and lends his melodic tenor to several tunes) as the elusive El Khobar, a mysterious man of action whose work as a cabaret piano player hides his identity as the leader of a bullet-frenzied fight against the Nazis' construction of a vital North African railroad. Irene Manning (Yankee Doodle Dandy) plays the strawberry-blonde songstress who catches the hero's eye. Review: Who could hate this movie - Who could hate this movie? I see the three words, "I hate it." and then I see the retort "I love it." Ditto the "I love it." It's rather like "Casablanca" meets "Lawrence of Arabia" meets "Showboat". I was completely entertained. I wish that more of the Romberg music were in it, particularly the incredible tenor-bass combination of "When One Flower Grows Alone in Your Garden". It plays as background music, but I sure did want to hear it and see it in this movie. I loved the Moroccan musical interludes and for the first time recognized a lot of those Arab motifs in the beautiful Romberg tunes. Dennis Morgan, I see now, has great charisma and a good tenor voice. I had never heard of the soprano, and she is just a bit weaker of voice than I would have liked. I remember Anna Moffo's recording for Readers' Digest production multi-album "Treasury of Great Operettas", to which few sopranos could compare favorably. Nice movie and I repeat, what kind of person could possibly hate this film????? Donald Trump probably, but who else? Review: Great Movie - I love old musicals and think Gordon MacRae was one of the greatest singers of all times. I have quite a collection of these, including an out-of-print copy of "Deep In My Heart," the story of Sigmund Romberg's career. I also have "The Student Prince." This movie, "The Desert Song," was really fun to watch and filled with great music. The acting of some of these old singers is not as great as their singing, but if you like the old musicals the way I do, this is one of the best. My only regret is that so many of them are only available on VHS and have not been made into DVD format.
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 141 Reviews |
R**E
Who could hate this movie
Who could hate this movie? I see the three words, "I hate it." and then I see the retort "I love it." Ditto the "I love it." It's rather like "Casablanca" meets "Lawrence of Arabia" meets "Showboat". I was completely entertained. I wish that more of the Romberg music were in it, particularly the incredible tenor-bass combination of "When One Flower Grows Alone in Your Garden". It plays as background music, but I sure did want to hear it and see it in this movie. I loved the Moroccan musical interludes and for the first time recognized a lot of those Arab motifs in the beautiful Romberg tunes. Dennis Morgan, I see now, has great charisma and a good tenor voice. I had never heard of the soprano, and she is just a bit weaker of voice than I would have liked. I remember Anna Moffo's recording for Readers' Digest production multi-album "Treasury of Great Operettas", to which few sopranos could compare favorably. Nice movie and I repeat, what kind of person could possibly hate this film????? Donald Trump probably, but who else?
R**N
Great Movie
I love old musicals and think Gordon MacRae was one of the greatest singers of all times. I have quite a collection of these, including an out-of-print copy of "Deep In My Heart," the story of Sigmund Romberg's career. I also have "The Student Prince." This movie, "The Desert Song," was really fun to watch and filled with great music. The acting of some of these old singers is not as great as their singing, but if you like the old musicals the way I do, this is one of the best. My only regret is that so many of them are only available on VHS and have not been made into DVD format.
R**L
The Desert Song
A story of the French occupation of Moraco. This was a well made movie going almost loosely along the lines as the light Opera of the 50 ies.of the same name. The songs and music were very good by both of lead actors. It had some action seans but most of the movie was built around the romance of the two lead characters and the desire to make peace between the desert tribes and the French. There was an attempt at comedy with a bumbling American reporter, but it fell short in my opinion. If you like 50 ies. musicals, this will be a must see. The format of the film fits right in with that eras movie style and the attempt to just entertain and give the viewers a fine evening out at the movies was obtained.
A**R
Good Old Classic
An Old Classic , enjoyable to me but obviously tastes vary , delivered on time , picture & sound all good .
L**S
The Desert Song - third movie version
The music of Sigmund Romberg are lovely romantic ballads and the operetta "The Desert Song" is no exception. What better person to sing them in the third movie version than Gordon MacRae with his magnificently rich baritone/tenor voice. He is joined by Kathryn Grayson, who sings with him on a couple of songs as well as by herself. The movie story is exciting and also includes some humorous sequences. For those who like comparing musical performances, Gordon MacRae also performed music from "The Desert Song" with both Dorothy Kirsten and Lucille Norman, both from The Metropolitan Opera, for vinyl record releases. I personally feel that his partnering with Dorothy Kirsten is the superior version, but for those not familiar with Romberg operettas, Warner Brothers' "The Desert Song" is an excellent starting point. I do not think this movie is available on dvd at this time.
M**N
excellant - wonderful music and romantic story the likes of which is ...
excellant - wonderful music and romantic story the likes of which is not seen today - the past great voice of Dennis Morgan all makes great viewing and entertainment - the quality of the film itself despite its age is perfect with no freezing - Joan Thompson
K**.
VHS version of "The Desert Song" movie
Great old classic movie! Love the songs and the storyline. Wonderful way to relax on a cool fall evening--watch this film!
M**N
A really dumb screenplay
Both leads have beautiful voices and the music is also beautiful. I can't imagine how anyone managed to talk the movie studio into producing such a dumb screenplay. I don't have a problem with movies that aren't totally realistic, but this plot is just silly. I love Dennis Morgan, though. Too bad someone never produced the original story that was in the 1929 version that, I have been told, was breathtakingly romantic. Oh well. The music is beautiful even if the plot isn't.
Trustpilot
2 weeks ago
2 days ago