Temptation (1946 film)

Plot

Victorian melodrama, set in Egypt, where a down-on-her-luck courtesan (Oberon) snares a loving but naive Egyptologist (Brent), marries him and moves to Egypt. She quickly becomes bored and embarks on an affair with Mamhoud Baroudi (Korvin). She falls in love with him, and together, they plot to do away with her husband.

Cast

Production

The movie was the first producer Edward Small had made away from United Artists for a number of years. He bought the rights to the novel in 1941 intending to make it as a vehicle for Ilona Massey who had just made International Lady for him. He intended to make the film for United Artists but other projects took priority. Over a five-year period there were several near-starts and postponements; he almost managed to begin production in February 1946 but there was not enough studio space. Small's deal with United Artists expired so the film became the first shot at Universal by International under the new United World Pictures arrangement.

Reception

Film critic Bosley Crowther panned the film when it was released, writing "True enough, Miss Oberon looks lovely, Mr. Korvin behaves with bold sang-froid and George Brent is sufficiently unimpressive to seem a husband that a dame would double-cross. Paul Lucas, Arnold Moss and Lenore Ulric also act as though they thought they had a script. But the whole thing is as claptrap in its nature as it was when Pola Negri played it back in 1923."

Variety magazine panned the screenplay, writing "Production is well-stacked with solid values in every department except for the screenplay, which falls short in its attempt to stretch an unsubstantial story line over so long a running time."