Sahara

Ludicrous bodice-ripper starring the wooden Brook Shields as the kind of plucky romantic heroine who can change outfits in mid-kidnapping. Features such silliness as nomadic Bedouin chiefs who keep stone dungeons on hand, other Bedouin who have frosted lipstick and gold lame party outfits lying around, more Bedouin going on a human hunt using leopards instead of hounds (the leopards are kept on leashes where they can't chase anything), hairstyles that range from 1910 to 1983 (story set in the 1920's), incredible continuity problems with the trans-Sahara race that forms the basis of the plot (Brooke spends about a week in one spot, and suddenly the other drivers all appear at once; her two assistants appear and disappear randomly) etc. etc.

Just about the dumbest, silliest, most badly acted, worst plotted excuse for a movie you'll ever see. Young Brooke Shields is so bad that you swear she couldn't get the lead in a a high school play, much less a real movie. Even by the low standards of the romance genre, it's pathetic.

(1983) Sahara ACTION ADVENTURE

The movie is supposedly takes place during the year of 1924 which at the opening has a young lady, Dale (Brooke Sheilds) driving her car around a track, with sponsors looking onward. For the celebration of the new model car, is a party and when the father goes for a ride, he gets into an accident and dies. Before he dies, he tells his only child, Dale to compete into the race called the Sahara rally for the intention of impressing sponsors, except that only men are allowed to enter. So she disguises herself as a young man so that she can meet an old rival of her dad's, Von Glessing (Horst Buchholz). During the Sahara race each contestant are warned about a war that is brewing on the desert between two factions of the Chambra tribe and the Hamancha tribe. And it is not long before she begins to cross paths with the Chambra tribe with the senior uncle Ibrahim Rasoul (John Rhys-Davies) abducting Dale and her two crewman. And she begins to meet and eventually fall for his uncle's nephew sheik, Ahmed Al Jaffar (Lambert Wilson) while captured.

Although, there are no cringe worthy scenes, that upon watching this, the movie can't seem to know what it wants which at the opening show cases a group of gypsies mercilessly killed by the Chambra tribe for no reason. Then the next thing you know, they are then supposed to be the side, viewers are supposed to root for since it is the same tribe the Brooke Sheilds character falls in love with. This is one of those movies in which producers may have seen actor John Rhys-Davies in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", and loved his performance so much that they may have intervened during the making of this one, and try to become directors themselves by replicate the same tone as the Indiana Jones movies.

OK, I am a big Brooke Shields fan (that's why I have bought a DVD of this movie), but, honestly, I can understand why she was nominated for a Razzie award for this one... But it's not only the unfortunate Brooke, (except for C. Lambert, who plays the Arabic sheik in love with Brooke's character) the acting is uniformly bad in this movie. The parts where there are attempts at "humour" are the worst parts. The parts where there are attempts at drama come a close second worst. Or maybe the parts where there are attempts at romance. Nevertheless, the movie picks up some strength towards the end. The tribal battle scene is very good and the scene where Brooke is placed in a pit with black panthers and leopards is marvelous. For a western-made movie set in the Orient, I also liked the idea that the male protagonist was a non-westerner: you don't have a heroic white guy saving the white damsel in distress. Brooke's character is not the typical weakling damsel in distress either, she is a strong character herself.

I'm a pushover for the Saharan setting, but discovering Lambert Wilson was the best surprise. He made the whole movie. His eyes, voice, stature......just wonderful. I liked the adventure of the movie.......much like the Great American Race.

It's a shame that everybody knocks this movie, because it really is good. Sure, it is cheesy in parts, but hey it's a 1983 Brooke Shields movie, what do you expect? The best way to describe this movie is probably that it is very much like a Harlequin romance in many ways. Brooke Shields gives a very good performance, as does movie veteran Sir John Mills. It seems with this movie you either like it or you don't. Personally, I liked it and do recommend it. So go ahead, get some junk food, and a friend who likes romance flicks, and watch it on a rainy day.