Classic 40’s Movie: “Five Graves to Cairo”
September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Jeff Gibson.
Movie Title: Five Graves to Cairo
Year: 1943
Writers: Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder, based on a play by Lajos Biró
Lead Actors: Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, and Erich von Stroheim
Director: Billy Wilder
Plot Summary: During World War 2, an undercover British soldier races to discover the secret behind Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s dash across North Africa.
Why I Think This Is A Classic 40s Movie
Of the World War 2 movies that were actually made during the war, this one, although obviously propaganda, is greatly under-appreciated. Think Casablanca, but instead of a love story of heroic sacrifice, it’s a noirish espionage tale with a mystery at its heart. It’s not as good as Casablanca but it comes close.
The high-concept script is tight and suspenseful, and the pace never drags. Wilder co-wrote it with legendary screenwriter Charles Brackett. This was only the third movie Billy Wilder directed and his second in Hollywood, but it was the beginning of a streak for Wilder, followed immediately by Double Indemnity and The Lost Weekend.
Erich Von Stroheim steals the show as the arrogant and terrifying German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The reason so many of his lines are quotable is because of the way he, and only he, can deliver them. I can’t imagine anyone else in the role.
The other performances are terrific too. Franchot Tone as the British soldier is appropriately savvy and passionately dedicated to winning the war; his mid-Atlantic accent is only mildly distracting. Hotel maid Anne Baxter is alternatively tough and vulnerable, and absolutely adorable. Akim Tamiroff provides comic relief (perhaps a bit too much) as the panic stricken hotel owner, as does Fortunio Bonanova as the Italian general, who you might remember as the exasperated singing coach in Citizen Kane.
It’s a shame this movie isn’t better known. Perhaps the title scares people off. Most movies with “grave” in the title tend to be horror pictures.
My Favorite Moment In The Movie
The fight scene during the air raid is a masterpiece of suspense. Two men race though a darkened hotel as bombs explode outside, the flashes randomly illuminating their struggle. They end up fighting for a gun in a room barely lit by a flashlight rolling across the floor. If the edge of your seat isn’t broken in yet, it will be after you watch this scene.
My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie
The hotel maid Mouche, trying to promote her own deeply personal agenda, flirts with Rommel’s aide, a lieutenant:
Mouche: I’m not afraid of generals.
Lt. Schwegler: You’re not?
Mouche: It’s lieutenants I’m afraid of.
Two other morsels:
Lt. Schwegler [to Mouche]: Stupid. Never ask a big man for a small favor.
and:
Lt. Schwegler: Our complaints are brief. We make them against the nearest wall.
Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie
Mind the shadows, the beautiful beautiful shadows, in this black and white film. Director of Photography John F. Seitz layers shadows as if weaving a tapestry and yet you can still see everything Wilder wants you to see. Seitz also worked with Wilder on such noir classics as Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, and Sunset Boulevard. Check Seitz’s profile on IMDb.If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you’re in for a treat. The directing, the writing, the spot-on casting, the performances, the score and the cinematography combine (almost) seamlessly to make it a classic 40’s movie.
Thanks, Jeff! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
We already have a set of classic 5os movies, 60s Movies, 70s movies, 80s Movies and 90s Movies. This month, we’re working on 40s movies. And thanks to the GITS community, we’ve got 30 movies in the works, one for each day of the month!
Those who I put in bold have already sent me their posts. If you haven’t sent yours to me, please do so as soon as you can!!!
Act of Violence — Eric Rodriguez
Arsenic and Old Lace — Katha
Bicycle Thieves — Megaen Kelly
Brief Encounter — Emily Bonkoski
Casablanca — Paul Graunke
Double Indemnity — Susan Winchell
Five Graves to Cairo — Jeff Gibson
Foreign Correspondent — Doc Kane
His Girl Friday — John Henderson
It’s a Wonderful Life — David Laudenslager
Key Largo — Will King
Laura — Melinda Mahaffey Icden
Les enfants du paradis — Brendan Howley
Mrs. Miniver — Traci Nell Peterson
Notorious — Christine Henton
Now Voyager — Melissa Privette
Out of the Past — Brantley Aufill
Rope — Lance Morgan
The Bank Dick — Bob Saenz
The Best Years of Their Lives — Shaun Parker
The Big Sleep — Ipsita Barik
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir — Annie Wood
The Long Voyage Home — Vincent Martini
The Lost Weekend — Liz Warner
The Maltese Falcon — Roy Gordon
The Ox-Bow Incident — Clay Mitchell
The Philadelphia Story — Kristen Demaline
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock — David Joyner
The Third Man — Harry Cooke
To Have and Have Not — Felicity Flesher
Thanks to everyone who steps up for this ongoing project!
For the original post explaining the series, go here.
For all of the 40s movies featured in the series, go here.
Click REPLY and see you in comments about today’s classic 40s movie!