Five Graves to Cairo **** (1943, Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff, Erich von Stroheim) – Classic Movie Review 2663

Director Billy Wilder’s dynamic 1943 World War Two wartime suspense thriller is set in June 1942 in the North African desert where a small, isolated Saharan hotel inn named the Empress of Britain is owned by Farid (Akim Tamiroff) and managed by Frenchwoman Mouche (Anne Baxter).

The swiftly advancing Germans take over the hotel to use as headquarters for the German general Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (Erich von Stroheim) and his staff, including Lieutenant Schwegler (Peter van Eyck).

Bramble assumes the identity of the hotel’s dead waiter Davos to save himself and later steals a pistol from genial, music-loving Italian General Sebastiano (Fortunio Bonanova), planning to shoot the Field Marshal. But then he finds himself after the all-important supply secrets that are held by Rommel and tries get word to the Allies that the Germans have tons of supplies buried in five excavations across Egypt.

Wilder and co-writer Charles Brackett inject their usual witty touch into the thrilling and moving tale based on Lajos Bíró’s play Színmű négy felvonásban, Hotel Imperial (filmed before in 1927 and 1939).

Tamiroff, Baxter and Tone are good, but the star turn is undoubtedly Wilder’s Austrian compatriot Von Stroheim, whose man-you-love-to-hate performance is a real delight.

It’s a particularly handsome looking, well crafted movie. John F Seitz was Oscar-nominated for Best Cinematography for his superb cinematography of the desert and the hotel. It was one of three Academy  nominations, which also include Best Film Editing and Best Art Direction (Hans Dreier, Ernst Fegté and Bertram C. Granger)

Also in the cast are Miles Mander (Colonel Fitzhume), Ian Keith (Captain St. Bride), Fred Nurney (Major Lamprecht),Bud Geary, Clyde Jackman, and Konstantin Shayne (Major Von Buelow).

Wilder wanted Cary Grant to play Bramble. He asked him to star in several of his films but, though the two were friends, Grant consistently refused.

The German tanks are American M2 Light Tanks used for training.

The Germans are played by German actors so have the right accent, except for von Stroheim, who emigrated from Austria to the US at 24 and whose accent slips occasionally. American actor Tone plays the British hero with an American accent but Baxter does a credible French accent.

The film is available on VHS and DVD and can be downloaded.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2663

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