Avanzada en Marruecos

This adventures and lackluster desert opus deals about Paul Gerard(George Raft) a French legionnaire officer. The philander legionnaire is sent a dangerous assignment, escort an Emir of Bel-Rashad's daughter(Marie Windsor) and investigate the Emir's(Edward Franz) activities. Then Paul discovers a Mouser rifles for a possible rebellion. Meanwhile he falls in love with Cara and befriends a sympathetic lieutenant(Akim Tamiroff).

Acceptable action/adventures movie blending drama of self-sacrifice, love story and spectacular outdoors. The film concerns about the French Legion, an instrument of conquest of the North of Africa and Indochina. This regiment was employed for bloody fights and futile wars in a vain attempt to retain territories . Some moment is rather dull but in the second half is a bit more exciting with forced march and taking place in an isolate fort as well as Arab attacks. Atmosphere is appropriately depressing and and gritty, especially during the blockade when the regiment bears starvation and with no water. Evovative and adequate musical score by Michel Michelet.The picture was shot in Imperial County, California and Morocco, at the beginning the producers thanksgiving the French army for its collaboration. The story belongs a genre which has given classics, such as ¨Beau Geste(Gary Cooper)¨ and ¨Under two flags(Ronald Colman)¨ and full of humor as ¨Beau Hunks¨with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The motion picture is professionally directed by Robert Florey, a nice craftsman. He's expert on adventures genre: ¨Tarzan and the mermaids¨, ¨Rogues' regiment¨ also with the Foreign Legion and Terror genre : 'Beast with five fingers'and 'Murders in the Rue Morgue'. Rating : Acceptable adventures movie is passable at its kind , providing some of entertainment and fun.

So far, now in 2024, and as a movie buff since fifty years now, I can consider this movie as one of the best movies ever made about French Foreign Legion, just after William Wellman's BEAU GESTE - and not its TV remake. And I still research since forty years Charles Marquis Warren's DESERT HELL, also about French Foreign Legion, but I still can't find it. And I guess I am not the only one. So, back to this one, yes, it is a solid film, pulled by a solid cast, direction and story too. Jawdropping action scenes, mindblowing for such a film. George Raft is excellent in this role for which he was not too used too, if you consider his filmography. Also among of the best roles for Marie Windsor. One of my favorite from director Robert Florey. The story itself is not that interesting though, I prefer BEAU GESTE of course, but that's on another scale.

This does have a couple of good action sequences, but overall it is too predictable to be anything more than average, at best, for its genre. The Foreign Legion setting is fairly interesting, at least as a reflection of its time, and it provides for a couple of relatively interesting possibilities.

George Raft stars as a Legionnaire who combines a hazardous mission with a romantic involvement with an Emir's daughter. Once things get started, Raft is good enough in the role, but the first several minutes of the movie are wasted trying to portray his character as an incurable skirt-chaser, which doesn't really work. Marie Windsor plays the Emir's daughter, and while there's nothing wrong with her performance, she doesn't really fit the part, and she and Raft never quite seem to click together. The script is straightforward enough, but it could have used some sharper dialogue to pick up these scenes in particular.

Once Raft's character gets his assignment and meets the daughter, the story follows a pretty standard formula. The action sequences are the highlights, which include a good chase scene with Raft trying to elude a palace full of pursuers. Otherwise, there are only occasional moments of good drama to hold your attention.

A bleak, remote setting is the background for this Foreign Legion tale of adventure which moves along steadily with few dull moments, at least for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Akim Tamiroff in his role as Lieutenant Glysko. He certainly excels as a character actor, breathing new life into whatever role he takes on. There's quite an exciting battle scene midway and some fierce racing horses as a battle unfolds.

George Raft and Marie Windsor were seldom at the top of my charts yet they are well suited in this film and meld nicely in the romantic episodes. I'd regard this one as standard entertainment, no frills.

Let me start by saying this was not a "Beau Geste" by any means - it was set in Morocco and the locations looked very good, but that is the end of the "penny section!" I had always found George Raft to be completely wooden, and he proved it again in this one, but he did show me he was a very good dancer (clearly the highlight for him in this epic!). And well into his 50's when this was made took away any believability for him to be a romantic hero. The role, had it not been made on a shoe string, needed a Tyrone Power or a Errol Flynn to make it worthwhile. Marie Windsor looked like she wanted to be somewhere else, while Akim Tamiroff was clearly the best performer in the cast. Seeing Raft "act" makes me so glad to rejected the leads in "High Sierra" and "The Maltese Falcon" - had he not done so, they would not be genuine movie classics.