Sea of Sand
Sea of Sand | |
---|---|
Rank Organisation | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Sea of Sand (released in the US as Desert Patrol) is a 1958 British
Plot
On the eve of the Battle of El Alamein, Captain Tim Cotton leads a patrol on a raid to destroy a German fuel dump located deep behind enemy lines. Captain Williams of the Royal Engineers is posted to Cotton's patrol to deal with a minefield surrounding a German petrol dump. As a regular soldier, Williams takes time to adjust to the non-regulation way the LRDG operates. He finds a girl's torn up picture in Cotton's billet, who dismisses her as "old news". Later on Williams shows Cotton a picture of his son; Cotton says he has everything to live for.
The mission, which begins with five Chevrolet 30 cwt trucks, starts with a perilous journey through Axis-occupied Libya where the LRDG encounter
Knowing the importance of the information, the group knows they must return and report it to base while there is time for it to be acted upon. During their return journey they are relentlessly pursued by a German officer determined to stop them. When two
The group, with their water exhausted, sight another LRDG patrol on a truck. But before they can signal them, the chasing Germans are spotted. Williams grabs a Sten gun and leads the Germans away from his group. His actions allow the LRDG patrol to outflank and destroy the half-track; however, he is killed. Cotton laments that he had everything to live for.
The film concludes with Cotton reporting the tanks to his CO back at base. They also speak of Williams and the sacrifice he made for the group. The opening barrage of El Alamein starts.
Cast
- Michael Craig as Captain Tim Cotton
- John Gregson as Captain Bill Williams R.E.
- Richard Attenborough as Trooper Brody
- Percy Herbert as Corporal "Blanco" White
- Barry Foster as Corporal Matheson
- Vincent Ball as Sergeant Nesbitt
- Andrew Faulds as Sergeant Parker
- George Murcell as Corporal Simms
- Ray McAnally as Sergeant Hardy
- Harold Goodwin as Road Watch
- Tony Thawnton as Captain Tom
- Wolf Frees as German Sergeant
- George Mikell as German Officer
- Martin Benson as German Half-track Officer (uncredited)
- Dermot Walsh as Commanding Officer (uncredited)
Production
Writing
The
Soundtrack
The score was by Clifton Parker and was performed by the Sinfonia of London under the musical direction of Muir Mathieson.[1]
Filming
The film was shot in
Most of the European extras in the film were
Craig was loaned out from Rank. He says although he thought it was a good film and a good part he felt the British film industry should be making more contemporary stories. This led to The Angry Silence.[7]
Reception
The film was nominated for
Variety praised the "excellent all-round acting and taut direction by Guy Green," and concluded, "Green and cameraman Wilkie Cooper splendidly capture the remote loneliness of the vast desert, the heat, the boredom and the sense of pending danger. The screenplay is predictable, but the dialog is reasonably natural and the various characters are well drawn."[9]
Box Office
Kinematograph Weekly listed it as being "in the money" at the British box office in 1958.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Sea of Sand (1958)". Archived from the original on 20 December 2017.
- ISBN 9780810880269– via Google Books.
- ^ ISBN 9781105465437– via Google Books.
- ^ Craig, Michael (2005). The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life. Allen and Unwin. p. 85.
- ^ "Hollywood Production Pulse". Variety. 6 August 1958. p. 20.
- ^ Schwartzman, Arnold (19 November 1991). "Interview with Guy Green side 3". British Entertainment History Project.
- ^ Craig, Michael (2005). The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life. Allen and Unwin. pp. 84–85.
- ^ "Film in 1959 - BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
- ^ Variety Staff (1 January 1958). "Sea of Sand".
- ^ Billings, Josh (18 December 1958). "Others in the Money". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7.
External links
- Sea of Sand at IMDb