Isabelle Eberhardt

Watching this slow French-Australian production is interesting if only to learn about the true story of a woman whose several books about colonial Algerian became legendary. Even the story of how the books came to be published is interesting.

Per a website entry by © Robert Bononno 1988, Isabelle Eberhardt was the child of an aristocratic German mother and a Russian father, a former priest in the Russian Orthodox church, a friend of Bakunin, a "philosopher, scholar and polyglot." (Eberhardt is claimed to have been Rimbaud's daughter). She converted to Sufi Islam and was fluent in many languages.

The movie is a little pedantic about justice and colonial oppression, and the character development is a not clear. However, this fictionalized snapshot of a period not widely known by American audiences is worthwhile.

A small role by Peter O'Toole is welcome.