It has been a long and somewhat rocky road to the release of Werner Herzog’s latest feature, Queen of the Desert. However, the film will finally have its debut at the Berlin International Film Festival, and to celebrate that release, we have the first official image, featuring Nicole Kidman and James Franco.
Queen of the Desert follows the true story of Gertrude Bell (Kidman), a British traveler, cartographer, writer, archaeologist, and spy at the turn of the 20th Century. Bell was instrumental in the foundation of the current state of Jordan and Iraq, and served British Intelligence during World War I, bringing her into contact with the likes of T.E. Lawrence (played by Robert Pattinson in the film). She played a crucial role in the Middle East before, during, and after World War I, establishing close ties with tribal leaders during the war.
Playing Bell must be a daunting task for any actress, but Werner Herzog seems to think that Kidman was more than up for the task. Last summer he went so far as to say, “Wait for that one. Wait for it. I make an ominous prediction: How good she is.” High praise indeed, from a director not always known for his high praise. If the film is as good as it sounds – and as good as we can expect from a director like Herzog – we will be in for a real treat.
We are going to have to wait just a little bit longer for Queen of the Desert to finally get a wide release, but hopefully it will be worth waiting for. Until then, we can gaze upon the first image of Kidman and James Franco (as Henry Cadogan, a British diplomat) below.
Queen of the Desert will premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.
