Forbidden Women (1948)

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A handsome young prince must put duty and honor ahead of love in this bit of jungle exotica with musical numbers. On a remote island nation in the Pacific Ocean, benevolent ruler the Sultan awaits the return of his son, Prince Sigore, who has been sent away to receive an education. When Sigore arrives, he shares his ambitious plans for when he takes power with his father and his closest advisors -- bringing democratic government to the island, allowing working people to share in the island's wealth, and allowing political control to be held by more than a tiny handful of insiders. While the Sultan approves of all this, Prince Bolinow and his scheming wife are outraged at the prospect of losing the easy ride to wealth and power they had long anticipated. Bolinow and his wife plan to poison the Sultan and have Sigore murdered, but one of their associates who is loyal to the Sultan tips off Sigore and helps him escape to a hideaway on another nearby island. While in exile, Sigore falls for the beautiful daughter of one of his hosts, though he's already been engaging in a forbidden dalliance with one of the Golden Women of the Forbidden Temple, a royal harem designed for the pleasure of only the Sultan. In time, word gets back to Sigore of Bolinow's abuse of the people, and he chooses to return and see that justice is served regardless of the danger. Shot in the Philippines in 1948, Forbidden Women was kitted out with new footage and dubbed into English by director Lloyd Friedgen for its American release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi