BY RAYMOND BENSON
“BILLY
WILDER GOES TO WARâ€
By
Raymond Benson
In
1943, Hollywood churned out dozens of war films in support of the U.S.
involvement in the global conflict raging at the time. Many were cheaply made
rush jobs, others were good “B†pictures, and a select group were “A†level, excellent
pieces of celluloid that are now classics. All were essentially propaganda
pictures made to lift the spirits of the American people and the troops who
were able to see them. Rah Rah, Let’s Go Get ‘Em!
Billy
Wilder, an Austrian Jew who had fled Germany as the Nazis gained power, settled
in Hollywood in 1933 after a brief stint in France. He immediately found work
as a talented screenwriter, ultimately earning his first Oscar nomination for
co-writing Ninotchka (1939). As war heated up in the 1940s, Wilder then
became, after the likes of Preston Sturges, a rare Hollywood double threat—a
writer/director. Five Graves to Cairo is only his second picture as a
director, and it’s one of those propaganda war films that could be classified
as an “A†classic.
In
the flavor of Casablanca, Five Graves is also a spy movie in a
way. The plot involves British tank corporal John Bramble (Franchot Tone), who,
after his crew is wiped out in the North African desert, makes his way to Sidi
Halfaya in a delirium. He stumbles into a hotel, the “Empress of Britain,†run
by an Egyptian, Farid (Akim Tamiroff). Also present in the desolated hotel is
the French maid, Mouche (Anne Baxter). The Germans, led by Field Marshal Erwin
Rommel (Erich von Stroheim, of course) are on their way to town, and they’ll be
staying at the hotel. The British had recently been run out of town and are
regrouping at El Alamein. Lieutenant Schwegler (Peter van Eyck) arrives with
men ahead of Rommel to fix up security and make arrangements for his commanding
officer. In a pinch, Bramble must impersonate the dead “waiter,†of the hotel,
a man called Davos. It turns out that Davos, who had a peg leg, was a German
spy who had made regular reports on British movements before he was killed.
This gives Bramble the opportunity to play double agent and ferret out Rommel’s
secret of hidden supply dumps in Egypt known as the “five graves to Cairo.†Throw
in a love/hate conflict between Bramble and Mouche, and you’ve got the makings
of a terrific war thriller.
Five
Graves to Cairo is
well-made, tightly written (by Wilder, with longtime scribe partner Charles
Brackett), and superbly acted. Tone, while not being an A-level star per se,
carries the movie well. Baxter, speaking with a European accent that isn’t quite
French, is suitable enough and certainly exudes screen chemistry. Erich von
Stroheim almost steals the picture as Rommel, doing his typical German officer
routine we’ve seen before; he makes a terrific heavy for the tale. Tamiroff’s
purpose is primarily comic relief, and he always fulfills that duty with skill.
Kino
Lorber’s impressive high definition restoration looks sharp and clear. It comes
with an audio commentary by film historian Joseph McBride, as well as the
theatrical trailer for this and other Billy Wilder releases by Kino.
Five
Graves to Cairo is
a time capsule of its day, a potent look at a filmmaker early in his
extraordinary career, and a marvelous entertainment.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON