Kismet (DVD)

Hafiz, the jovial King of Beggars, dons new garments and slips into the royal palace to woo his regal "Lady of the Moonlight." Meanwhile, Bagdad's new Caliph carries out his own masquerade, posing as a gardener's son and roaming the city where he falls in love with a peasant girl who happens to be Hafiz's daughter. How will it all work out? It depends on the machinations of court intrigue and on fate -- kismet. As Hafiz, Ronald Colman is up to his turban in mischief in this often-filmed bauble of storytelling that would later give rise to a famed stage and movie musical. Critics of the day lauded Kismet's Technicolor virtuosity -- not the least of which included gold-painted Marlene Dietrich in a sultry bit of terpsichore.