Stuck in the desert

For me, the movie Sahara (1943) is similar to Lifeboat (1944). The two deal with being stranded in World War II. Obviously one is in the North African desert, while the other is in the Atlantic Ocean. In Sahara the only thing the characters have is a tank. In Lifeboat it is the boat. In both a group of allies: American, English and French are introduced to a German who needs to be rescued. In Sahara the German has been shot down by the tank commanded by Sergeant Joe Gunn, played by Humphrey Bogart. The Allies discuss among themselves about whether or not to accept the German prisoner. Despite Bogie’s wishes, it is decided that the German will be kept. In Lifeboat the characters encounter a German who has been shipwrecked, much like themselves, and decide to bring him on.

Now the two have tensions between the Axis powers and the Allied powers, but they become different near the middle. In Lifeboat, the German actually helps rescue them as he is the only one with capable seamanship. Later on, he is found to be sneaking water when everyone else thought there was none left. Because of this, he is thrown overboard. Alfred Hitchcock was sharply criticized by reviewers for painting what they thought was a sympathetic picture of the Germans. They felt that the murder had made the German officer a martyr.

On the other hand, Sahara descends into something else. Something lesser than that of Lifeboat. In the quest for water, Bogie and Co. are shown to what becomes a miniature Alamo. This oasis provides the company with water and shelter during a sandstorm. When the storm is over they learn that a company of Germans is headed their way, looking for water and shelter. Of course they have their own natives with them, so they know about the oasis.

As I mentioned above, it becomes a bit like the Alamo. The small band of Allies stands up to the German company. In the end, the Allies suffer many losses, but they are successful in driving the German’s away from water and shelter. This is thanks to the great ingenuity of the American spirit, according to the movie.

Sahara is not a particularly great movie. It does however, depict perfectly the amount of propaganda present in American movies of the World War II time period. Because of this it is still worth the watch.

A little side note on the production: this movie was filmed in the desert just outside of San Diego in the winter. The temperatures were in the mid-90s during the time of production. It seems like a believable substitute for the real Sahara.

Also, Bruce Bennett, who played Waco Hoyt, had a college degree from the University of Washington. In Hollywood a college graduate actor was and still is a rarity. To make him even more different than the typical actor, he was also a champion athlete. He won the silver medal in the shot put at the 1928 Olympics. He doesn’t give a bad performance for being someone who is in movies as a second career.