Ratoff denied that the story was a thinly veiled parody of the life of King Farouk of Egypt and the events preceding his overthrow in 1952.

[3] The film is set in Bandaria, a Middle Eastern country whose absolute ruler, Abdullah, lives a life of great luxury, surrounded by lovely women.

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Abdulla the Grear achieves a certain dubious topicality in the obvious invitation to "identify" its central character.

The story itself, however, with its polyglot accents, lavish settings and undulating dancing girls, belongs firmly to the Hollywood tradition.

Gregory Ratoff, the director/star, makes Abdulla a convincingly repellent figure, being more successful in the earlier satirical scenes than at the end, when his playing unwisely takes on a Jannings-like intensity.