Second World War drama starring Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter and Erich von Stroheim. June 1942, and Rommel's troops are advancing swiftly into Egypt. Corporal John Bramble, the only survivor of a British tank crew, staggers into an Arab village that has become Rommel's headquarters. In a dingy hotel, the fate of the desert campaign hangs on Bramble discovering the secret of Rommel's "Five Graves".
This minor but hugely enjoyable Billy Wilder picture stars Erich von Stroheim as Field Marshal Rommel, holed up in a fly-blown hotel during the North Africa campaign. Franchot Tone is a British spy posing as a club-footed waiter, Anne Baxter is a French maid, Peter Van Eyck a Nazi sadist and Fortunio Bonanova an Italian buffoon who bursts into opera - the whole movie is a sly transposition of Aida. Despite a few token shots of tanks in the desert, this is the Second World War played indoors as a game of charades, role-playing and racial stereotyping. Tense and hilarious, it's a smashing entertainment, and von Stroheim is utterly magnificent.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Cpl John Bramble | Franchot Tone |
| Mouche | Anne Baxter |
| Farid | Akim Tamiroff |
| Field Marshal Rommel | Erich von Stroheim |
| Lt Schwegler | Peter Van Eyck |
| General Sabastiano | Fortunio Bonanova |
| British colonel | Miles Mander |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Billy Wilder |
