A commissioned film long considered lost and that reappeared in the mid ‘70s. The mix of genres – characteristic of Hawks – is gradual and surprising in this film. It begins with a caustic, humorous tone (for instance, the beginning where the executioner interrupts killing the convict twice in order to pray), as if Hawks did not really believe in this Arab fantasy reminiscent of Valentino films and wanted to put distance between it and himself. Slowly seriousness is established with the sense of adventure; and Hawks, who increasingly believes in the story, makes the spectator believe in it too, transforming the film in a romantic and tragic drama. It is like a Greek tragedy intruding upon an exotic photonovel for seamstresses. A clever way of tapping the viewer’s interest by first using skepticism. Impeccably classic directing heightens the allure of this film. Hawks, however, truly reveals his skill with the mix of tones, the unexpected seriousness. To him, no story is so worthless that it cannot be enriched and transformed from within.

Jacques Lourcelles, Dictionnaire du cinéma. Les films, Laffont, Paris 1992