Rating: Summary: Desert Duel Review: Any fan of Humphrey Bogart probably has seen this. If they haven't, hop to it! Those of you that have not seen anything by him, you need to see at least three, "Casablanca", "African Queen", and "Sahara". If you can spare the time catch "The Maltese Falcon", "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "Key Largo". Quite honestly he made very few movies that most people would not enjoy. The sets and music are great but the characterizations steal the movie. A rag tag group of soldiers fight off overwhelming odds of the bad guys, in this case German soldiers, in the desert. Kind of like "Magnificent Seven" and "Beau Geste" rolled into one. Well worth the time to see it. I bought the DVD and it is great quality. Some extras included.
Rating: Summary: "Sahara" is emblematic of its time Review: Anyone wishing to understand the American mindset in the middle of World War II would be hard pressed to do better than "Sahara". It successfully combines the elements of Allied unity against great odds and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for ultimate victory against Nazi tyranny.Paradoxically, the even-handed relationship between the caucasian British and American troops and a British Sudanese soldier in the movie flies in the face of the official segregation in the U.S. armed forces of the time. How good is "Sahara"? Good enough to inspire a retiree who lives in my area to construct a full-scale, wooden replica of Bogart's tank Lulubelle in tribute to the film!
Rating: Summary: Bogey's Best. Review: Bogart should have gotten an Oscar for Sahara. His portrayal of the Captain in The Caine Mutiny, was good, but the Sargeant in Sahara, is ten times better. The DVD's sound and picture quality is excellent. The film is in Black and White and as such, compliments the story line. If anyone tries to Colorize Sahara, they'll ruin it.
Rating: Summary: Sahara: A Pre-Politically Correct Call For Multiculturalism Review: By 1943, the war in Europe had been going on for four years, and the United States had been involved for two. The war was far from being won, and Hollywood accordingly presented images of good old-fashioned American virtues of grit that sound increasingly quaint in the light of the modern tendency to downgrade the military. But in SAHARA, director Zoltan Korda involves the viewer directly in the war against fascism by presenting Humphrey Bogart as Sgt. Joe Gunn, in a role as memorable as any that he ever had. He, Dan Duryea, and Bruce Bennet are tankmen lost somewhere in the North African desert just before the battle of El Alemain. They seek to reenter the war and in doing so, pick up a number of equally lost fighters, two of whom are the enemy. J. Carrol Naish is Guiseppe, an Italian infantryman who has long since lost confidence in Mussolini. Kurt Krueger is a downed Luftwaffe pilot who is forced to ally himself with Guiseppe, a man who he is sure is not far elevated, racially speaking, over the Jews who were being tossed into crematoria. Bogart discovers an oasis that provides just enough water to keep his men alive. The plot complicates when an Afrika Korps battalion is short on water and attacks the oasis for its precious water. SAHARA is typical of the war films of the time in that Hollywood knew that audiences would respond patriotically if the film combined crackling scenes of realistic combat with powerful and believable characters. Bogart as Joe Gunn more than delivers in nearly every scene in which he appears. His craggy face and gravel voice are totally convincing, especially in scenes like the one in which he responds to the not unreasonable question as to why they should risk their lives in battle when to run away seems the more prudent course. Bogie deadpans that delaying the Nazis at every step is the surest way to win the war. Director Korda makes sure that Bogart's tank crew is a multinational ethnic mix of Brits, French, Nigerian, and even Guiseppe, who in one stirring scene, repudiates his Italian Duce by telling Kurt Krueger, "Must I kiss the hand that beats me and lick the boot that kicks me? No! I'd rather stay in this miserable hole than to return to an Italy like that." SAHARA provided just the right note of infectious enthusiasm for a nation to rally around its military, even if today's peace-at-all-cost activists can't quite understand why.
Rating: Summary: Sahara: A Pre-Politically Correct Call For Multiculturalism Review: By 1943, the war in Europe had been going on for four years, and the United States had been involved for two. The war was far from being won, and Hollywood accordingly presented images of good old-fashioned American virtues of grit that sound increasingly quaint in the light of the modern tendency to downgrade the military. But in SAHARA, director Zoltan Korda involves the viewer directly in the war against fascism by presenting Humphrey Bogart as Sgt. Joe Gunn, in a role as memorable as any that he ever had. He, Dan Duryea, and Bruce Bennet are tankmen lost somewhere in the North African desert just before the battle of El Alemain. They seek to reenter the war and in doing so, pick up a number of equally lost fighters, two of whom are the enemy. J. Carrol Naish is Guiseppe, an Italian infantryman who has long since lost confidence in Mussolini. Kurt Krueger is a downed Luftwaffe pilot who is forced to ally himself with Guiseppe, a man who he is sure is not far elevated, racially speaking, over the Jews who were being tossed into crematoria. Bogart discovers an oasis that provides just enough water to keep his men alive. The plot complicates when an Afrika Korps battalion is short on water and attacks the oasis for its precious water. SAHARA is typical of the war films of the time in that Hollywood knew that audiences would respond patriotically if the film combined crackling scenes of realistic combat with powerful and believable characters. Bogart as Joe Gunn more than delivers in nearly every scene in which he appears. His craggy face and gravel voice are totally convincing, especially in scenes like the one in which he responds to the not unreasonable question as to why they should risk their lives in battle when to run away seems the more prudent course. Bogie deadpans that delaying the Nazis at every step is the surest way to win the war. Director Korda makes sure that Bogart's tank crew is a multinational ethnic mix of Brits, French, Nigerian, and even Guiseppe, who in one stirring scene, repudiates his Italian Duce by telling Kurt Krueger, "Must I kiss the hand that beats me and lick the boot that kicks me? No! I'd rather stay in this miserable hole than to return to an Italy like that." SAHARA provided just the right note of infectious enthusiasm for a nation to rally around its military, even if today's peace-at-all-cost activists can't quite understand why.
Rating: Summary: A DEEPLY MOVING FILM... Review: Especially the ending. The screenwriter, John Howard Lawson, created a scene which one can never forget, in its simplicity, its beauty, its sorrow. But it took a Humphrey Bogart to bring a universal quality to it. And this is his movie. He is like a magnet which all the other characters circle about, support, and each in their own way adds quality performances. We have Bruce Bennett (silver medalist in the shot put in the 1928 Olympics) as a member of Bogart's tank crew, Kurt Krueger as a German captive, J. Carroll Naish as an Italian captive, Lloyd Bridges, Dan Duryea, Rex Ingram, and I especially liked the performance of Richard Nugent as Captain Jason Halliday. The movie was filmed in the Borego Desert of the Imperial Valley just south of the Mexican border. The story is about a tank crew stranded in the North African desert. They are out of water. Their search for water is shared by German troops, whom they eventually come face to face with. They are far outnumbered, with only their wits and their military skills to aid and abet them. This is high drama pulled off beautifully by another great and honest Bogart performance. This movie stays with you long after you have viewed it. And the sterling performances do too.
Rating: Summary: Sahara Review: Good all around WWII movie with Bogart doing his best for the war effort. There's a few lessons that can be learned from this film,not just fighting the Germans.
Rating: Summary: Great World War II Film Review: I believe this is one of the better World War II films made. The level of suspense and tension is shattering. One of the best scenes in the film is when the Americans realize that the German soldiers that outnumber them are literally dying of thirst. This scene and many others offer a gripping and dynamic look at men at war.
Rating: Summary: Good war flick with Bogie Review: I enjoyed this flick. Bogie is an American tank sargeant in WWII. The best part is Bogie's cynical stoic attitude, especially when dealing with the Brits. The story is paced well and even my wife enjoyed it. The battle scene at the end is a little hokey, the Germans of course get mowed down, but overall its a good flick and one I'd never seen before, even on the afternoon B&W flick channels. If you like war movies and Bogie, this is for you.
Rating: Summary: Good war flick with Bogie Review: I enjoyed this flick. Bogie is an American tank sargeant in WWII. The best part is Bogie's cynical stoic attitude, especially when dealing with the Brits. The story is paced well and even my wife enjoyed it. The battle scene at the end is a little hokey, the Germans of course get mowed down, but overall its a good flick and one I'd never seen before, even on the afternoon B&W flick channels. If you like war movies and Bogie, this is for you.
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