Kismet (1944 film)

Kismet is a 1944 MetroGoldwynMayer film in Technicolor starring Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, Joy Page, and Florence Bates. James Craig played the young Caliph of Baghdad, and Edward Arnold was the treacherous Grand Vizier. It was directed by William Dieterle, but was not a success at the box office. Dieterle had directed Marlene two decades prior in the German silent film Man By the Wayside, which was both the first role in which Dietrich was cast competitively and Dieterles directorial debut.

The story takes place when old Baghdad was new and shiny, in an Arabian Nights atmosphere. Colman plays Hafiz, a middleaged beggar and magician who parades about as the King of Beggars during the day, and as the Prince of Hassir during the night. As the Prince of Hassir he meets Lady Jamilla Dietrich, the Queen of the Grand Viziers harem, who knows he is a poseur but is fascinated by him.Meanwhile, the young Caliph James Craig disguises himself as the son of the Royal Gardener, and roams the streets of Baghdad to learn about his subjects firsthand, despite at the disapproval of his trusted adviser Agha Harry Davenport. During his sojourns, he meets and falls in love with Marsinah, Hafizs daughter. Unknowingly on another sojourn, he meets the Prince of Hassir and is amused by his magic tricks, specifically the one where Hafiz draws a knife from handkerchiefs. ........

Source: Wikipedia