Passion in the Desert

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Passion in the Desert ★★ Simoom: A Passion in the Desert 1997 (PG-13)

Definitely one of the stranger plots going. Augustin Roberts (Daniels) is a French officer in Napoleon's Egyptian campaign. He's escorting artist Venture de Paradis (Piccoli), who's been commissioned to record the country's monuments. The duo are lost and separated in a desert sandstorm, with Roberts eventually finding shelter in the ruins of an ancient city. But he's not alone—his dangerous companion is a female leopard, who decides to help out the two-legged interloper. Based on a novella by Honore de Balzac. 93m/C VHS, DVD . Ben Daniels, Michel Piccoli; D: Lavinia Currier; W: Lavinia Currier, Martin Edmunds; C: Alexei Rodionov; M: Jose Nieto.