Werner Herzog is a legend. There is no other way to put it. When you think of his filmography, you probably picture Klaus Kinski losing his mind in a jungle or a man living among grizzly bears until they eventually eat him. He's the guy who ate his own shoe to settle a bet. So, naturally, when the world heard he was making Queen of the Desert Herzog style—a sprawling, $36 million biopic about Gertrude Bell starring Nicole Kidman—the hype was real. People expected something visceral. Something weird.
Instead, we got a period piece that felt, well, surprisingly traditional.
Gertrude Bell was basically the female Lawrence of Arabia. She was an archaeologist, a writer, a spy, and a diplomat who helped draw the borders of the modern Middle East after World War I. She spoke half a dozen languages. She climbed mountains in a skirt. She was a powerhouse. But in this film, Herzog seems more interested in her broken heart than her political genius. It’s a choice that still confuses fans of the director today.
The Problem With Making Gertrude Bell a Romantic Heroine
Critics didn't hold back when this movie hit the festival circuit. The biggest gripe? The script.
Herzog wrote it himself, and he leaned hard into the tragic romances of Bell's life. First, there’s Henry Cadogan, played by James Franco with a mustache that feels a bit out of place. Then there’s Charles Doughty-Wylie, played by Damian Lewis. The movie spends a massive amount of time on longing looks and poetic letters. Honestly, if you didn't know who Gertrude Bell was, you might leave the movie thinking her primary contribution to history was being sad about men.
That’s a tough pill to swallow for history buffs. Bell was a massive figure in the British Colonial Office. She was instrumental in the 1921 Cairo Conference. She basically hand-picked the King of Iraq. While the film touches on her travels and her ability to negotiate with tribal leaders, these moments often feel like backdrops for her internal romantic drama.
Nicole Kidman’s Performance: A Mixed Bag?
Kidman is a pro. She’s won everything for a reason. In Queen of the Desert Herzog gave her a role that required her to be in almost every single frame. She handles the physical demands—the heat, the camels, the endless sand—with grace.
But there’s a disconnect.
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Herzog’s best work usually features protagonists who are "ecstatically" mad. They are driven by an obsession that defies logic. Kidman’s Bell feels too composed. Too polished. It’s hard to tell if that’s a result of the direction or the screenplay, but the "Herzogian" spark of madness is largely missing. You don't see the raw, jagged edge that made Aguirre, the Wrath of God so terrifyingly good.
Robert Pattinson as T.E. Lawrence
We have to talk about Robert Pattinson. He plays T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), and it is easily the most polarizing part of the movie. He’s wearing these tiny robes and a headscarf, looking a bit like he’s in a high school play, but he’s playing it with this weird, smirk-heavy energy.
Some people hate it. They think he’s miscast. Others—mostly those who love Pattinson’s later, weirder work like The Lighthouse—think he’s the only person in the movie who actually understands he’s in a Werner Herzog film. He brings a level of camp and eccentricity that the rest of the movie lacks. It’s a brief performance, but it’s the one people usually remember.
The Cinematography is the Real Star
If there is one reason to watch this film, it’s the visuals. Peter Zeitlinger, Herzog’s long-time cinematographer, captures the desert in a way that feels almost spiritual.
The sand dunes look like waves. The light at dusk is orange and heavy. It’s gorgeous.
There’s a specific scene where a sandstorm hits, and the screen turns into a blurred, tan mess of chaos. In those moments, you feel the "old" Herzog. You feel the director who respects the power of nature more than the power of a script. The desert isn't just a setting; it's a character that outshines the humans walking across it.
Why the Movie Failed at the Box Office
The numbers were pretty grim.
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Against a budget of roughly $36 million, it barely made a dent in the global box office. It sat on a shelf for a long time in the US before getting a limited release. Why? Because it didn't know who its audience was.
- Herzog Fans: They wanted something experimental and wild. They got a Hallmark-style romance with better cameras.
- Mainstream Audiences: They wanted an epic, English Patient style sweeping drama. They got a slow, meditative film where not much "happens" in terms of plot.
- History Nerds: They wanted a deep dive into the geopolitics of the 1910s. They got James Franco quoting poetry.
It’s a movie caught between two worlds. It’s too "normal" for the art-house crowd and too "weirdly paced" for the general public.
The Reality of Gertrude Bell vs. the Film
When you look at the real letters of Gertrude Bell, she was a complicated person. She was often the only woman in the room with the most powerful men in the world. She was also a woman of her time—her views on colonialism are deeply problematic by today's standards, something the movie mostly glosses over.
In the film, her interactions with the local people she encounters feel a bit "noble traveler." In reality, her influence was more clinical and political. She was a kingmaker. She was tough as nails. While she did have a tragic love life, it was a footnote to her work, not the headline. Herzog’s decision to flip that script is what makes the movie feel a bit hollow.
What Herzog Said About It
Herzog has always been defensive of his work. He’s noted in interviews that he wanted to explore the "inner landscapes" of a woman, something he hadn't really done before in his career. He’s famous for saying he doesn't use storyboards. He likes to find the movie while he's shooting it.
Maybe that’s why Queen of the Desert Herzog feels a bit aimless. Without a tight narrative structure, the film drifts like a camel in a storm. For some, that’s the charm. For others, it’s a slog.
Is it Worth Watching Today?
Look, if you love cinematography, yes.
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If you want to see every Werner Herzog movie just to say you did, obviously yes.
But if you’re looking for a definitive biography of Gertrude Bell, you’re better off reading Desert Queen by Janet Wallach or watching the documentary Letters from Baghdad. Those sources capture her sharp intellect and the sheer weight of her political influence far better than this film does.
However, there is something fascinating about watching a master director fail. Or, if not fail, then stumble. It proves that even the greatest creative minds can lose their way when they try to play by the "standard" rules of Hollywood storytelling. Herzog is a rebel. When he tries to be a traditionalist, it just feels... off.
How to Approach Queen of the Desert Now
If you’re going to hit play on this movie, do it with the right mindset. Don't expect a fast-paced thriller. Don't expect a political deep dive.
- Watch it for the scale: The practical effects and real locations are a breath of fresh air in an era of green screens.
- Pay attention to Pattinson: His performance is a weird little gem hidden in a very serious movie.
- Check the history after: Use the movie as a jumping-off point to learn about the real Gertrude Bell. Her actual life was arguably more cinematic than anything Herzog put on screen.
The legacy of the film isn't that it's a masterpiece. It's that it stands as a curious anomaly in the career of one of cinema's most important voices. It's the moment Werner Herzog went to the desert to find a queen and came back with a postcard. It’s beautiful to look at, but you can’t help but wish there was more written on the back.
To truly understand the impact of Bell’s work, look into the 1921 Cairo Conference and how the lines drawn there still affect the world in 2026. Comparing the film's romanticized version of these events with the cold, hard reality of British Mandate politics offers a masterclass in how Hollywood—and even legendary German directors—refine history for the screen. Take the time to look at the archival photos of the real Bell; you'll see a woman whose eyes held a lot more iron than the film suggests.