
Omar Khayyam was one of the greatest Persian poets. He was also a brilliant mathematician. Though his quatrains were written in the 11th century, they are still popular the world over. The details of his life are unknown, so this movie invents a biography for him and includes in it his real achievements - the invention of a new calendar and the penning of those epigrammatic poems. This film has him romancing a sultan's bride and foiling the assassin sect's plot to kill the sultan's son.
Directed by William Dieterle, Omar Khayyam leans on a strong ensemble — Cornel Wilde, Michael Rennie, Debra Paget — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about adventure titles of 1957.
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