Reviews
John Chard

John Chard

June 25, 2019
8.0
We shall take that big fat cigar out of Mr. Churchill's mouth and make him say Heil. Five Graves to Cairo is directed by Billy Wilder who also co-adapts the screenplay with Charles Brackett. It's based on the Lajos Biró play Hotel Imperial. It stars Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff, Erich von Stroheim and Peter Van Eyck. Music is by Miklós Rózsa and cinematography by John Seitz. Tone plays John Bramble, the sole survivor of a British tank division who stumbles into a near deserted desert town only to find it suddenly fills up with Field Marshall Rommel and his troops. Assuming the identity of a dead waiter at the hotel run by Farid (Tamiroff), Bramble gains the trust of everyone only to learn that the waiter he is pretending to be was actually a secret agent for the Germans. If he can keep up the pretence and not get found out, Bramble could have great impact on the North Africa Campaign. A cracker is this, an early Billy Wilder film that thrives on tension and clever plotting while pulsing with a great literate strength. 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. Tech credits are grade "A" stuff, the sound department and Seitz's photography especially lifting the picture still further to classic status. 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. From the sombre opening of a tank aimlessly trudging across the desert - the pilot hanging dead from the turret - to a very touching finale involving a parasol, Wilder's movie holds the attention greatly throughout. A masterful story brought to us by a master director. 8/10

Recommendation Movies

7.4
Crime
View
7.4
The Trial
The Trial1962
7.5
Comedy
View
7.5
Ninotchka
Ninotchka1939
7.2
Adventure
View
7.2
Sahara
Sahara1943
7.7
Drama
View
7.7
The Twilight Samurai
The Twilight Samurai2002
7.3
Crime
View
7.3
Charley Varrick
Charley Varrick1973
6.6
Documentary
View
6.6
Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies
Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies2020
8.1
Crime
View
8.1
Double Indemnity
Double Indemnity1944
7.3
Comedy
View
7.3
American Fiction
American Fiction2023
8.1
Comedy
View
8.1
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot1959
8
Drama
View
8
The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man1980
8.1
Crime
View
8.1
Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs1992
8.4
Comedy
View
8.4
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump1994
7.9
Mystery
View
7.9
The Sixth Sense
The Sixth Sense1999
7.9
Drama
View
7.9
Titanic
Titanic1997
7.5
Science Fiction
View
7.5
Predator
Predator1987
8.1
Crime
View
8.1
Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver1976
8.2
Action
View
8.2
Gladiator
Gladiator2000
8.4
Thriller
View
8.4
Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction1994
8.7
Drama
View
8.7
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption1994
8
Drama
View
8
American Beauty
American Beauty1999
© 2024 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt