Sahara

1943. Dir: Zoltan Korda. Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Bruce Bennett, J. Carroll Naish, Llyod Bridges and Rex Ingram. ●●○○○

Good news! I'm not talking about the godawful 2005 film with Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz, but the mediocre 1943 film with Humphrey Bogart.

I suppose it's not this films fault that it's just a slice or propaganda with cardboard characters and unrealistic plotting, it certainly isn't the first piece of propaganda to exploit the 20th century's most inclusive artform: cinema. However as much as I prefer his politics Zoltan Korda is neither Eisenstein or Riefenstahl. Instead he pits a ragtag group of Allied soldiers with one US tank escaping from Tobruk against a battalian of thirsty Nazis.



It doesn't take a genius to work out that Bogart will hold out, and that most of the other characters are doomed. There's even a direct correlation in this film to the amount of home life you have to the speed with which you'll be killed - a fiance waiting for you (doubt you'll make it to the battle), beautiful children (shot in the back), no family at all (I'm all right Jack). What's more there's plenty of opportunity for the disparate team to share war stories and make impassioned speeches about the importance of freedom.

Even the Italian prisoner (Naish acting his little heart out and getting an Oscar nod for his trouble) gets the oppotunity to say how he doesn't understand fascism and knows Il Duce is just a flash in the pan. Needless to say the Nazi prisoner is neither sympathetic or courageous.

Saying that there are elements to like in this film. The set and art direction are top notch with painted dunes to increase the shadows. The tank is almost a character of it's own thanks to some interesting scripting and inventive soundwork.

It's just a shame none of this compensates for the sluggish direction and that feeling that we've seen it all before.