Film Daily wrote: "The film captures with tremendous success all the riotous color and excitement of Araby of the story books ... [Wanger] must have spent a fortune in costumes and sets and has dressed the whole production in a show of color that has never been equalled on the screen." David Lardner of The New Yorker called the film "muddled" and suggested that Hollywood had been experiencing difficulty finding new roles for Sabu ever since Elephant Boy.
Film Daily's glowing review highlights the film's use of color and excitement, while David Lardner's negative assessment in The New Yorker implies that Sabu was struggling to find meaningful roles in Hollywood following his success in Elephant Boy.