Few people seem to say kind things about John Davis and the Rank Film Organisation but his basic ideas about what projects to green light weren't bad - try to give people what they couldn't get on TV, which for him meant colour and location filming (the thing he could never bring himself to do - which in hindsight was a big mistake - was to make films that pushed the boundaries censor-wise).
The big appeal of this movie is location filming in Libya, which is really stunning - gorgeous deserts, and ancient Roman ruins, palm trees, black tents, oasis etc. It's one of the best looking British films from this period I've seen.
The story is soapie but works on some level: wealthy Donald Sinden gets a letter alluding to the fate of his brother Anthony Steel, who went MIA in the North African desert during World War Two. He goes there and finds the truth relatively quickly: Steel was wounded, takes refuge with some Bedouin, falls for the Sheikh's daughter, decides to have a crack at the Germans.
Anthony Steel was a handsome, but inexpressive actor. I think they could have gotten around this say people had said a lot of different things about him which made him sound interesting, like in Laura ("he was angry", "he could be kind", "he was traumatised"). Or if he'd been teamed with a more interesting female co star than Anna Maria Sandri who is bland as dishwater (to be fair, it's a terrible character - the stock, doe eyed adoring Arab girl who never has her own opinion - but her acting is poor). Or if he'd been given Sinden's role, which basically consists of just poking around and asking questions - and Sinden, a better actor, been given Steel's part. But then I guess Sinden isn't as good looking as Steel. Maybe Michael Craig, who was good looking and who can act - and who plays a support part. But Steel was more of a name at the time. Anyway, Steel looks odd with his hair dyed blonde.
There are script troubles too. Sinden badly lacks his own storyline. Yes, sure he pokes around looking for Sinden but he needed something else to do in the present day - a romance say with the widow, or some other girl; a threat (why not have an Arab or German try to kill him); unresolved business with his brother that could have been wrapped up. He sort of plods along.
Also more needed to be made of the German threat during the flashback scenes. What impact did they have on the Arabs? Were the Arabs divided over how to treat Steel? There could've been a civil war - Andre Morrell (good as the Sheikh) torn over what to do. There was more potential in the storyline.
But I did like it. Looks great, there is a story, Sinden and Morrell can act, it at least acknowledges there were people in the desert during this time other than Germans and Allies.
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