This melodrama tells the tale of a great battle between the French Foreign Legion and the rebellious Arab tribe, the Tuaregs, who fight it out upon the blistering Sahara sands. Just before the Legionnaires embark upon their dangerous mission, the commander discovers that he is being cuckolded by his lieutenant. Because the mission is urgent, there is no time to fight over the commander's wife. Unfortunately, as they travel, the tension between the two mounts and they begin squabbling over how to plan the attack. Their inability to work together results in tragedy.
Cinematography
Death Valley standing in for Sahara—sweat and scope.
Acting
Brian Keith simmers, Richard Denning smolders.
Director
Charles Marquis Warren
Brian Keith
Capt. Robert Edwards
Barbara Hale
Celie Edwards
Richard Denning
Sgt. Major Pierre Benet
Johnny Desmond
Lt. Richard Forbes
Phillip Pine
Cpl. Carlo Parini
Richard Shannon
Pvt. Hoffstetter
Duane Grey
Pvt. Aruazza
Charles H. Gray
Pvt. Bandurski
Richard Gilden
Pvt. Kabussyan
Ron Foster
Pvt. Bergstrom
Michael Pate
Ahitagel
Patrick O'Moore
Pvt. Corbo
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Charles Marquis Warren was a Western specialist who basically reskinned Gunsmoke for the desert. The Legionnaire uniforms? Leftover from a Gary Cooper picture.
This film captures peak 1950s American anxiety about masculinity—foreign legion films let men prove honor through suffering while exoticizing 'the East' as both beautiful and deadly.
US
