THE LOST PATROL (1934)
Starring: Victor McLaglen, Boris Karloff, Wallace Ford, Reginald Denny, J.M. Kerrigan, Billy Bevan, Alan Hale, Brandon Hurst, Douglas Walton, Sammy Stein, Howard Wilson, Paul Hanson
Writers: Dudley Nichols, Garrett Fort (based on the story "Patrol" by Philip MacDonald)
Music: Max Steiner
Cinematography: Harold Wenstrom
Editor: Paul Weatherwax
B&W, 1h 13m. 1.37:1 presentation.
Released on: February 16, 1934 by RKO Radio Pictures.
My experience: John Ford Film Collection DVD box set
This is the movie that sort of set the standard for all the exotic action film quickies that were especially prevalent in theatres of the 1930s. It's a very good example of what talented people can accomplish on a miniscule budget.
John Ford directed this film for RKO, and did so much with so little. No major stars, unless you included character actors Victor McLaglen and Boris Karloff, one set and a whole lot of sand dunes. Filmed in the Algodones Dunes in southeastern California and Yuma, Arizona, it is set during the 1917 Mesopotamian campaign in what is now known as Iraq. Victor McLaglen plays The Sergeant (we never do learn his name), whose squadron finds themselves stranded in the harsh Mesopotamian desert after their lieutenant is killed during an ambush. With scant supplies they make their way to a little oasis to dig in and fight against an always unseen enemy, hoping someone from the British Army will find them before it is too late.
That's pretty much the gist of the story; the quick-running one hour and seventeen minutes is less concerned with plot than it is with characterization and personalities; how the stresses and traumas of war affect different people in different ways. There is Sanders (Boris Karloff), an uptight religious zealot type who gets nuttier as the movie goes on; Morelli (Wallace Ford), a circus performer who acts as a sort of calm ballast to the other enlisted men; and George Brown (Reginald Denny), an apparently lazy toff who comes through when push comes to shove. Other members of the squadron include Quincannon (J.M. Kerrigan), a lifer in the army who has gotten into his fair share of troubles over the years; Herbert Hale (Billy Bevan), a fellow lifer and comic foil for Quincannon; and Matlow Cook (Alan Hale), Corporal Bell (Brandon Hurst), young recruit Pearson (Douglas Walton), Abelson (Sammy Stein), a boxer; and Jock MacKay (Paul Hanson). Howard Wilson appears in a small role as an aviator who unsuccessfully attempts to rescue the ever-dwindling group of soldiers.
This is a very good movie, with only a few things that really stood out as hindrances to my viewing experience. The first one is Boris Karloff's performance as Sanders. It is definitely memorable; I still recalled his performance from my first viewing of The Lost Patrol almost 20 years ago. But it just seemed so histrionic and over-acted that it took me out of the picture. The Sergeant seems to be a very observant man always looking out for his men; how could the rabid intensity and irascibility of Sanders go unnoticed by such a professional soldier? The second had to do with the racism of the film. Now while I try to watch older films as if I were viewing it through the lens of the world in which it was made, it's still a jolt to hear people casually throwing about not just derogatory terms but entire attitudes of generalization for ethnic others. Check the quotes section of IMDB for a taste of what to expect.
Those qualms aside, this is an engrossing movie that never overstays its short 73 minute run time. As mentioned in some of my other reviews, John Ford specialized in the cameraderie of men, and this is a splendid example of the way men communicate under stress, some folding to the pressure, others rising to the occasion. There's also the factor of the unseen enemy. We see our squadron getting picked off one by one, but have no idea where the shooting is coming from, other than a general idea. This lack of a specific target keeps both the soldiers and the viewer on their guard, not knowing when or where the next attack will come from.
Ford stages his battle scenes in spurts of frenetic action, then leaves us to catch up with the results. His cinematography is gorgeous, capturing the beauty and deadliness of the harsh arid terrain of the sand dunes. His use of shadows and light is effective as always, as the oasis of palm trees, water and shelter in the form of an abandoned mosque quickly turns claustrophobic and oppressive. The musical score by Max Steiner is up there with the master composer's best work, not necessarily as a memorable theme like Gone With The Wind, but as a throughline for the filmmaker's intent, both militarily glorious and subdued and reflective. Not a surprise he got a nomination for best score (in the first year of the category's existence).
While parts of it can be difficult to watch, especially to modern viewers, The Lost Patrol is a solid, entertaining piece of film work that flies by. A must-see for fans of classic films, and more than worth the while for anybody willing to put aside 73 minutes to see the type of film they just don't make anymore.
Eight stranded squadrons out of ten.
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