Franchot Tone bumbles through the film (this happened then this happened, etc.) When he speaks English in the film it is with hardly a German accent.

The British Army, retreating ahead of victorious Rommel, leaves a lone survivor on the Egyptian border who finds refuge at a remote desert hotel. It's a World War II drama with some laughs (but definitely not a comedy), which builds up great suspense, and contains more than a few twists and turns.

What should have been an easily great performance of Rommel by Stroheim is a catastrophe. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Is she or isn't she a spy, and for which side? Original English language soundtrack. Subscribe. Franchot Tone bumbles through the film (this happened then this happened, etc.) Is she or isn't she a spy, and for which side? There is a reason that you have never heard of this film. I remember it as an exciting story. Especially annoying is the Italian general cum opera singer (or is it the other way around)? It was also an interesting choice for Wilder – to ;adapt’ Hungarian Lajos Biro’s play to WW2 and to focus it on a Brits vs. Germans conflict, with a 'real-life’ Rommell (played by the great Erich von Stroheim) – plus the director also managed to resist any studio pressure for excessive ‘jingoism’ in the telling of his tale. Menu. Two martial arts schools prepare for an important tournament. Quickly browse titles in our catalog based on the ones you have picked.

A masterful story brought to us by a master director. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2020. The tone of the film, as something between war film and an espionage thriller, is quite serious, but the characters are not believable. Whereabouts was he buried?

This is no high energy war movie, it's character driven but all the better for it, with Wilder even slotting in moments of humour to sit alongside the sharper edges of the dialogue. Written by Sign in to see videos available to you. Visual treats include the desert walk, the sparkling surface of the Mediterranean along the North Africa coast, bright sunlight streaming through checkered windows and doors, and the ghostly motorcycle night dash to Cairo. Jealous piano teacher Orville Spooner sends his beautiful wife, Zelda, away for the night while he tries to sell a song to famous nightclub singer Dino, who is stranded in town. Wilder must have wanted to portray Rommel as a caricature, and Stroheim, who is normally a stickler for accuracy, must have realized the hopelessness of the film as he played Rommel as a caricature. During World War II, an undercover British soldier tries to get word to the Allies that the Germans have tons of supplies buried in five Start Shopping. When he speaks English in the film it is with hardly a German accent. Tech credits are grade A stuff, the sound department and Seitz's photography especially lifting the picture still further to classic status. He hasn't got a mark on him, but the Germans don't think to march him down there and investigate his story? Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2015. DVDBeaver's Review states: .."Looks like Eureka didn’t get the 4k Master that Kino produced. 'Five Graves to Cairo' isn't Citizen Kane, and of course today this sort of thing would be done with much more violence, sex, and swearing: but that's a kind of recommendation in itself. This is a Billy Wilder film neatly sandwiched between The Major and the Minor and Double Indemnity, both of which I like. Five Graves to Cairo It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2020. To those of us who know or are old enough to remember, Miklos Rozsa's victory montage near the end, starting with Mouche theme followed by the skirl of a bagpipe, still packs a wallop. He hasn't got a mark on him, but the Germans don't think to march him down there and investigate his story? Rotten Tomatoes™ 100% 80%. The last time I saw this film was on tv when I was a schoolboy. And the fate of the British in Egypt depends on whether a humble corporal can penetrate the secret... Review: Billy Wilder's "Five Graves To Cairo" (1943) Starring Franchot Tone; Blu-ray Special Edition, Giveaway – Win Five Graves to Cairo on Blu-ray. Watch for FREE. We also use Facebook pixel to provide social media features and to analyse traffic to the site. This is no high energy war movie, it's character driven but all the better for it, with Wilder even slotting in moments of humour to sit alongside the sharper edges of the dialogue.

It is, to me, a classic. This 1943 film was only the second outing for master film-maker Billy Wilder (and his second with regular co-screenwriter Charles Brackett), but Five Graves To Cairo already demonstrates the director’s perceptive eye for cinematic detail and his unerring feel for an engaging bitter-sweet narrative.

The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the film in its UK debut on Blu-ray. Watch. It is, to me, a classic. Five Graves demonstrates that Wilder and screenwriter Charles Brackett—who would collaborate on thirteen films, winning screenplay Oscars for The Lost Weekend and Sunset Boulevard—were already working at the peak of their powers, delivering an espionage yarn that never lets up on the suspense. It was also an interesting choice for Wilder – to ;adapt’ Hungarian Lajos Biro’s play to WW2 and to focus it on a Brits vs. Germans conflict, with a 'real-life’ Rommell (played by the great Erich von Stroheim) – plus the director also managed to resist any studio pressure for excessive ‘jingoism’ in the telling of his tale. Visual treats include the desert walk, the sparkling surface of the Mediterranean along the North Africa coast, bright sunlight streaming through checkered windows and doors, and the ghostly motorcycle night dash to Cairo.

I wince when I compare Stroheim's performance of Rommel compared to James Mason's excellent performances as Rommel in The Desert Fox and The Desert Rats. And while Mouche knows Bramble’s true identity, she has her own reasons for not wanting to aid in his plot. Cast are more than capable of making the material work as well, with Tone nicely restrained, Baxter very touching (decent French accent too) and Von Stroheim a ball of emotions as a complex laden Rommel. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links on this page. View production, box office, & company info. Title: To those of us who know or are old enough to remember, Miklos Rozsa's victory montage near the end, starting with Mouche theme followed by the skirl of a bagpipe, still packs a wallop. Named by Quentin Tarantino as one of his favourite films, 1080p presentation on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from a brand new 4K restoration, Uncompressed LPCM audio (original mono presentation), Audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin, “Five Graves to Cairo” episode of Lux Radio Theatre, originally aired in 1943, starring Franchot Tone and Anne Baxter, A collector’s booklet featuring new writing by critic Richard Combs; and an archival article from 1944 about Wilder and Charles Brackett.

A young man-about-Paris, cut off from his father's money, falls in with a picaresque gang of car thieves. No 4K Scan as Advertised from Eureka/Masters of Cinema! I think the leading man was miscast. June, 1942. This 1943 film was only the second outing for master film-maker Billy Wilder (and his second with regular co-screenwriter Charles Brackett), but Five Graves To Cairo already demonstrates the director’s perceptive eye for cinematic detail and his unerring feel for an engaging bitter-sweet narrative. He hasn't got a mark on him, but the Germans don't think to march him down there and investigate his story? I know that "Five Graves To Cairo" is considered to be a "lesser" Billy Wilder film--and set against his overall body of work, it is. Mason's Rommel is about the best Rommel one can expect except when Rommel is played by a German actor (other than Stroheim). 96min. I think the leading man was miscast. Bramble assumes the identity of a recently killed waiter…only to soon discover that this waiter was also serving as a German spy, a role Bramble now has to adopt for his own survival. DVDBeaver's Review states: .."Looks like Eureka didn’t get the 4k Master that Kino produced. Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2018. More information about our Privacy Policy, Only the second Hollywood film directed by Billy Wilder, the riveting World War II spy thriller. 9 out10, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2018. In 1944, one year after ‘Five Graves to Cairo’, Field Marshall Rommel was implicated in the plot to assassinate Hitler, and committed suicide before being arrested. The director would soon become one of Hollywood’s most lauded talents, but his genius was clearly evident in this early work. A frustrated city girl disguises herself as a youngster in order to get a cheaper train ticket home. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books.

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Surprisingly engrossing, entertaining, and well worth seeing, Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2017. Original English language soundtrack, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2017. It was also an interesting choice for Wilder – to ;adapt’ Hungarian Lajos Biro’s play to WW2 and to focus it on a Brits vs. Germans conflict, with a 'real-life’ Rommell (played by the great Erich von Stroheim) – plus the director also managed to resist any studio pressure for excessive ‘jingoism’ in the telling of his tale. Down-on-his-luck Hollywood producer Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler attempts to lure Fedora, a famous but reclusive film actress, out of retirement.

Tech credits are grade A stuff, the sound department and Seitz's photography especially lifting the picture still further to classic status. Where are the clothes he was wearing? Comedy. field marshal Rommel is the man with a plan the British are dumbfounded by his troops organization and supply lines a big secret that Monty and company would love to know how ? The film also seemed to lack tension somehow.