I’m not even going to try to sugar coat this one – Harum Scarum is a terrible movie. According to The Official Razzie Movie Guide, it is one of the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made. With that ringing endorsement you might wonder why we chose to show it in conjunction with the events celebrating L’Italiana in Algeri. Well…besides The King and I, how many other “harum” movies can you think of???
So – it might have been a stretch to link it with our Rossini opera – and it is a really bad movie – but it was definitely an entertaining evening. We were laughing out loud. So much of it is just SO WRONG!!!
Both Elvis and his manager were disappointed with the script. The King had thought it would be more dramatic and “Colonel” Tom Parker thought it was so bad they should add a talking camel to make it an intentional comedy. If you are looking for a new bad movie to elevate to cult status, this could be a contender.
Thanks to all who came out for this film – and the other films we screened during our Figaro in Flip Flops series. It has been great seeing you all at the Inwood Theater and I hope to see you at the opera.
James Hampton – Artistic Administration Coordinator