Customer Reviews

Outpost in Morocco [VHS]

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I picked up Outpost Morocco in a bargain buy because of the title, I wasn't dissappointed. The legendary George Raft as playboy French Foreign Legion captain Gerard. Gerard has to escort the daughter of a Moroccan Emir. The movie is shot in southern Morocco and its landscape looks pretty realistic. The movie made in 1949 from its original black and white composition has a vintage feel. France held Morocco in the grip of a protectorate from 1912-1956, so, during the shooting of this film Morocco technically was not independent. The viewer should pay careful attention to the Moors mode of dress in this movie. Some of the soft fezzes worn early in the movie are very similiar to the so called liberty caps worn by icons in early American history. Of course the Moors are played by Europeans with heavy makeup.

George Raft is his ever cool self escorting the exotic Marie Windsor with her huge Betty Davis eyes. Their screen chemistry is decent but the romance script written for them was somewhat lacking. I always believed Raft was cut from the same fabric as Humprey Bogart but I personally prefer his acting style. If you are looking for a Raft movie outside of the gangster genre, this is the ticket. The movie "March or Die" starring Gene Hackman would be a good companion. It is also about the French Foreign Legion but it concentrates on the Rif wars of Morocco 1911-1927 (Abd El Krim).

George Raft, either as a gangster or a truck driver or a French Foreign Legion officer, was a poor actor. I'm sure there have been doctoral dissertations by enthusiastic students of American contemporary culture on how Raft managed to carve a star career in Hollywood. Yeah, there are all those criminal connection rumors but so far they've just been that, rumors. We know he was a good dancer, but as an actor he was without animation. Often he just looked plain worried. He was wooden and unresponsive. Any actor might have turned down the chance to play the lead in The Maltese Falcon, High Sierra or Casablanca...but Raft turned down all three opportunities. Was he insecure, just realistic about his talent, or basically without a clue? Who knows? What we do know is that after a few big pictures in the late Thirties, he began a long, not-so-slow decline into some pretty awful stuff for the rest of his life. His coin-flipping tough guy persona, however, stayed with him and made him at least marginally bankable. I like him in a few of his movies, mainly Nocturne and Mr Ace from 1946 and, even though it's a tear-jerker, Christmas Eve from 1947.

Outpost in Morocco is a disposable adventure movie, complete with the French Foreign Legion, desert outposts, restless tribes and a desert princess with a figure usually seen only in a teen-ager's dreams. Still, as a basic Hollywood product it delivers the goods. Robert Florey, the director, keeps the action and the story moving along. Marie Windsor as Cara, the daughter of the Emir of Bel-Rashad, is zaftig. Akim Tamiroff as Lieutenant Glysko provides humor as well as bravery and energy. Eduard Franz as the Emir is suitably anti-French and, surprisingly, not simply a caricature of an untrustworthy native leader. And there's George Raft as Captain Paul Gerard, assigned to deliver Cara to her father in a journey across the sands, who then finds himself caught between love and a perilous rebellion, complete with a remote desert outpost on his hands to defend. Raft at 54 shows his age. His director makes him do the coin flipping thing a couple of times. Even when he's sneaking into the Emir's compound to find out what's going on, then escapes by leaping off parapets, racing across the sands and mounting briskly his horse, he shows as much emotion as when he's smooching Cara...not much. Once when asked about his acting Raft is supposed to have said, "I'm afraid to look, because I'm probably awful." It doesn't help Raft that he must wear a Legionnaire's uniform much of the time, complete with kepi and shoulder cape. When he's not in uniform he's in disguise, wearing a turban and what appears to be pantaloons. Raft, to his credit, does the job and doesn't seem embarrassed.

One of the pleasures of the movie is seeing Marie Windsor, the quintessential noir bad girl, playing Cara. Windsor gives us an emir's daughter who can be arrogant, sweet, loving and brave. She manages to avoid looking ridiculous even while photographed on what is supposed to be a horse galloping in front of a rear screen projection to stop her father. She's eye-catching at the start of the movie when we watch her and Raft dance a tango in a nightclub. For that matter, Raft looks great dancing the tango, too. To see Windsor at her best, which is to say her worst, just watch her deal with poor Elisha Cook, Jr., in The Killing.

A stalk of month-old celery would be crisper than the fuzzy, mushy DVD transfer this black-and-white public domain movie is given.

United Artists presents "OUTPOST IN MOROCCO" (1949 92 min/B&W) -- Starring: George Raft, Marie Windsor, Akim Tamiroff & John Litel

Directed by Robert Florey

Captain Gerard (George Raft), of the French Foreign Legion, is assigned to escort an emir's daughter (Marie Windsor) to her father's mountain citadel and find out what he can about the Emir of Bel-Rashad (Eduard Franz) activities. Gerard enjoys his work with lovely Cara, but arrives to find rebellion brewing. Can the garrison be reinforced in time?

Akim Tamiroff just about steals the film in his role as Lieutenant Glysko. He always assumes the character quite nicely, bringing in a top notch performance.

Marie Windsor fans will love how she plays out this character in every scene, feel she was one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood. Look for the swimming pool episode, where she appears to be swimming in her birthday suit, who knows, could be.

Raft, in his cool outer crust, gives oen of his best performance, but considering the budget - rather a good showing, for all of his fans.

** Special footnote: -- This is a bad copy from Alpha Video, but a keeper until a better one comes along.

BIOS:
1. Robert Florey [Director]
Date of Birth: 14 September 1900 - Paris, France
Date of Death: 16 May 1979 - Santa Monica, California

2. George Raft (aka: George Ranft)
Date of birth: 26 September 1895 - New York City, New York
Date of death: 24 November 1980 - Los Angeles, California

3. Marie Windsor (aka: Emily Marie Bertelsen)
Date of birth: 11 December 1919 - Marysvale, Utah
Date of death: 10 December 2000 - Beverly Hills, California

4. Akim Tamiroff
Date of Birth: 29 October 1899 - Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]
Date of Death: 17 September 1972 - Palm Springs, California

5. Eduard Franz [aka: Eduard Franz Schmidt]
Date of Birth: 31 October 1902 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date of Death: 10 February 1983 - Los Angeles, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 3 Stars
Performance: 3 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 3 Stars
Overall: 3 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 92 min on DVD/VHS ~ United Artists ~ (April 15, 2003)

Outpost in Morocco, 1949 film

The movie begins with a view of buildings that must be North Africa. Tesket is the regional headquarters of the French Colonial Army in Morocco. Captain Paul Gerard will be sent on a mission (once he is located). Couples dance to music in a café. "Services rendered." Gerard is the right man for the job; he will find out what the Emir is planning. The schedule is important. Food is eaten without utensils. Why did Gerard join the Legion? Their travel is observed, messages are sent by heliograph. The talk mentions early Arab geographers. Next Gerard reports to the local post with his orders. We learn about the education of the Emir's daughter. At night a shot hits a sentry on the fort walls. It was from a rifle, not a musket. Gerard has a plan to go undercover to Bal Rashad.

Mules carry boxes of arms to the native city. Gerard, in disguise, wins a rifle. He is chased, and climbs to a roof to escape. Guess where he finds a place to hide? Gerard returns to the post with one of the new Mauser rifles. Colonel Pascal will be notified. The Emir warns his daughter about their enemy. The Colonel sends reinforcements, they are too many to be attacked on the road. They pass through narrow canyons. They find the Legion outpost was attacked; no survivors. [No radio communications?] Some were shot after surrendering. Can the Moroccans fight the powerful French? The Emir did just that. Captain Gerard has a plan to attack the enemy's ammunition supply; this will prevent any future attack. "Take only volunteers." They attack Bal Rashad, but find the arsenal empty! Can they capture the Old Goat? No, but another person may do.

"Too bad you weren't among them." What about their water supply? The horses will be sent out of the fort to the stream. Gerard talks to the Emir's daughter; she is a hostage. Will emotions interfere with duty? If the course of the stream is changed the well in the fort will go dry. [Strategy, not tactics.] Gerard orders the horses released so they can find water. Water is now rationed in the fort. Their enemy is no longer united. Moroccan cavalry attack the fort. [Like the Charge of the Light Brigade?] The order is given to set off the mines. The Emir invades the fort at last. The other tribal leaders pledge allegiance to France, the uprising is over.

This story takes place prior to the anti-colonial wars against the French in North Africa. No mention of the oil or gas that made these lands valuable. This movie shows sympathy for the colonial rulers, not those seeking national liberation. This is a change from the war-time movies.

I like items connected with the foreign Legion and the Actor George Raft
always represented that smooth,cool personality.

While the movie as entertainment was passable, the video quality was very poor. Sound quality is good. Would recommend looking for a copy from another source.

A RATHER LONG DRAWN OUT STORY, SOME BATTLE ACTION. LEGION IS HOLLYWOOD TYPE, NO LEGION MUSIC, A FEW LAUGHS FROM AKIM TAMIROFF. RAFT IS TO SERIOUS AND RATHER BORING. SAD ENDING JUST LIKE THE LEGION IN THE THE MOVIE.