The Garden of Allah (1936)

 

The star-crossed desert romance of a cloistered woman and a renegade monk. 

Star-cast melodrama in an Oriental setting is slow-going, and the romance is quite absurd, but it's all photographed in glorious color and beautiful settings.

Halliwell**: "Arty old-fashioned romantic star vehicle; great to look at, and marking a genuine advance in colour photography, but dramatically a bit of a drag."

Maltin**: "Flagrantly silly romance...full of ripe dialogue, beauty shots of Marlene...and some wonderful Technicolor scenery...It just isn't very good." 

Les Misérables (1935)

In early 19th Century France an ex-convict who failed to report to parole is relentlessly pursued over a 20 year period by an obsessive policeman.

Nearly perfect Hollywood adaptation of the classic novel, fast-paced and straightforward, with excellence in all departments, especially cast, photography and settings.

Halliwell****: "Solid, telling, intelligent version of a much-filmed classic novel; in adaptation and performance it is hard to see how this film could be bettered."

Maltin***1/2: "Meticulous production..."