Interesting quasi-historical period romantic drama surrounding the building of the Suez Canal in 1859-69,utilizing primarily French capital and expertise and Egyptian labor, much of it essentially slave labor in the early years. Although the run time is listed as 98 or 104 min., the copy I saw was only 74 min., missing about 25min. I'm not sure which sections were deleted, but the beginning and last part were there.
Most of the main characters are uncommonly handsome or beautiful. This includes Tyrone Power, playing Ferdinand de Lesseps, a real person, who played an important part in building the Canal. Beautiful Loretta Young played Countess Eugenie de Montijo: who wanted to make up her mind whether she wanted to marry Ty or Napoleon III: soon to be emperor. She turns down Ty when he asks for her hand, keeping the Napoleon(Leon Ames) option open. Napoleon sent Ty to Egypt as a diplomat, his father being the chief consular there. He hoped this would put a damper on his romance with Loretta, which it did. Meanwhile, Ty soon discovered a new French beauty in Egypt: Annabella, as Toni. Her French accent was still rather thick at this time, but she provided quite a contrast to Loretta's character, who preferred the trappings of court life: lavish wardrobes, grand parties with dancing and such. Annabella's Toni was a tomboy, who preferred outdoor sports, including nude swimming, as Ty discovered. Apparently, she was sufficiently provided so that she could be carefree. WARNING: SPOILER ALERT.
As things turned out, Ty's romantic relationship with both would not last. Loretta's character married Napoleon, while Annabella drowned in a horrible watery sandstorm, where the canal was being built.(Of course, in real life, Ty and Annabella would soon marry). When Ty returned to Paris, having completed the project, there was an emotional reunion with Loretta, as she congratulated him. The actual emperor's wife went to Egypt to formally dedicate the canal.
Napoleon initially refused to back the canal project, but later changed his mind, allowing construction to begin. Ty also had to court the viceroy of Egypt, Sa'id(not Said!) for his approval of the project. He was nearly independent of the authority of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, which technically included Egypt.
Enjoy either the abbreviated version or the full version, presently at YouTube
Most of the main characters are uncommonly handsome or beautiful. This includes Tyrone Power, playing Ferdinand de Lesseps, a real person, who played an important part in building the Canal. Beautiful Loretta Young played Countess Eugenie de Montijo: who wanted to make up her mind whether she wanted to marry Ty or Napoleon III: soon to be emperor. She turns down Ty when he asks for her hand, keeping the Napoleon(Leon Ames) option open. Napoleon sent Ty to Egypt as a diplomat, his father being the chief consular there. He hoped this would put a damper on his romance with Loretta, which it did. Meanwhile, Ty soon discovered a new French beauty in Egypt: Annabella, as Toni. Her French accent was still rather thick at this time, but she provided quite a contrast to Loretta's character, who preferred the trappings of court life: lavish wardrobes, grand parties with dancing and such. Annabella's Toni was a tomboy, who preferred outdoor sports, including nude swimming, as Ty discovered. Apparently, she was sufficiently provided so that she could be carefree. WARNING: SPOILER ALERT.
As things turned out, Ty's romantic relationship with both would not last. Loretta's character married Napoleon, while Annabella drowned in a horrible watery sandstorm, where the canal was being built.(Of course, in real life, Ty and Annabella would soon marry). When Ty returned to Paris, having completed the project, there was an emotional reunion with Loretta, as she congratulated him. The actual emperor's wife went to Egypt to formally dedicate the canal.
Napoleon initially refused to back the canal project, but later changed his mind, allowing construction to begin. Ty also had to court the viceroy of Egypt, Sa'id(not Said!) for his approval of the project. He was nearly independent of the authority of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, which technically included Egypt.
Enjoy either the abbreviated version or the full version, presently at YouTube