KHARTOUM is a lavish and endearingly old-fashioned retelling of the last days of the famous General Gordon as he held Khartoum against the overwhelming hordes of the Mahdi, a religious fanatic who led an uprising in 19th century Sudan. The film has much of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA about it, with sweeping desert vistas and sand-swept derring-do. It's no classic - there's not quite enough depth to it for that - but fans of historical adventure yarns will find themselves delighted by the film's refreshing unswavering attitude and Charlton Heston's well-judged turn as Gordon, playing him as a man of principle. The film is full of British actors in brown face make up, with Laurence Olivier the sinister Mahdi and a supporting cast replete with familiar faces (including the inevitable foreign-looking likes of George Pastell, Roger Delgado, and Marne Maitland). Richard Johnson and Ralph Richardson supply the requisite stiff upper lips, and if it all feels a little slow and sedate at times, it soon builds to a rousing climax which could well be considered the British Alamo.

Not quite on a par with 'Lawrence Of Arabia' or 'Zulu'; 'Khartoum' still looks good in an age when squillions of human extras would be replaced by a dubious CGI riot.Charlton Heston is in tip-top form as the knight-errant. He plays it as stiff-necked and resolute as Ben Hur, though he never really cuts it as an Englishman. Lawrence Olivier is for once out of his depth as the Mahdi with a muddled accent, determined to drive the infidel from Arabia. Theirs is a collision-course.Some 90% of the movie addresses the political shenanigans that lead up to the siege of Khartoum and Gordon's sacrifice. It doesn't present Britain in a very positive light. And although a host of liberties are probably taken with historical fact, the dilatory blundering depicted here is entirely typical of every overseas campaign to which Britain has been a party, including both World Wars, Eden, Suez, the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan. We never, ever learn.When the siege finally happens it is short and sweet and very much an anti-climax. Even as a very amateur tactician/strategist, I wouldn't have fought it in quite the same way Gordon did. Being substantially outnumbered, he should have turned the enemy's hoards into a weapon against themselves, as the Romans used to do. And in the months leading up to the conflict he could have trained the 12,000 or so adult male civilian population into a viable auxiliary army. However; it's easy to be wise with hindsight.Well worth a watch if you get the chance. It's authentically placed, colourful, dramatic and epic, with excellent script and fine performances all-round.

If this was supposed to be an epic war movie, it failed miserably. I was really hoping to see the defeat of the rebels in Sudan, much as one would hope for the defeat of the Janjaweed and the rescue of Darfur. I was sorely disappointed.The photography was magnificent, the music excellent, and the battles that were fought were impressive, but you are talking about 10% of the time spent on this film. The rest of the time was Charleton Heston just talking. he had nothing to back up his talk and was relying on rescue from the British Army. What a few hundred soldiers were going to defeat a rebel army of 20,000? Laurence Oliver was unrecognizable in makeup and a beard, but you could see the power of his acting in every word and gesture. he was magnificent.Not worth the time invested.

Mr. Heston in another monumental movie. I watched this one as a 70mm print, too, but unfortunately it was a German version/print. Heston is great in this movie as mentor/leader and of course also idol, for many people in the movie! The story itself is based on true events and concerns the British Empire and their colonies. Some might not like what they'll see here in this movie, but that doesn't mean the movie wasn't right in showing some things. Still it evolves to much around the Heston character, for my taste and that's why I didn't rate it as high as it could've been, regarding it's story. But watch it, if you like monumental movies and see for yourself.