Regie:
Billy WilderCamera:
John F. SeitzMuziek:
Miklós RózsaActeurs:
Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff, Erich von Stroheim, Miles Mander, Peter van Eyck, Ian Keith, Fortunio Bonanova, Leslie Denison, Art Gilmore (meer)Samenvattingen(1)
The only survivor in his unit after a battle with Rommel's soldiers in North Africa, British Corporal Bramble (Franchot Tone) staggers through the desert until arriving at the largely deserted Empress of Britain hotel, staffed only by owner Farid (Akim Tamiroff) and his French employee Mouche (Anne Baxter). While Bramble hopes to hide there, the hotel doesn't remain deserted for long – Rommel (a scene-stealing Erich von Stroheim) and his men arrive and take over the building as new headquarters. 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. And while Mouche knows Bramble's true identity, she has her own reasons for not wanting to aid in his plot. (Eureka Entertainment)
(meer)Recensie (2)
Billy Wilder may have been making films like The Major and the Minor up to the last minute, but with Five Graves to Cairo he signed on to current war propaganda. He adapted Lajos Biró's classic play "Hotel Imperial: Színmű négy felvonásban" (1917) and cast Erich von Stroheim as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The result is remarkable.
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Given the period in which this was made, a certain naivety and fragmented quality in the screenplay are understandable, but still, I would have expected something more sophisticated and lasting from Billy Wilder in a war setting. As it is, the effort of the British soldier promises something that I will only experience in a few reserved moments. Despite the clear disappointment, the third star is mainly saved by the likable Farid, portrayed perfectly by Akim Tamiroff.
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