Khartoum

Khartoum tells the story of British general Sir Charles Gordon (Charlton Heston) who accepted the assignment of liberating English citizens and Egyptians from the Sudan city of Khartoum, which was being invaded by The Mahdi (Laurence Olivier) and his Arab forces.

Directed by Basil Dearden and written by Robert Ardrey, Khartoum is an effective historical story piece that has wisely spent its budget to make it looks fabulous. Shot in Ultra Panavision and Technicolor on location in Egypt, it goes without saying that the film needs to be witnessed on the biggest screen available to you. As is normally the way in this type of film, historical accuracies come under scrutiny, to which Khartoum, except for a couple of major character meetings that never happened, is happy to hopefully entertain while it educates. But it's talky, very talky. Which while that works for those who like a touch of political intrigue in their historical epic diet, those more inclined to gorge on action over substance movies are sure to still be hungry come the end. What action there is is excellently choreographed by stunt coordinator Yakima Canutt, and as productions go, Khartoum is lavish and acted with no little skill by a fine cast (Ralph Richardson, Michael Horden & Nigel Green complementing Messrs Heston & Olivier).

But Khartoum is something of an enigma in that it has a lot going for it yet it remains a genre piece that's hard to recommend with confidence. In fact it's very much like another of Heston's historical epic pictures, 55 Days at Peking, in that it has many fans yet is rarely spoke about in genre circles. Of course there's now issues in this day and age as regards races and how they are portrayed, so for the politically correct amongst us, it's probably best to avoid this "touchily topical" period in Heston's career. And while Ardrey's screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award, one can't help yearning for some more depth given to the lead players, Gordon & The Mahdi, as opposed to expansive conversations involving political machinations back in Blighty. However, its literary value is still very high, which when coupled with the magnificent visual touches (Edward Scaife on cinematography duties) make it a genre piece of note; to the discerning observer that is.

A mixed bag for sure, but it doesn't waste the money afforded it, while it's certainly far better than some of the silly and shallow epics that came our way post 1970. So a cautionary 7/10.

This film, which I saw in downtown Detroit when I was eight years old,remains one of my all-time favorites.Its a little talky, a little pretentious, but still grand fun, with exciting battle sequences, wonderful, over the top performances,and a truly stirring, if corny score. Robert Ardrey, notorious theorist of the "territorial imperative",wrote the script, and Basil Dearden directed. Martin Scorsese once listed it among his guilty pleasures.

I just now saw this movie on television for the first time. Somehow I missed it in 1966. I have always been interested in "Chinese Gorden" and they seemed to do his character quite well, though somehow I thought he was a "Teatotaler"! What surprised me about the movie was the flat out way it was admitted that his government abandoned him, expected him to do the job with no support, only caring that "people in the street" didn't know what they had done. In 1966, we didn't yet know that governments did such naughty things. In those days we still believed that the government was still the "good guy". That people liked the movie in spite of that amazes me----5 or 10 years later it would have been a "given".

'Khartoum' is a grossly under-rated film that deserves much more.It is an outstanding recreation of the late 19th century war in Sudan where British forces led by the enigmatic General Gordon fought against fanatical tribesmen under the leadership (spell?) of the self proclaimed 'Mahdi'(expected one).Charlton Heston plays Gordon with his usual efficiency but the scene stealer is undoubtedly Sir Laurence Olivier as the 'Mahdi'.His make-up,accent,wardrobe and sheer charisma truly make for heady viewing.The cinematography is excellent and the flavor of the times is captured beautifully.The action scenes are terrific and the score compliments the goings-on perfectly. I would personally rate it on par with the much respected and much loved 'Lawrence of Arabia',which was in much the same mould as this,though made 4 years earlier in 1962.

As a writer and actor, I found "Khartoum" to be a fascinating project. And even if the producers never solved all of the fictionalized biography's inherent questions and problems entirely, the resulting cinematic feature came out I suggest as intelligent, literate, thoughtful, a film very much worth seeing more than once. The chief question about George Gordon, a pseudo-religious colonial general, administrator and enigmatic character is whether he really championed the subjects of Britain's evil Empire or whether he just wanted them quietly subjected; there is much evidence on both sides of the question. In the film, for filmic purposes, we assume he is genuine; that he is in fact jeopardizing his own life at low odds doing something most political experts consider impossible because he cares about the Sudanese and their (we assume) more-hopeful future under British rule than under that of a pseudo-religious murderous and highly-intelligent zealot. Nothing, I suggest, could be more timely for men to consider not long after the 9/11 attacks staged by the Mahdi's equally-repulsive spiritual brethren than the real attitude of the imperialist power of the last century targeted by a rival imperialist have-not Musilim fanatic. If we assume, as the screenplay's author Robert Ardrey would have us believe, that the core truth about Gordon was that he cared about responsibility more than about playing Establishment politics, playing leader or staying alive, then the man is definitely worth making a film about, and worthy his place in history. After an interesting but leisurely exposition of the region and the background to the Nile, the Sudan and its peoples, replete with lovely scenes, and a narration read by the great actor Leo Genn, we witness the destruction of an ill-officered British army by the forces of The Expected One, a dangerous new religious rebel. Back in England, Horace Gladstone, Prime Minister and Machiavellian politician, is appalled. There seems to be no solution to his problem of what to do next, until someone suggests getting General "Chinese" Gordon to risk his life opposing the new fanatic. They believe he would have to be crazy to do so; they tell him so. He agrees to go. So with no plan and what he discovers is a pat hand dealt by Fate against him, he heads to Egypt. He tries to get the slaver whose son he killed and whose power he reduced to be governor of the Sudan; the man refuses, angrily. He finds the Mahdi making headway, but he is received by the British in Khartoum and the populace as a savior. "It's good to be home," he tells them. But in truth, he is in a hornet's nest. Eventually, he has to pack all the foreigners out, and then he must fortify the city on the Nile; wait out the flood season while its heights keeps the invaders away, and eventually also he must conduct a great raid 1. to deprive the Mahdi of supplies; and 2. to provision the city. Then there is a wait--as a relief army by a reluctant Gladstone is trained, and straggles up the Nile to relieve him--three days too late. The film is beautifully-made. My only complaint is that we hardly see Khartoum at all after the initial welcoming scene. Every other scene in the film is to me like seeing history brought to life. The two great invented scenes--a meeting between Gordon and Gladstone and a meeting between the Mahdi and Gordon are the best dramatic scenes in the film in my judgment; if they did not happen, they certainly should have. Basil Dearden's direction to me is admirable in every respect; atmosphere goes past style in difficult and reward-level; this film is frequently atmospheric. The art direction by John Howell and the cinematography by veteran Edward Scaife are both outstanding. Yakima Canutt of Ben-Hur chariot -race fame directed the elaborate battle scenes. Pamela Cornell was the chief set dresser. In the cast are Charlton Heston trying very hard and frequently succeeding as Gordon, even though he cannot quite do a British accent. As the Mahdi, Olivier is award level, making spare but telling use of his wide arsenal as an actor; he used his Moorish success as "Othello" to flesh out a most memorable monster. In the cast, Richard Johnson is very good, Ralph Richardson, Nigel Green, Michael Hordern and Alexander Knox are outstanding. My favorite scene is the great meeting between Gordon and the Mahdi; but there are others--the great roundup, the arrival, Gordon and his servant (Johnny Sekka) in several maddening attempts to gain information, the great reception and the Prime Minister's meeting, the annihilation of William Hicks's army, etc. I find this is a very underrated film, made by adults perhaps too late to find an audience capable of appreciating its full values.