As I considered Marie Windsor's role in this picture, I had to wonder what kind of life a real emir's daughter would have in the middle of the desert. It seemed to me like it would be all kinds of boring, even with all that imported wealth to walk around in. Not very satisfying if you ask me. Which is why I guess, she would be smitten with French Captain Girard (George Raft) at the start of the picture. More so than in other films I've seen Raft in, his composure here is one of somber duty and reflection. It wouldn't have hurt to crack a smile every now and then, but that just wasn't to be.Upon completion of the story, I couldn't think of a single practical reason why it should have been made. The Emir of Bel-Rashad (Eduard Franz) resents the presence of the French Foreign Legion in his lands, and makes preparation to rid their headquarters from his territory. In another film, his daughter Cara (Windsor) might have been able to bring the opposing sides together, professing her undying love for the Captain. Not here. In a rather well staged final battle scene, the Arabs are defeated at the Tasket outpost, but not before Windsor's character and her father are decimated by explosive charges detonated by soldiers at the fort. Girard is momentarily conflicted.Raft and Windsor may have been the nominal stars here, but it's Akim Tamiroff who provides most of the animation as French Lieutenant Glysko. Suitably deferential to the Captain, he nevertheless has some good moments that might be described as lightly comedic. I would like to have seen more of Girard's orderly who started out in the picture, but then was never heard from again. I couldn't figure that one out either.Other reviewers have characterized Raft's portrayal here as wooden, and I would concur. Interestingly, Marie Windsor has the kind of look that would suit either a charmer or a villain. Either way, I enjoy it when she turns up in a film. For a look at Windsor's dark side, try her manipulative role as Elisha Cook Jr's wife in "The Killing", or on a lighter note, as the evil Madame Rontru in "Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy".

This is an odd film from the onset due to the odd casting choices. First, having an older (and decidedly lazier) George Raft in the romantic lead seemed silly, though most of his manly roles at this point his his career seemed to think he was 10-15 years younger. Second, and this is the most serious, who would have thought that Marie Windsor could look like the Emir's daughter?! She looks about as North African as Zsa Zsa Gabor and sounded like a débutante! The film begins with Raft being asked to go on a special mission to escort the sultry Ms. Windsor to her father at his fortress. Why was Raft chosen? Well, according to the film he is some sort of super-stud ladies' man and the Commanding Officer wanted Raft to romance Windsor and get her "on our side"!! Really. I'm not making this up, folks! George Raft is a major stud in this film(!). Naturally, at first they don't get along but then later they are quite snuggly (a standard cliché in such films). When she discovers that her Daddy, the Emir, is a nasty jerk, she helps Raft. What a dame. Well, more like what an anachronistic dame--one who acts like no woman in her situation would have acted like.After the romantic stuff, the film becomes a movie about French Foreign Legion troops being besieged in the desert--like BEAU GESTE, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN THE FOREIGN LEGION, BEAU HUNKS and a dozen other films. NO surprises here and it looks almost like a slow motion and dull version of the standard "White man in the desert" film.

One of four films George Raft did in 1949, this one takes place in dark and exotic Morocco, with his assistant Bamboule, played by Erno Verebes. Verebes and the author Joseph Ermolieff both appear to have had interesting backgrounds; Verebes was apparently born in New York, according to IMDb, made many German films, then suddenly pops up in Hollywood around 1937. Ermolieff started in Russia, moved to Paris, and also appeared on the Hollywood scene in 1937. Co-star Marie Windsor was also busy in 1949, making four films. Here she plays "Cara", the daughter of the emir, who Captain Gerard escorts back to the emir at his fortress. Cara not only dresses in a frilly, white, western-style blouse and makeup, but "forgets" to wear a veil to cover her face in public. The picture quality is pretty iffy, and shakes quite a bit of the time; someone with more expertise would probably know if this is due to poor film quality, poor photography, or just the age of the film when copied onto the DVD. I have the Treeline/Reelmedia Action Collection DVD pack from 2004. Everyone gives a pretty stiff performance here. Inevitable war breaks out, and Cara is stuck in the middle of all those she loves, although they may be on opposing sides. In spite of all the background mattes used, this gets one of its stars just for the foreign, exotic setting and the foreign legion storyline.

Let me start by saying this was not a "Beau Geste" by any means - it was set in Morocco and the locations looked very good, but that is the end of the "penny section!" I had always found George Raft to be completely wooden, and he proved it again in this one, but he did show me he was a very good dancer (clearly the highlight for him in this epic!). And well into his 50's when this was made took away any believability for him to be a romantic hero. The role, had it not been made on a shoe string, needed a Tyrone Power or a Errol Flynn to make it worthwhile. Marie Windsor looked like she wanted to be somewhere else, while Akim Tamiroff was clearly the best performer in the cast. Seeing Raft "act" makes me so glad to rejected the leads in "High Sierra" and "The Maltese Falcon" - had he not done so, they would not be genuine movie classics.