The Lost Patrol (1934)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay)
Garrett Fort (adaptation)

Release Date:

16 February 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | War

Tagline:

BLISTERING SUN...BLAZING BULLETS! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

A dozen British soldiers, lost in a Mesopotamian desert during world war I, are menaced by unseen Arab enemies.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Sergeant | Sniper | Arab | Cavalry

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Victor McLaglen	...	The Sergeant
Boris Karloff	...	Sanders
Wallace Ford	...	Morelli
Reginald Denny	...	Brown
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Quincannon
Billy Bevan	...	Hale
Alan Hale	...	Cook
Brandon Hurst	...	Bell
Douglas Walton	...	Pearson
Sammy Stein	...	Abelson
Howard Wilson	...	Aviator
Paul Hanson	...	MacKay

Runtime:

USA:73 min (original release) | USA:66 min (1954 reissue length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #1345-R, re-release)

Filming Locations:

Buttercup Dunes, Imperial County, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

McLaglen actually served with the Irish Fusiliers in Mesopatamia (Modern Iraq) during World War I at the same time this story takes place. He eventually rose to be Provost Martial of Baghdad.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As the plane is circling the encampment, you can see tire marks in the sand.

Quotes:

Sanders: Brown, you're a gentleman! You've got breeding! You must have faith!
Brown: Why?
Sanders: Why? Why in Heaven's name, man, what do you believe in?
Brown: Would it really interest you? Oh, a lot of things. A good horse, steak and kidney pudding, a fellow named George Brown, the asinine futility of this war, being frightened, being drunk enough to be brave and brave enough to be drunk, the feel of the sea when you swim, the taste and strength of wine, the loveliness of women, the splendid, unspeakable joy of killing Arabs, the smell of incense and bacon, the weight of a fist, an old pair of shoes, a toothache, triunph...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Petticoat Junction: The Lost Patrol (#2.12)" (1964)

Soundtrack:

Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile

Gripping War Film From the Distant Past

This early John Ford "talkie" (1934) crams in a lot of action and tension in just over an hour. It's the kind of classic film that could stand a good remake considering the subject matter and today's headlines in the Middle East. The plot is simple but effective. A dozen British soldiers on patrol in the Mesopotamian desert are attacked by an unseen force of Arabs. Their commanding officer is killed by a sniper and he was the only person who had knowledge of their exact location in the endless arid landscape. With no hope for reinforcements, the remaining soldiers are soon stranded on an obscure oasis and picked off one-by-one. Victor McLaglen is superb as the ranking sergeant trying to hold his dwindling force together. Boris Karloff is excellent as a religious lunatic who attempts to "convert" the enemy to no avail. Adding to the suspense, the bewildered soldiers never see their attackers. The surprising and shattering ending to this tale is one of the most unforgettable moments in 1930s cinema. Ford went on to make bigger pictures, but not too many were better than this one.