Nicole Kidman’s career trajectory over the last 15+ years has been one of the most unpredictable around. Every high profile turn such as Australia or Nine is followed by edgy arthouse fare such as Stoker or The Family Fang. Some (well, a few actually), such as the harshly-judged thriller Before I Go To Sleep and the ill-conceived Grace Kelly biopic Grace of Monaco, have been declared so awful that they were literally laughed off the screen. Yet despite the criticisms, Kidman the actress charges ahead, continuously challenging herself by exploring new terrain as an artist, regardless of whatever backlash she faces. In that sense, it seems that no one else but Kidman could ever truly play Gertrude Bell, the first female explorer to cross the Arabian desert in the early twentieth century, since in many ways she’s just as adventurous as the woman herself.
The premise for the film, “Nicole Kidman goes riding through the desert on a camel,” doesn’t sound all that interesting. However, those who accept it will find themselves swept up on one level or another by the real-life woman’s sense of abandon and endless curiosity. In the Werner Herzog written/directed Queen of the Desert, Kidman plays the famous travel writer and archaeologist who chartered the deserts of Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, becoming a British political attache and helping to forge new relations between the lands in the process.
On the surface and within its heart, Queen of the Desert is the story of a woman’s fearlessness. It’s obvious that Kidman was so taken with Bell’s spirit. And who wouldn’t be? It’s hard not to be in awe of someone dying to go out and discover the many different sides of the world and embrace a side of life outside their own. In both Kidman and Herzog’s hands, Bell is like a wild animal set free onto the world. At one point when Bell is asked what she loves so much about the people and the desert, she replies, “Their freedom.” It’s even more appropriate that the world she is let loose on should be the desert. The desert is so much like her spirit — grand, sprawling and never ending. It’s no wonder she feels a kinship to it. Much like her, it has no boundaries. Adding to this are moments of steadfast determination, including her refusal to act as a spy on behalf of British government, which signifies her loyalty and integrity. There’s also nothing but admiration and fear for the way Bell enters into these various foreign territories and cultures not knowing what she is going to encounter. It is her belief which she carries as her sole protection and shield.
Directed by Herzog, Queen of the Desert offers up another side to the polarizing filmmaker. Gone is the pulsating electricity from such lauded efforts as Bad Lieutenant and Rescue Dawn, and in their place is a film grand in scope, yet with a true intimacy throughout. It’s so unbelievable how gloriously Herzog paints the desert throughout his film. The director strips the lands of any past images and makes each of the territories come off as mystical worlds full of hidden treasures waiting to be uncovered and explored. These are quite literally some of the most gorgeous shots of the desert landscape ever put to film. Moments such as filming in a sandstorm, which included a rare snowfall, show how Herzog was truly the one who was meant to bring this film to life, both thematically and visually. The film is large in power and energy; it’s very much in Herzog’s vein, but also manages to be deeply human and personal as well. There are plenty of moments of undeniable romanticism, including one which sees Gertrude hearing a poem written in farsi carved into a large stone translated to her, inspiring her to learn the language. It’s another testament to Herzog that a director such a he, known for stories of the utmost intensity, should make such a soulful and meaningful film which explores the power and beauty of discovery from the female perspective.
There’s no denying that Kidman is too old for the role; at least for the period of Bell’s life in which Herzog’s film is focusing on. Still, she’s magnetic as ever and perfectly captures the spirit of a fearless adventurer. It’s always so refreshing to see an actor be so incredibly in tune with the real-life figure he or she is portraying, and Queen of the Desert provides an excellent example of that. Meanwhile, James Franco’s unspectacular performance as a British politician is further hampered by a noticeably shaky accent, while Robert Pattinson pulls through as the famous T.E. Lawrence with a quiet charm about him. The real surprise, however, is Damien Lewis as a British Army officer, who goes beyond the kind of typically dependable work he is known for to play a man torn between his duties as a serviceman and husband and his undying love for Bell.
Queen of the Desert’s various production problems have certainly made themselves well-known in the press, including multiple edits, a chilly reception the Berlin Film Festival, and shaky distribution deals. The film is certainly not without its faults. The political climate taking place during the time of Bell’s explorations and the many threats of what she was facing during her travels are somewhat minimized at times, while the romantic subplots, although touching, do slightly take away from the energy of the proceedings. However, none of this diminishes the power and integrity of the story, nor the spirit of the woman herself. In all, Queen of the Desert has a sheer wonder and curiosity about it that makes it a completely embraceable film experience.
