Vainqueur du désert

There were many DESERT WARRIOR type movies made in the 1960s but this one stood out for the clever battle scenes.

The concept of the KILLING GATE was a key defensive structure built into many ancient cities. It is basically this... You have a vulnerable gate in a city that attackers are lured into attacking as it "appears weak" and could easily be destroyed. However, the builders of the city would also construct a courtyard inside the gate area. Once the outer gate was entered, the attackers would find themselves surrounded by high walls and be trapped. From those walls the defenders would rain down death with arrows and spears and slaughter all who entered the Killing Zone.

IL DOMINATORE DEL DESERTO was the only movie from that era to use this defensive technique. KIRK MORRIS leads his followers into this trap with the knowledge that they can manipulate an escape.

AKA: DESERT RAIDERS.

And THE HERO OF THE DESERT.

Also stars Helen Chanel and Rosalba Neri.

I have added a few stills in the gallery.

I’d never heard of this peplum prior to its recent screening on late-night Italian TV. As the title suggests, it’s an Arabian Nights-type adventure but without any element of fantasy; consequently, it emerges as a totally undistinguished affair that’s barely watchable for the contribution of two “Euro-Cult” stalwarts: Rosalba Neri as the rather bland heroine (she was far more interesting when playing a bad girl) and Paul Muller as the constantly scowling villain (despite having a harem of beautiful girls at his disposal!).

The hero, then, is (unconvincingly) played by muscle-man Kirk Morris who was more at home in mythological roles. Also worth mentioning is pretty Helene Chanel as Muller’s favorite harem girl who develops a conscience out of the blue towards the end and aids Neri in fleeing!; incidentally, she had already appeared alongside Morris in Riccardo Freda’s popular but unintentionally hilarious THE WITCH’S CURSE (1962). The hackneyed plot isn’t worth recounting in detail here – except to say that, at one point, the hero and his sidekick try to pass themselves off as jugglers during Neri and Muller’s engagement feast (a ruse which would also see service that same year in SWORD OF DAMASCUS, a film I rewatched recently!). Neither do the action sequences generate much involvement from the viewer – especially given the sluggish pacing and the sheer contrived nature of events (Morris acquires legendary status as a freedom fighter merely by having made it out of Muller’s palace alive, garnering an impressive army of followers into the bargain apparently at the bat of an eyelid!!).

I could argue without be afraid to commit a mistake that the Italians have stablished the Peplum genre as we know nowadays, they developed own style always focusing in a might hero, bound up on pictures on mythologic figures as Hercules, Maciste, Sanson, Aquiles, Ulysses and so on, instead the Americans often employ a brainy hero, this reheated concept plot about kidnapping and slavery of beauty women from a peaceful kingdom, at behest of powerful Califh Yussuf (Paul Muller) of Nemec Kingdom, somehow in an unknown territory a desert Arabic area, among these have a gorgeous Princess Fatima (Rosalba Neri) that ends up draw attention of tyrannical Yussuf of so angelical beauty already embedding her at his crowed harem.

Later she got flee assisted by harem's girl fed up of so many grievances, on the escaping thru desert Fatima gets shelter in a small oasis with the gently Nadir (Kirk Morris) the grateful girl ends up falling in love at first sight (believe or not) the beguiled Nadir taking her to your safe home at Malik village, Yussuf in advance gets find Fatima whereabouts and recover his bride for an upcoming marriage, worst killing Nadir's father on the raid, he gets together with his buddy attempt to rescue her at Yussuf's palace as jugglers being pushed out for lousy performance, they running away thru desert under a strong sandstorm where the Yussuf's pursuers went back upon menacing plight.

Sadly Nadir's sidekick gonna die on quicksand, (on Desert?) back at home he starts stealing Yussuf 's gold and goods from several caravan crossing the desert aiming for entice the Bedouins to enter at Nadir small army to get stronger to siege Nemec's stronghold to face Yussuf's army on equal terms to release his beloved Fatima until too late, however Yussuf has a ace in the hole for it.

This picture has many fails, kicking off by a fake desert land, instead the producers crossing the Mediterranean Sea to shot at Saara desert, they used a portion of dry land neighbouring, also aside the interior palace really a lavish sets, all external of cities are badly garnished, the battles are slow pace, far-fetched and phony, the soundtrack is worst a sound coming from longer distances echoing by air or something alike, overall an average Peplum, I found a fine print at Youtube with English subtitled in an encrypted Italian language which I'd watched in far off 1984 at TV.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1984 / How many: 1 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 5.25.