Released on May 1, 1929, the first film adaptation of The Desert Song, directed by Roy Del Ruth, starred John Boles, Carlotta King, Louise Fazenda and Myrna Loy. The two-hour film was extremely faithful to the original stage work, retaining 10 of the songs from the score and adhering closely to the original libretto. Portions of the film were released in two-color technicolor – the first time a musical was presented in color on screen. Though many critics were disappointed with the results of transferring a Broadway musical to film, Harry Evans of Life called the picture “a commendable maiden effort in a new field,” and Arthur Unger of Variety praised it as “another box office winner.”