Sahara (1943/I)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Zoltan Korda

Writers:

Philip MacDonald (story)
John Howard Lawson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 November 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

THE STAR OF "CASABLANCA" IN THE WAR'S MIGHTIEST ADVENTURE DRAMA! (original three-sheet poster)

Plot:

Sergeant Joe Gunn and his tank crew pick up five British soldiers, a Frenchman and a Sudanese man with...

Plot Keywords:

Tank | Propaganda | Desert | Sergeant | Remake

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Sgt. Joe Gunn
Bruce Bennett	...	Waco Hoyt
J. Carrol Naish	...	Giuseppe
Lloyd Bridges	...	Fred Clarkson
Rex Ingram	...	Sgt. Major Tambul
Richard Nugent	...	Capt. Jason Halliday
Dan Duryea	...	Jimmy Doyle
Carl Harbord	...	Marty Williams
Patrick O'Moore	...	Osmond 'Ozzie' Bates
Louis Mercier	...	Jean Leroux, 'Frenchie' (as Louis T. Mercier)
Guy Kingsford	...	Peter Stegman
Kurt Kreuger	...	Capt. von Schletow (as Kurt Krueger)
John Wengraf	...	Maj. Von Falken

Also Known As:

Port Said (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1944-1945) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #9040)

Filming Locations:

Brawley, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Based upon the Soviet film Trinadtsat (1937) directed by Mikhail Romm

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As in most of the films made about WWII before 1946. The German helmets are WWI vintage. They look somewhat similar. This movie, however, being made in 1942-43 would make it very difficult to obtain German WWII helmets.

Quotes:

Waco Hoyt: I see you whittled them down a bit.
Sgt. Joe Gunn: Yeah…they whittled us down too.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Oh! Susanna

A Good Old war Movie

There's really nothing great about this movie but I find it enjoyable in so many ways. First of all, how often do you get a chance to see a tank of that vintage. Bogart plays a tough sergeant but being Bogart, there's a human softer side to him. One of the best scenes is watching the German troops moving forward, the survivors at the oasis are sure they are going to be overwhelmed, but the Germans are surrendering, all because they are out of water. "Wasser, Wasser," you can hear them saying as they stumble forward. Good little ending. I enjoy it just for fun. A number of good supporting actors round it out. And like all war movies made during WW II, it's got every kind of character from the tough guy to the disillusioned Italian, to the French African hero, to the sneaky craft Nazi. And did I mention the proper Brit? See it for fun.