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Passion in the Desert (1997)

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Average Rating: 6.1/10
Reviews Counted: 20
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 6

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Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 2

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Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 656

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Movie Info

Loosely based on a story by Honore de Balzac, this historical drama is set in Egypt in 1798, as Napoleon was leading the French army into the Middle East. Officer Augustin Robert (Ben Daniels) has been assigned to escort artist Jean-Michel Venture de Paradis (Michel Piccoli), who is to record and catalog his findings as he studies the archeological and artistic treasures of the region before they're destroyed in battle. Augustin and Venture find themselves separated from the platoon with which

PG-13, 1 hr. 33 min.

Drama

Directed By: Lavinia Currier

Written By: Lavinia Currier

In Theaters: Aug 31, 1997 Wide

On DVD: Dec 6, 2005

Cast

Ben Daniels
Augustin Robert
Michel Piccoli
Jean-Michel Venture de ...
Paul Meston
Grognard
Kenneth Collard
Officer
Nadi Odeh
Bedouin Bride
Auda Mohammed Badoul
Habis Hussein
Ismael Al-Hamd
Mohammed Ali
Nadia Odeh
Tasheen Kwalda

Critic Reviews for Passion in the Desert

All Critics (32) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (6) | DVD (1)

Part an adventurous love story between a man and a leopard, part a metaphysical meditation about the mysteries of Nature, Lavinia Currier's feature directorial debut is dramatically inert but visually striking.

April 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

Variety

Top Critic

A shameless art movie about a man falling in love with a wild leopard; that takes guts.

November 24, 2007 Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Simply gorgeous.

January 4, 2005 Full Review Source: StaciWilson.com

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Staci Layne Wilson

StaciWilson.com

A beautiful film brimming with breathtaking scenes of danger, wonder and the communion between man and beast.

March 2, 2002 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality and Practice

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Audience Reviews for Passion in the Desert

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It's Man meets beast in this very odd love story between an almost starving French-Napoleonic-Egyptian-Sahara-desert-soldier and a leopard who take a weird affection to the soldier... I'm guessing Balzac's story must read very lyrical, but the story here is just off somewhere and it made me think that maybe, thirst and

June 7, 2010