attilatormus Review of Queen of the Desert

Queen of the Desert (2015)

An Orientalist Way of Looking on Gertrude Bell

[5/10 · 1 June 2016]

My mind is a bit confused after watching the movie 'Queen of the Desert'. For me, the movie looks like an inseparable part of my desert trio, after 'Out of Africa' and 'The English Patient'. But I have a bit hesitation on the personality of Gertrude Bell, whose life was depicted in the movie. All we knew that Lawrence of Arabia, Winston Churchill and Gertrude Bell had all big sympathy with the Arabs and Arab culture and I really don't know who abused / betrayed the Arabs more, the Ottomans or the British.. but certainly both of them.. But this movie looks like nice to some extent but again this storytelling way of the movie is as orientalist as Lawrence of Arabia, Gertrude Bell... I have no doubt about their big sympathy on the Arabs but I have also no doubt how they betrayed their exclusive love! As for the movie again, it is not a movie only on the life of Gertrude Bell, it is not a politic movie, it is not a movie on a Victorian young lady who seeking to live according to her own will, it is not a movie on only love... As I said that I am confused.. There is something missing in this movie that I can't describe.. Nicole Kidman is a great artist but even she was limited about pouring her talent... I really don't know, the missing in this dry- movie may be the rain of the desert...