Sahara

Movie Review: Sahara

Year of Release: 1943
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Zoltan Korda
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Bruce Bennett, J. Carrol Naish, Lloyd Bridges, Rex Ingram

Plot outline: An American sergeant leads a group of allied soldiers on a retreat across the North African desert during World War II (IMDb).

Humphrey Bogart may have top billing, but Sahara is basically an ensemble movie. The various allied soldiers are all well written, especially Rex Ingram as a Sudanese soldier, and everyone gets a moment to shine. The Germans on the other hand, are a bit more one-dimensional.Nevertheless, Sahara celebrates valor and sacrifice, and also goes beyond many war pictures in weighing exigencies of war against moral regard for the life of an enemy soldier, in balancing patriotism with cooperation among soldiers of various nationalities against a common enemy, and in a theological dimension that more than once indicates whose side God is on. There’s a humorous discussion between Ingram (the Sudanese muslim) and Bennett (the Texan): After listening to the muslim’s defense of polygamy, the Texan comments laconically that his wife wouldn’t like such an arrangement; whereupon the muslim admits that it’s the same with his own wife! The well-done action scenes and the somewhat somber third act make Sahara hold up well over time. Of course, having Bogart in the cast doesn’t hurt either. (SG, FML)

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars