The Long Range Desert Group, known as the LRDG, was a British Army raiding unit during WWII. The group was initially formed in Egypt in 1940 and specialized in covert missions in North Africa, missions that were carried out to undermine enemy operations. The men in the LRDG were rugged and daring souls, and their story, both collectively and individually, is told in this fine motion picture.
Guy Green had previously directed star Michael Craig in the Rank Organisation's espionage thriller HOUSE OF SECRETS (1956). That proto Bond tale had underperformed at the British box office, so the studio put Craig into other genres. This was a chance for Craig to show what he could do in a war flick. While he was clean shaven and ever so dapper in HOUSE OF SECRETS, he would sport considerable facial hair this time, and he'd be filming on location in Tripoli.
The entire cast and crew were sent to Tripoli, and it would not be an easy shoot for them. Just as the characters faced harsh situations in the movie, the actors had to deal with sand storms and intense heat. Most days it reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, so much of the filming was done during the cool morning hours. Careful attention was paid to the use of uniforms and the jeeps used, to accurately reflect conditions that took place on the eve of the Second Battle of El Alamein in late 1942.
In some ways, this picture plays out like other well-constructed war films that were made a dozen or so years after the actual war. There is a sense of looking back and reminding the audience about the costs of freedom. SEA OF SAND focuses on an eclectic group of men from various backgrounds, with very specific personality types. Craig one of the captains alongside John Gregson who is also a captain. They must work together with the other men to penetrate a German fuel dump in the desert. They go off with enough equipment, water and food rations to last a few weeks.
While they are out in the vast desert, they realize unexpected enemy tanks are heading towards the British army. So it becomes their job to thwart the advancement of the tanks. As these skirmishes occur, we learn more about the men in this group. Craig's heart is broken, apparently from a romantic relationship that has gone sour. Gregson is an engineer who knows a lot about minefields, and he has a young son at home who makes him proud.
Among the rest of the group is a trooper played by Richard Attenborough who prefers to fill his canteens with booze instead of water. It becomes increasingly obvious to Craig that Attenborough is drunk during some of their maneuvers and that Attenborough's unprofessional behavior may put lives at risk. At the same time Attenborough has formed a close bond with a corporal (Percy Herbert) in the unit. When Herbert is willing to sacrifice himself so that others may survive, Attenborough is humbled and reforms.
I think what I enjoyed about this film is that it didn't feel as if the men were inflated to be super heroes. They were ordinary guys who had issues but were all cooperating as a team. I figured they all wouldn't still be alive by the end, and sure enough, several of them were not. But I felt like I got to know each of them on a personal basis. The characters who died on screen somehow managed to have full lives, even if their lives were cut short because of the dangerous conditions in which they worked.
Guy Green had previously directed star Michael Craig in the Rank Organisation's espionage thriller HOUSE OF SECRETS (1956). That proto Bond tale had underperformed at the British box office, so the studio put Craig into other genres. This was a chance for Craig to show what he could do in a war flick. While he was clean shaven and ever so dapper in HOUSE OF SECRETS, he would sport considerable facial hair this time, and he'd be filming on location in Tripoli.
The entire cast and crew were sent to Tripoli, and it would not be an easy shoot for them. Just as the characters faced harsh situations in the movie, the actors had to deal with sand storms and intense heat. Most days it reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, so much of the filming was done during the cool morning hours. Careful attention was paid to the use of uniforms and the jeeps used, to accurately reflect conditions that took place on the eve of the Second Battle of El Alamein in late 1942.
In some ways, this picture plays out like other well-constructed war films that were made a dozen or so years after the actual war. There is a sense of looking back and reminding the audience about the costs of freedom. SEA OF SAND focuses on an eclectic group of men from various backgrounds, with very specific personality types. Craig one of the captains alongside John Gregson who is also a captain. They must work together with the other men to penetrate a German fuel dump in the desert. They go off with enough equipment, water and food rations to last a few weeks.
While they are out in the vast desert, they realize unexpected enemy tanks are heading towards the British army. So it becomes their job to thwart the advancement of the tanks. As these skirmishes occur, we learn more about the men in this group. Craig's heart is broken, apparently from a romantic relationship that has gone sour. Gregson is an engineer who knows a lot about minefields, and he has a young son at home who makes him proud.
Among the rest of the group is a trooper played by Richard Attenborough who prefers to fill his canteens with booze instead of water. It becomes increasingly obvious to Craig that Attenborough is drunk during some of their maneuvers and that Attenborough's unprofessional behavior may put lives at risk. At the same time Attenborough has formed a close bond with a corporal (Percy Herbert) in the unit. When Herbert is willing to sacrifice himself so that others may survive, Attenborough is humbled and reforms.
I think what I enjoyed about this film is that it didn't feel as if the men were inflated to be super heroes. They were ordinary guys who had issues but were all cooperating as a team. I figured they all wouldn't still be alive by the end, and sure enough, several of them were not. But I felt like I got to know each of them on a personal basis. The characters who died on screen somehow managed to have full lives, even if their lives were cut short because of the dangerous conditions in which they worked.