Main Cast: Cornel Wilde, Michael Rennie, Debra Paget, Raymond Massey, John Derek
Release Year: 1957
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
Frank Freeman Jr., son of the longtime head of Paramount Pictures, made his debut as producer with the opulent but empty Omar Khayyam. Cornel Wilde stars as the legendary Persian poet, here depicted as not only a philosopher but a scientist, politician and great lover. As the Persians gear up for war against the Byzantines, Omar occupies his time by romancing Sharain (Debra Paget), the favorite wife of the Shah (Raymond Massey). He also does his best to foil a plan by Hasani (Michael Rennie), leader of the Cult of Assassins, to murder the royal family. While many of the characters and events are based on fact, it is difficult to believe the story or the dialogue for more than ten minutes at a stretch. Singer Yma Sumac, then famous for her four-and-a-half octave vocal range, is somehow woven into the proceedings. When Omar Khayyam laid an egg at the box-office, a Hollywood wit, taking into consideration the Southern heritage of Frank Freeman Jr., assessed the results as "A loaf of bread, a bottle of coke and you-all." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
It's beautiful to look at and will please those viewers who ask little more of an epic than that it be exotic and eye-filling and feature a modicum of action, but Omar Khayyam will disappoint those who expect a bit more drama and genuine excitement from their sword-and-sandal flicks. Khayyam wants to be a rip roaring adventure, but it too often substitutes activity for excitement; it goes through the moves, but there's no real life in it. It also suffers from a failing common to such period offerings, namely dialogue that, when it is not stiff or stilted, is disturbingly anachronistic. Director William Dieterle certainly knows how to handle the crowd scenes and to make sure that the physical settings and trappings get sufficient play, but he doesn't seem to have a great deal of interest in the trite story or the cardboard characters. Oddity-collectors will be glad to view Yma Sumac, a cult singing sensation of the period who is here only to show off her freakish vocal stylings. And what of star Cornel Wilde? Well, he certainly looks dashing and handsome, but he lacks the genuine fire that the part requires and, though his shoulders are broad, they can't carry this spectacle in the fashion it demands. Raymond Massey is fine and Debra Paget is attractive, but the only notable performance comes from Michael Rennie, who finds surprising variety in his assassin character and comes out far and away as the most memorable player. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Omar Khayyam (also released as The Life, Loves and Adventures of Omar Khayyam and The Loves of Omar Khayyam) is an American movie directed by William Dieterle, filmed in 1956 (mostly on the Paramount lot) and released in 1957. It starred Cornel Wilde as Omar Khayyám, the eponymousPersianpoet, Michael Rennie as Hasani Sabah, and famous exotica singer Yma Sumac as Karina. It was the final film to be scored by Victor Young (1899-1956) and was released after his death.
Man by the Roadside •Behind the Altar (with Julius Brandt) •The Saint and Her Fool •Sex in Chains •The Brandenburg Arch (with Max Knaake) •Triumph of Love •Frühlingsrauschen •Das Schweigen im Walde
