Five Graves to Cairo is a totally unlikely story that makes for a great World War II drama. In this movie, during the desert campaign of 1942, the axis powers are prevailing by outlasting the British forces. As the movie opens, we see British tanks moving across the desert with dying or dead men aboard. One British soldier, John Bramble (Franchot Tone), falls from his tank and drags himself to safely at the isolated Hotel Imperial which had recently been bombed by the Germans. Only two people at the hotel had survived the bombing: the Egyptian owner, Farid (Akim Tamiroff), and one of the hotel maids, a French woman named Mouche (Anne Baxter). When Bramble drags himself into the hotel, the two immediately treat him for sunstroke. But, no sooner had they treated him when a group of Germans and one Italian, General Sebastiano (Fortunio Bonanova), under Field Marshal Rommel (Erich von Stroheim), attack and take over the hotel. Bramble disguises himself as a British servant with a clubbed foot, (one Paul Davos), who had actually just died during the German attack. (The real Davos was British but was working as a spy for the Germans before he was killed.) With Farid and Mouche in on it, Bramble's disguise (as Davos) enables him to pretend to work with Rommel and get valuable information while, at the same time, being protected by Rommel. Perhaps the greatest irony of the story occurs when a group of British soldiers are taken as German POWs and housed in the same hotel with the other "residents." One of the captured British "residents," a Col. Fitzhume (Miles Mander), looks, acts, and is treated (by Tone) as if he were Field Marshal Montgomery. Any similarity between the character and the real Monty seems less than a pure consequence. Imagine Rommel entertaining Monty in Egypt and giving away his North African battle strategy and you will see some of the humour of this Billy Wilder's movie.

Billy Wilder, as many European film artists and technicians, also contributed his share of propaganda during the Second World War, with this film adaptation of Hungarian writer Lajos Biró's play, "Drama in Four Acts", previously filmed twice as "Hotel Imperial" at Paramount. It narrates a story of love and political intrigue involving Austrians and Russians during First World War. Given green light by Paramount to make a new film, Wilder and writer Charles Brackett discovered the property and, based on recent war events in North Africa during Second World War, decided to cash in the drama headlines of the times. I read that Biró's play had comic touches, but I really do not know who contributed the antics merged with the drama in this version, if they were the playwright's ideas, or if they were added by Brackett and (especially) Wilder, who even wanted Cary Grant to play the lead. The result of this spy story about Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and the sabotage of his "Five Graves" operation, is plagued with stereotypes, caricatures and comic relief, all of which are so out of place that they become the real saboteurs of "Five Graves to Cairo". Erich von Stroheim plays his trite version of a ruthless European officer, while Anne Baxter unconvincingly tries to pass as a French girl, Akim Tamiroff overacts as he frequently did (this time as a Egyptian, but he used the same tics to play a Chinese general, a Spanish Republican, a Mexican mafioso, a Turkish cook or an Italian monsignor), and Fortunio Bonanova is a bad joke as a ridiculous Fascist general who loves to sing arias. The best performances are given by Franchot Tone and Peter van Eyck, who respectively play a British corporal and a German lieutenant, both under control. Tone is convincing and moving, especially in his last scene in a graveyard; and Eyck is good as an officer exchanging favors for sex. Wilder as usual keeps you interested, but for spy thrillers, sex melodramas or action war dramas, it is better to watch "Casablanca" (1942) or James Mason as Rommel in "The Desert Fox" (1951), which are much better, and were more honest about their business.

The films of writer, producer director Billy Wilder are regarded as some of the finest works of cinematic art in the history of motion pictures. Wilder, who with a handful of film pioneers such as John Ford, Howard Hawks, Anthony Mann, John Houston and Henry Hathaway et al forged and created a unique style in the production of films that today are looked upon as enduring, inspired and unsurpassed classics. In the case of Wilder such dramatic and sublime fare as "Double Indemnity" (1944), "Ace In the Hole" (1951) and Hollywood's greatest film about itself "Sunset Boulevard" (1950). Plus his comedies like "The Apartment" (1960) and "Some Like It Hot" (1959) - regarded by many to be the funniest film ever made - can never, let's face it, be equalled. There is a timelessness and ageless quality about them that reaches out to anyone who watches them regardless of their generation. Contemporory film maker Cameron Crowe observed "Wilder's work is a treasure trove of flesh and blood individuals, all wonderfully alive".It is hard to believe that one of Wilder's earliest Hollywood efforts FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO was made in 1943. It seems to be a much later film in look, approach and concept. Yet this quite intriguing spy drama was the result of the day's headlines being utilized by Wilder for the movie's scenario. Based on Lajos Biro's play "Hotel Imperial" it was superbly written by Charles Brackett and Wilder and sharply photographed in monochrome by John Seitz. It was produced by Brackett for Paramount Pictures and was masterfully directed by Wilder. Franchot Tone is British tank Corporal John Bramble who stumbles into a Sahara oasis hotel after crawling through the desert during the North African campaign in 1942. The Germans also arrive at virtually the same time headed by none other than the infamous German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel (Erich Von Stroheim). Rommel and his command take up residence in the hotel run by nervous local Arab Farid (Akim Tamiroff) and an attractive Alsatian maid Mouche (Anne Baxter). To conceal his identity Bramble pretends to be the hotel waiter and as such tries to find out from the formidable quest exactly where on the map the German arms dumps are located. With help from Farid and the maid and gaining Rommel's confidence he eventually acquires the information but not before Mouche sacrifices herself so that Bramble can leave and get back to the British lines.Performances are uniformly excellent! Tone gives an engaging portrayal of a reluctant spy. Anne Baxter has rarely been better than here in the role of the ill-fated Mouche and the amusing Akim Tamiroff as the ever fearful and stammering Farid is as appealing as ever. But the picture belongs to Von Stroheim! His striking performance just steals the show. Although the actor didn't resemble Rommel in the slightest his embodiment of the character is exactly what you would imagine the great German battlefield strategist should have, perhaps, looked like. Rommel himself died in 1944. It is interesting to ponder if he ever saw the picture and what his thoughts on Von Stroheim's flamboyant portrayal of himself might have been.Complimenting the picture throughout is the terrific score by Miklos Rozsa. Rozsa was one of Wilder's favourite composers and wrote the music for some of the director's best films like "Double Indemnity" (1944), "Lost Weekend" (1945) and "The Private Lives Of Sherlock Holmes" (1970). For FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO he wrote a spirited and heroic march to point up the British forces movements and a reflective and ravishing character theme for the maid Mouche which is given lovely renditions on solo violin.FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO is a superb and suspenseful spy thriller set in an atmospheric war background. And thanks to the great Billy Wilder it's a great movie that simply refuses to age in its appeal.Classic moment from FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO:Rommel, sitting up in bed as Mouche (Anne Baxter) enters with his breakfast, "I don't like women in the morning" he declares and when she pours his coffee and with a gesture of the back of his hand he instructs her to "take two steps back please".

It seems that Frank Capra was too busy when this movie was made back in 1943 otherwise this could have been a nice propaganda movie. Of course, goal of such films was to recruit American soldiers and give them motives to fight on other continents which had not been the American practice until that time. Capra was a grandmaster making gems as "Why we fight" serial of propaganda movies (from where Goebbels could learn a lesson) and everything else made during that time was mostly a second class support but apparently very welcomed. This movie is one of these, among the worst I have seen. First of all, General Rommel is presented as a clown in this movie. Man who played with whole ally armies with outnumbered German army, outdated tanks (among them Italian tanks as well) and no logistics. One of the greatest generals in history of world wars is presented as a thug and moron. Person who made ally army commanders look ridiculous was outwitted by a British corporal. Well, do you need to hear anything else? OK. Highly decorated German officer and war hero is a haughty Lovelace and sneaky hoodlum who takes advantage of a woman in greatest pain. List of stupidity never ends in this semi-retarded American propaganda movie whose roots of banality are visible in today movies of that kind made in Hollywood.