La pattuglia sperduta

The second film version of an archetypal adventure story is arguably the best despite some dated elements; John Ford deftly handles the proceedings and Max Steiner's stirring score - which at times foreshadows his later one for CASABLANCA (1942) - is a major asset. The solid cast of character actors is highlighted by Boris Karloff's remarkable turn as a religious fanatic who is slowly driven crazy by the amorality of his comrades and the futility of their struggle against unseen Arab attackers. The film can not only be seen to form part of the "British Empire" sub-genre of adventure films - with THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER (1935), THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE (1936), THE FOUR FEATHERS (1939) and GUNGA DIN (1939) being its most notable contemporary examples - but, if one were to stretch it a bit, also paves the way for more modern stuff like John Carpenter's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976). It's unfortunate that nowadays, only the 66-minute reissue version seems to be available rather than the original, full-length 74 minute version. Over 20 years ago, I missed my one opportunity to watch this one on Italian TV and have been on the lookout for it ever since; however, I did manage to catch two similarly-themed wartime actioners, BATAAN (1943; with Robert Taylor) and SAHARA (1943; with Humphrey Bogart) over the years which were quite good in their own right. Curiously enough, Cyril McLaglen had played the same part played here by his brother Victor in the earlier 1929 British film version.

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.

No, 'The Lost Patrol' is actually not as bad as that review summary (me trying to think of a summary that wasn't too generic or overused as others) made it sound. It has divided viewers and critics and it is not hard at all to see why. There was a lot of potential here, one of golden age cinema's best, more consistent and most influential directors in John Ford, an interesting idea for a story, music from Max Steiner and a talented cast (especially love Boris Karloff, a horror film icon).

'The Lost Patrol' really isn't one of Ford's best and it is actually one of my least favourite earlier efforts of his and a lesser effort of his overall to me. It does contain some of the best work of some of those involved, while others do not come over well which will be elaborated upon below. Is 'The Lost Patrol' bad? Absolutely not. It takes a lot for me to call any film of Ford's bad and this is no exception. The execution though was disappointing and very flawed.

Shall start with the good things. 'The Lost Patrol' looks great, some obvious rear projection aside on occasion. The photography is very beautiful and atmospheric and the scenery is typically quite majestic. Steiner's score has gotten mixed reviews here, for me it was lushly orchestrated (not surprising as it is Steiner), sweeping and deliciously exotic but can see why others found it intrusive and not always original (personally found the referencing affectionate and effective). There are signs of Ford's directorial brilliance, the more action oriented scenes are powerful and rouse.

Acting is generally not bad with one glaring exception. Victor McLaglen gives a ferocious and commanding performance in the lead role and Reginald Denny is just as excellent. Wallace Ford also excels in a type of role that he was always comfortable in.

Unfortunately, Karloff gives a rare bad performance in a truly bizarre part that was like watching an uncomfortably strange cartoon. His outrageously exaggerated acting is really at odds with everything else. Really appreciated that the film really did take time to try to make the characters meaty but this takes up too much of the cartoon and only McLaglen's character has much meat or felt realistic, the others felt like stereotypes and not always sensitive ones. The script has some thoughtful and intriguing moments but suffers from too much long-winded talk.

Furthermore, the story never properly comes to life, sometimes uneventful, and is a tonal muddle. Indicative of trying to do too many things and it was not clear what the film was trying to be. There is not enough suspense, very little is realistic here and the comedic moments jar and come over as odd.

In conclusion, a tricky one to rate and review and just didn't gel for me. All personal opinion. 5/10

No director impresses me more consistently than John Ford. Add The Lost Patrol to the list of his second tier triumphs - it's a cliche, but if anyone else had made this film, it would probably be their masterpiece. A British officer, riding through the Arabian desert in 1917, refuses to share his orders with his subordinates. When he is sniped by an unseen assailant, his six companions have to fend for themselves. They luckily run into an abandoned mosque, where they hold up. Their pursuers, on the other hand, now have them cornered, and start picking them off one by one. Victor McLaglen, a year before he performed his Oscar winning role in Ford's even better The Informer, was not yet pigeonholed as the Irish drunk. He has a straight British accent in this movie, which somehow makes him a bit less great, in my opinion. I just guess I have a soft spot for him as a lout! He's still excellent, however, as the troop's new captain. The other actors are also good. Especially worth mentioning is Boris Karloff as an overly religious man driven insane by the situation. That's a cliche now, but I'm guessing it wasn't in 1934. I don't think I've ever seen Karloff not buried under make-up. He's still playing a horror role, I suppose. At one point he slowly tries to escape the mosque, using a cross as a walking stick. God, what a beautiful scene. Ford's direction is brilliant. Although this is a slightly darker movie than many of his others, there are still several touching Fordian moments in which the soldiers discuss their families. McLaglen has a particularly wonderful moment as he converses about his son, whose mother died in childbirth. At first he hated the child, but he really couldn't help but love him. The smile on his face when he describes his son's life is enormously affecting. Max Steiner's score, although a bit overused at time, is mostly exceptional. At one point, the troop's situation seems about to be relieved. The music becomes triumphant. But a well-aimed bullet stops the score dead in its tracks. This is a great film. 9/10.

I first saw this movie in early 1950's in a local movie house that specialized in older movies. Hadn't heard of it before, and was delighted it was so good. A real "sleeper" from the past. I liked it very much then, and 15 or so years later, I caught it on TV, and managed to tape it. A classic soldiers survival story done right under John Ford's direction. The solid group of actors led by Victor McLaughlin do an excellent job here as British soldiers in Mesopotamia during World War I. Unusual role by Boris Karloff is believable. The enemy Arabs are unseen and pick off the soldiers one by one, adding to the suspense and drama. Good character development. I enjoyed it and awarded a "9".