Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

barnesgene Setting aside all the implausible elements in the story, it's a pretty good, briskly told yarn, made exciting by the way the plot actually becomes more complicated as the film careens wildly to its conclusion. So it's easy to watch, first of all, this garden of unholy criminals in the middle of nowhere working through their mutually broken honor among thieves. Pre-code, you'll find only the hint of a bosom flashing from a very minor female character. Otherwise the sexual innuendos are largely verbal. Like another reviewer, I too appreciated the hotel-in-the-desert ambiance and its effervescent symbolism. And the strangely obsequious Arab natives flitting about never intrude upon the Westerners. Meanwhile Ronald Colman and ever-pleasantly baby-fatty Fay Wray may not be the last word in chemistry, but they do get the job done nicely.

Jimmy L. I taped THE UNHOLY GARDEN (1931) off TCM a while back and I don't remember why. I probably wanted to see Ronald Colman and Fay Wray together in what seemed like a rare pre-Code film. The tape sat on my shelf for a while before I finally decided to give it a look, and I was pleasantly surprised. This is a great little movie from the wild world of early talkies.Colman, ever charming and sophisticated, plays an notorious international criminal who holes up in a desert inn. There he meets a cast of unsavory characters of dubious repute. When it's discovered that the cranky blind man upstairs has stashed away a fortune, Colman agrees to win over the old man and his daughter (Fay Wray) in order to locate the loot.The motley group of thieves and murderers is played by Kit Guard, Henry Armetta, Ullrich Haupt, Mischa Auer, Lawrence Grant, and Warren Hymer. Grant in particular leaves an impression as a Vincent Price-y doctor character, the cool-headed intellectual of the group. (The brief conversation Grant has with Colman about his three dead wives is a delightful bit of black humor.) There's something about these characters in this secluded setting that reminds me of SAFE IN HELL (1931).RAFFLES (1930) meets SAFE IN HELL (1931), perhaps?This film has an interesting pedigree, written by the prolific Ben Hecht (UNDERWORLD, SCARFACE, THE FRONT PAGE, NOTHING SACRED, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, NOTORIOUS, KISS OF DEATH, etc.) and his frequent writing partner Charles MacArthur.This is a quick little film (75 minutes long), and it's enjoyable all the way through. The cast (also including a sultry Estelle Taylor and Tully Marshall as the dotty old man) is full of interesting characters, all staying together at the inn.A kind of romance blooms between Colman and Wray, who is young and lovely, but cut off from the world by her reclusive father. Colman is her window into Paris and the glamorous outside world. The film mixes romance and caper thrills while cultivating an atmosphere of danger. Certain scenes give the film a dark pre-Code edge. (In one scene Wray tells Colman what kind of life awaits her at the inn among the cutthroats. She wants to "start" with him, so she could have something nice to remember later on.)When things start to heat up, will Colman go through with his plans to swipe the cash? Will he double-cross the gang of crooks? Will he rescue the damsel and ride off into the sunset? Will he be tracked down by the French police?At 75 minutes, THE UNHOLY GARDEN is exciting, creepy, oddly charming, sexy, spooky, and even a little sweet. Ronald Colman is a dashing hero, even when he's playing an outlaw. Fay Wray is very lovely and sympathetic. This little-known pre-Code flick should interest any fans of early talkies. Check it out if it comes your way.

vincentlynch-moonoi Main Title: Ronald Colman, The Stud Sub-Title: The Usual SuspectsThe attraction here is seeing the (relatively) young Ronald Colman in action. Colman had made 29 silent films, more than half of which have not survived...at least 1 in 1925 was one of the earliest Technicolor films. "Unholy Garden" was only Colman's 5th talkie, and what a wonderful and distinctive voice he had.Here, a too suave English thief (Colman) escapes to a sleazy settlement in the Sahara Desert, where he accidentally meets up with an accomplice -- an all too dumb Warren Hymer, whom you'll probably recognize. He and other crooks at the decrepit desert hotel soon find a new target -- an old and blind baron who may have his own stash of stolen money. Colman sets out to grab the money, but to do so begins romancing the daughter -- Fay Wray (sans King Kong, and at the peak of her career). But word of his plan escapes, and Colman begins to seriously fall in love. No surprise there! Colman gets the money, but gives it to the daughter, and then separates from her.As young and studly as Colman seems to be here, he was already 40! But he is smooth and sophisticated, as always. The main drawback to this film is the supporting cast of thieves. All so very clichéd. And to think that this group would end up at a hotel in an Arabian desert...preposterous. It's a decent film, but decidedly old-fashioned and very dated film (hence the rating of "6"). If we were living in the 30's I would rate it as a "7". The real reason to watch this film is, as usual, Colman.

jcravens42 The acting style is dated, the production is low-budget, the characters are cartoonish, and the story is quite silly... but there is something about this movie I adore. There's no comparing Colman in RAFFLES to this role in THE HOLY GARDEN, as other reviewers have done - in the former, he's distinguished, elegant and urbane, an adorable, tame scoundrel any woman would be quite safe to be around (except for her heart, of course), but in THE UNHOLY GARDEN, the undercurrent of sexuality in his character will be a shock to anyone who is used to Colman in much less sensual, much more gentle roles. I'm used to seeing Clark Gable get this physical and sexual with his leading ladies, but Ronald Colman? Awesome! The dress-hooking scene with Estelle Taylor is delicious... If you are a Colman fan, you will adore this movie. If you're not, you may be one by the end - but don't expect to see him in other films in a role quite like this. In addition - lots of laugh-out-loud lines. What a shame the rest of the movie isn't as good.