Two Arabian Knights

Synopsis

Two American soldiers who cannot stand each other, the hulking Sergeant McGaffney and the cocky Private Phelps, are captured on the Western Front and escape from a German prison camp in stolen white robes. Mistaken for Arabs, they are shipped to the Middle East, where they compete for the affections of Mirza, a young woman promised to the son of an emir. Fists, wits and a great deal of bluff carry them through a series of escalating scrapes.

Critique

Winner of the only Academy Award ever given for Comedy Direction, Two Arabian Knights was thought lost for decades until Howard Hughes's personal print resurfaced. Lewis Milestone directs the service comedy with the energy of a much later era, building the quarrelsome friendship of Boyd and Wolheim through physical business rather than titles. Its cheerful irreverence towards military discipline and its brisk pacing announce the director of All Quiet on the Western Front, and Mary Astor is luminous in an early role.

Technical sheet

Director

Lewis Milestone

Year

1927

Country

United States

Running time

92 min

Genre

Adventure, Comedy

Written by

Cyril Gardner, Wallace Smith, Donald McGibney

Cinematography

Tony Gaudio

Cast

William Boyd, Mary Astor, Louis Wolheim, Ian Keith, Michael Vavitch, Michael Visaroff

Production

The Caddo Company, United Artists

Music

Newly composed original score

Licensing