Sirocco ***½ (1951, Humphrey Bogart, Marta Toren, Lee J Cobb, Everett Sloane, Gerald Mohr, Zero Mostel, Nick Dennis, Onslow Stevens) – Classic Movie Review 4,273

Director Curtis Bernhardt’s 1951 film noir movie Sirocco stars Humphrey Bogart in one of his best later roles as amoral American black marketeer Harry Smith, a former saloon owner turned gunrunner for the Syrian rebels under Emir Hassan (Onslow Stevens).

Yet this tense movie with its yarn about intrigue and romance in 1920s Syria is relatively little known or well regarded. It is set in 1925 Damascus, where Harry is secretly selling the Syrians weapons to help their guerrilla war fight against the French rule of Syria.

Bogart’s robust, laid-back performance and the splendidly sinister support cast bring flavour and distinction to director Bernhardt’s always intriguing romantic thriller, a distant but obviously recognisable cousin of Bogart’s Forties hits such as Casablanca, with its similar mix of intrigue and romance in exotic places.

In case audiences didn’t get the connection, it was advertised by the Columbia Pictures studio as ‘Beyond Casablanca… In Damascus… Destiny, in a low-cut gown, beckons from the Devil’s Doorway!’ Märta Torén co-stars as Feroud’s unhappy mistress Violetta, to whom Harry starts to take a shine  She’d be the one in a low-cut gown. What would Ingrid Bergman say! Come to that, What would Lauren Bacall say!

Outstanding in support are Lee J Cobb as French head of military intelligence, Colonel Feroud, Everett Sloane as French General LaSalle, Zero Mostel as Harry’s friendly rival Balukjian, Onslow Stevens as rebel leader Emir Hassan, Nick Dennis as Harry’s assistant Nasir Aboud and Gerald Mohr as Feroud’s aide Major Leon. It is a very splendid cast, nearly as good as the one in Casablanca.

A I Bezzerides and Hans Jacoby’s polished screenplay is based on Joseph Kessel’s 1936 novel Coup de Grâce.

Also in the cast are Ludwig Donath, Harry Guardino, David Bond, Martin Wilkins, Peter Ortiz, Edward Colmans, Peter Brocco, Vincent Renno and Jay Novello.

The title Sirocco is a strong, hot and dry wind blowing in the Mediterranean, coming from the Sahara desert. Apparently this wind makes people irritable. However, the film is set in Damascus, the capital of Syria, east of the wind’s actual paths. Why didn’t they call it Damascus?

It is made by Santana Productions, founded in 1948 by Humphrey Bogart and named after his yacht as well as the cabin cruiser in Key Largo.  The company specialised in film noir, and released its films through Columbia Pictures, but most of its films lost money, forcing its sale after Beat the Devil in 1953.

It was released on June 13, 1951.

Sirocco is directed by Curtis Bernhardt, runs 98 minutes, is made by Santana Pictures Corporation, is distributed by Columbia Pictures, is written by A I Bezzerides and Hans Jacoby, based on Joseph Kessel’s 1936 novel Coup de Grâce, is produced by Robert Lord, is shot by Burnett Guffey, and is scored by George Antheil.

The cast are Humphrey Bogart as Harry Smith, Märta Torén as Violetta, Lee J Cobb as Colonel Feroud, Everett Sloane as General LaSalle, Gerald Mohr as Major Leon, Zero Mostel as Balukjiaan, Nick Dennis as Harry’s assistant Nasir Aboud,  Onslow Stevens as Emir Hassan, Ludwig Donath as Flophouse Proprietor, David Bond as Achmet, Harry Cording as Master Sergeant, Jeff Corey as Feisal, Harry Guardino, Martin Wilkins, Peter Ortiz, Edward Colmans, Peter Brocco, Vincent Renno and Jay Novello.

Swedish stage and film actress of the 1940s and 1950s Märta Torén (21 May 1925 – 19 February 1957) appeared in 11 American films in her brief career. Her role in Sirocco is her most prominent, but she also co-starred in Casbah (1948), Rogues’ Regiment, Illegal Entry, Sword in the Desert, One Way Street, Spy Hunt, Deported, Mystery Submarine, The Man Who Watched Trains Go By, and with Dana Andrews in Assignment – Paris (1952). She died of a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 31.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4,273

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