The Lost Patrol

THE LOST PATROL from the British Army in Mesopotamia desperately defends itself in a tiny oasis from Arab attackers.

John Ford directed this powerful Great War tale of agonizing heartbreak and desperate perseverance. The film becomes a character study as the eleven soldiers succumb, inevitably, to madness and snipers' bullets. Ford craftily keeps the Arabs unseen for an hour, making the implacable desolation of the sun scorched desert the men's worst enemy.

British actor Victor McLaglen is the absolute backbone of the film. Beefy McLaglen--who had his own distinguished military career in World War One--is perfectly believable as the stalwart sergeant with the task of keeping his men alive at the water hole until relief can arrive. Bullying, blustering, brave, his is a heroic performance of a man fighting titanic odds.

Gaunt Boris Karloff appears as a religiously fanatical private; his final scene, carrying a large cross up a dune, is especially memorable. Also in the patrol are Wallace Ford as a lively music hall performer and Reginald Denny as a gentleman with a past. Among the other men are good-natured Billy Bevan, sturdy Alan Hale and naive teenager Douglas Walton.

Max Steiner's powerful soundtrack propels the plot onward to its inevitable conclusion.

The Lost Patrol (1934)

A John Ford war movie five years before his breakthrough movie, "Stagecoach," is interesting at least in relation to his career. So I watched this (on Warner Archive Instant).

And his lifelong themes are here—men in the wilds facing their weaknesses. His war films and westerns all have qualities of machismo, for sure, but they aren't just masculine adventure flicks. That's what makes even something like this minor effort stand up over time. When two of these men, after seeing their fellow soldiers die one by one, sit and smoke a pair of cigarettes and talk about themselves and their lives and their halted dreams, you have the depths of the movie. And of John Ford.

The plot is a contrivance—a British WWI patrol gets lost in an Arabian desert with hostile fire around them. As each of the dozen or so men dies, either from standing up at the wrong time, making a run for it, or just losing their mind in the heat, you zero in on the few that remain. And on the idea of survival. But none of this is particularly realistic. In fact, most of the film is supposed to be a night and it's bright as noon.

But Ford must have known it was a fable he was laying out, and he knew as well the realism he needed in the interactions between the men, all ordinary fellows. Except for one religious nut played with believable excess by Boris Karloff, and he also is a symbol of what their options are.

And so it steadily dwindles on, the men and the film, honing down to the final moments of desperation. And then a big sudden end which feels about right. That's what is odd, somehow—the actions of the main characters become more and more realistic as they get more extreme.

For those interested in Ford's famous blocking out of how his movies are shot, this is a decent example. Because most of it was shot on this oasis set, he could control within these confines the angles and the use of space of confinement well. Which is partly what the movie is about, too, thinking about either escape or entrapment and death. Not a great movie, but with an aura of greatness here and there and in the overview.

John Ford's the Lost Patrol probably reflects Ford's views on life in general . Ford knew what he wanted in the way he handles the various actors in their parts and each fulfills their role admirably . Karloff is a bit over the top at times and evidently Ford wanted that . Ford's symbolism is reflected in the setting , the circumstances and the characters and is enhanced by Max Steiners' brilliant score . The characters are a " Grand Hotel " collection , but each having his own views about life and how death meets them.

The setting is Mesopotamia , the original Garden of Eden as pointed out by Karloff . Here is Eden ruined by the fall of man , bleak , barren and deserted .There are only ruins with very little nourishment for sustenance . Death is represented by the unseen Arabs. It strikes without warning or without being seen . It strikes at the most inopportune times . All want an opportunity to fight this unseen enemy that has decimated their ranks.It strikes mercilessly and cruelly and shatters all hope . Man facing his mortality controls nearly all of the discussions and the reminiscing .

The helplessness of man in the midst of his circumstances seems to be Ford's "arch" for this film . This is conveyed by the inability to see the enemy or know when he will strike . He steals the provisions needed to survive and there is no way to retrieve them .The seeming 'victory' of reaching the oasis shatters that illusion after the first night .

One other commented on the anti-Christian ( or religious ) bias of Ford that shows itself in this picture . One strong point that Ford makes is that there is ' no help from above '. The airplane seems to be a sign that help has arrived , but that hope is soon shot down . Then the two men discuss that they know nothing about flying ( read religion ) . Their final act of helplessness and unbelief is to burn the plane . No help is coming from above ( God ) .

I sat spellbound watching Ford weave a masterpiece of a tapestry of symbolism . Here is Ford at the top of his game and illustrating his genius whether you agree with his philosophy or not . This is not just a story ( and it is a great one at that ) , but it is man's response to life . That is where and why the attempted remakes have failed . They see only the struggle and try to focus on that . The struggle against odds has been done in every genre ,so they bring nothing new to the table . Ford used the struggle as a tableau for the deeper struggle of the basic dilemmas of man and life.

I will watch this over and over .

John Ford's critically acclaimed film has lost some of its punch, but still delivers an emotional feeling of helplessness, as the lost patrol is menaced by unseen Arabs, and are picked off one by one until few are left. That feeling is reinforced when a rescue airplane lands and the pilot, unaware of the danger, cavalierly walks toward the men, who try to signal him to take cover. But there are bit too many dead spots between the action sequences. And Boris Karloff tends to overact his religious fanatic role, which got on everyone's nerve, including mine. Still, the film is beautifully photographed and has a good Max Steiner score.

This early John Ford "talkie" (1934) crams in a lot of action and tension in just over an hour. It's the kind of classic film that could stand a good remake considering the subject matter and today's headlines in the Middle East. The plot is simple but effective. A dozen British soldiers on patrol in the Mesopotamian desert are attacked by an unseen force of Arabs. Their commanding officer is killed by a sniper and he was the only person who had knowledge of their exact location in the endless arid landscape. With no hope for reinforcements, the remaining soldiers are soon stranded on an obscure oasis and picked off one-by-one. Victor McLaglen is superb as the ranking sergeant trying to hold his dwindling force together. Boris Karloff is excellent (albeit a bit "over the top") as a religious lunatic who attempts to "convert" his comrades and the enemy to no avail. Adding to the suspense, the bewildered soldiers never see their attackers. The film's larger message regarding the utter futility of war hangs over the proceedings like a funeral shroud---but never gets in the way of the action. The surprising and shattering ending to this tale is one of the most unforgettable moments in 1930s cinema. Ford went on to make bigger pictures, but not too many were better than this one.