Les Rats du Bled

Ralph Meeker gets to take a break from playing poachers to play a gamekeeper in the form of a megalomaniac captain in the French foreign legion of whom its said "He could lead a hundred grandmothers through the Boxer Rebellion without disturbing their coiffure".

The story suggests the twenties but his arrival by helicopter shows it's actually set much later. People get massacred but director Lesley Selander makes it all seem rather tame, with characters just standing about and talking.

The cute little fortress is quite striking in a Germanic sort of way. Conspicuous by their absence are any actual Frenchman: Aussie Ron Randall assuming an English accent to boast about his expulsion from Sandhurst and the University of Cambridge Medical School; while John Carradine invests the Arab chieftain with the sort of accent only a Shakespearean actor could manage.

My cherished memories of "Desert Sands" still remain after 26 years. It played on the bottom of a double-bill (can't remember the main feature--a forgettable 'A' big-studio stinker, I'm certain) but was a swift, beautifully photographed, Foreign Legion humdinger of escapism with a memorable cast--Ralph Meeker at his most stalwart, gorgeous Marla English, John Carradine & J. Carroll Naish at their outlandish best, and young, dashing John Smith poised for stardom (after charming supporting roles in "The High and the Mighty," "We're No Angeles" and the forthcoming "Friendly Persuasion"). But the film seems to have vanished after playing on TV in the early '70s. Dismissed in its time as a 'B' programmer, "Desert Sands" was a sweeping, actionful treat--the actors seemed to be having as much fun as the cheering audience (and when has that happened in today's zillion-dollar stinkers? The stars seem to be wincing and working almost as hard as the audiences do trying to keep awake while enduring these "blockbuster" bombs). Come on, Turner Classic Movies. You've got the rights to these UA programmers of the '50s. Granted, most of them aren't worth reviving, but "The Desert Sands" definitely is. A throwback to the days when even medium-budget films could be class-A efforts, depending on the talents of all those (director, actors, script, cinematographer, etc.) involved. In this instance, "The Desert Sands" comes up trumps! Suffer thru other expensive big-studio adventure epics of the time ("Beau Brummel," "Prince Valiant," "The Egyptian," etc.) and you'll relish the unpretentious, lighthearted "Desert Sands" even more. An unheralded gem of 1955, long-overdue to be recognized as a heralded gem of any day. And it demands to be letterboxed in Superscope. A dazzling wide-screen delight--for precarious adventurers of all ages and times!

An exciting adventure film, with good battle scenes, interesting characters, stirring renditions of "Le Boudin" (the signature march of the Legion) and the little known and sexy Elizabeth Taylor lookalike Marla English, as the "Arab" princess. It seems like the Legion outpost is a modified "wild west" set and Marla and her maidservant's costumes appear to be reworked Mexican cowgirl outfits. Entirely apropos for the unintentionally hilarious love scenes with the Legion commandant (Ralph Meeker). Her brother, the sheikh, has a prep school accent, but it's not quite as bad as the Brooklynese dialect of Richard Conte's villain sheikh in 1953's "Desert Legion" ("Det ta da lejun!"). Mama Mia!!

The legionnaires are uncharacteristically complacent. After all, this is 1955 and the tribes just don't surround and attack Legion forts a la Beau Geste anymore. Not! They get a rude awakening when Marla and her brother; who believe their father was murdered by the French; unite the desert tribes and wipe out a column of legionnaires. The film does have some reality deficits. Even though it's the 1950s there isn't a motor vehicle in sight, although the new commandant arrives at the fort by helicopter, and the radio man is building a television set. The rifles carried by the legionnaires were over 20 years out of date at the time, and rifle grenades can't blow up buildings. But, this is an escapist actioner with some unintended laughs thrown in, not a History Channel Special. In that respect, it really hits the spot. It even begins with a sultry, James Bondish theme song!

I recently saw this movie for the first time since the early 70s (on TCM) and I find it hard to believe that it was never put on commercial video.

Extremely silly plot that makes zero sense. The most un-Arab looking Arabs ever seen in any film ever. All of the French and all of the Arabs speak perfect English with no accents whatsoever. It was impossible to work out which time period this was set in. The large Arab tent would have needed thousands of horses or camels to transport it as in was also extravagently furnished. The Arab females were white with very non-Arab hair and makeup.

All of these flaws may not have mattered to audiences in the mid 1950s so if they can be ignored now it is an entertaining, and very silly, film. A must watch for those who love bad films.

I saw this film only once in 1957 at a local cinema when I was nine years old. The plot outline is a little dim after the passage of time but I recall that the story centred upon a misunderstanding that took place between the son and daughter of an Arab chieftain and the local garrison of the French Foreign Legion. War ensues and Ralph Meeker as the commander of the garrison, fights heroically against the Arabs.

I recall that the colour was very good and the actors portraying the legionaires seemed quite authentic. The actor portraying the French sergeant was very affecting. Marla English as the Arab princess was beautiful and sensual.

I would enjoy seeing this film again and it is a pity that the copyright holders have not released it as a video or a DVD. I hope that it may be offered to television networks to take up and show in future.