Sahara (1943) ***1/2

Release Date: November 11, 1943

Running Time: 98 Minutes

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Bruce Bennett, J. Carol Nash

Directed By: Zoltan Korda

Set against the backdrop of the British retreat during the Western Desert Campaign in World War II, Sahara presents some breathtaking visuals of the dangers of desert warfare and the heroics of the men entrenched there. The film opens with a brief historical note about the men training for desert warfare in actual battle conditions before dropping us directly into the fray. We get no scenes showing us who any of the characters were before the war and very little in the dialogue to shade these characters in, yet they don’t feel generic. There are tropes, of course, but we see throughout the action the person behind these facades and get a good solid sense of the characters of these men. 

Humphrey Bogart stars as Sgt. Joe Gunn, commander of the Lulubelle, a U.S. Army M3 Lee desert tank assigned to the Libyan desert. They have recently become separated from their unit during a general retreat after the fall of Tobruk and are headed south in hopes of reconnecting with their unit, however radio contact has been lost and they are uncertain of where to rendezvous with the rest of the group. Along with the U.S. soldiers assigned to the Lulubelle there is also a small group of British officers led by medical officer Captain Halliday who defers his command to Gunn as he commands the tank. The men are running dangerously low on water and, after running into a Sudanese Sergeant and his Italian prisoner, Giuseppe, almost leave the Italian behind rather than ration the water even further. However, Gunn has a change of heart and allows the man the travel with them rather than die out in the sand. Later they pick up a Nazi pilot after they shoot him down. Gunn shows both prisoners humanity even after the Nazi doesn’t reciprocate. 

The men eventually manage to reach a well, the last they would be able to reach before succumbing to the elements, but it is only providing a small trickle of water that may dry up at any moment. While stockpiling what little they can two German advance scouts arrive and are captured by the Americans. From one of the men information is gleamed that nearly five hundred more Germans are on their way, desperate for the water. Gunn and his men must decide whether to flee or risk sure death in a bold attempt to delay the Germans while a single man is sent ahead in an attempt to secure reinforcements. 

Nearly a third of the film takes place during the final siege. It is bloody and violent, and adequately conveys the true desperate situation both sides are in. The camera doesn’t shy away from showing the dirty, savaged faces of the men, dehydrated and exhausted, yet resolved to make a stand. This tension is broken up brilliantly with some ingenious tactics by Gunn as he schemes to show the water starved Nazis that his, Gunn’s, men have water to spare. He has two men pantomiming bathing themselves in water when they in reality have none to spare. The show is believed, yet doesn’t have the desired effect with the Nazi commander who would rather die fighting than give up all their weapons in exchange for the water. It’s a brutal standoff in which many people on both sides don’t make it.

This is a gorgeous film to look at. Watching it on a small screen in the comforts of your living room will not sufficiently convey the sheer magnitude of this production. It simply must be seen on the big screen to be completely appreciated. If you can find one without any air conditioning in the middle of August that would be even better. This is not a war movie designed to be military propaganda, pushing the glamour and heroics but ignoring the true horrors of the conflict. 

This could have been a truly dour film. What saves it from that and elevates it into the realms of classic cinema is the performers. There are a lot of interesting choices made in bringing the characters to life. We get the two men passing money back and forth between each other as the make bets on Gunn’s command decisions. We also get Frenchie (Louis Mercier) who brings a level of humor to virtually every line of dialogue he spouts. Even among the two POW’s we have an interesting dynamic. The Italian, Giuseppe (J. Carrol Naismith) is a sympathetic character, humanized by his pictures of his family and his lack of love for Mussolini. He is in the conflict because of his country, not because of any dreams of domination and prejudices. The same cannot be said for the Nazi, Captain von Schletow (Kurt Krueger). His motives are purely for the Nazi party and Germany, looking for any opportunity to turn the tide against the Americans and escape.

The story is taut, full of great performances and set pieces. During the climax it does step towards glorifying heroics in the face of sure defeat, yet it never glamorizes it. This is a dusty and dirty film and it never says away from depicting the sheer desperation both sides faced in this campaign. It is shot beautifully and convincingly and looks glorious when projected on as big a screen as possible.