The Lost Patrol (1934)

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

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay), Garrett Fort (adaptation),

Stars:

Victor McLaglen, Boris Karloff, Wallace Ford

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

A World War I British Army patrol is crossing the Mesopotomian desert when their commanding officer, the only one who knows their destination is killed by the bullet of unseen bandits. The patrol's sergeant keeps them heading north on the assumption that they will hit their brigade. They stop for the night at an oasis and awake the next morning to find their horses stolen, their sentry dead, the oasis surrounded and survival difficult.

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Plot Keywords:

desert | sniper | sergeant | cavalry | arab | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Patrulha Perdida

Filming Locations:

Buttercup Dunes, Imperial County, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$254,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min 73 min (original release) 66 min (1954 reissue length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Composer Max Steiner re-used the main title music he wrote for this film for the main title music for Casablanca, albeit with a slightly different tempo and instrumentation.

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Goofs

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

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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 ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Seven Samurai (1954)

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Soundtracks

"Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile"
(1915) (uncredited)
Music by Felix Powell
Played on harmonica by Wallace Ford
Played also in the score

User Reviews

Classic film with powerful direction by John Ford

While the WWI raged in Europe British troops were fighting in a far corner of the world . Small solitary patrols moved over the vast Mesopotamian desert that seemed on fire with the sun . The molten sky gloated over them . The endless desert wore the blank look of death . Yet these men marched on without a murmur , fighting an unseen Arab enemy who always struck in the dark . A brave group (Wallace Ford , Boris Karloff , Reginald Denny) of British cavalrymen lost in the desert are shot by the Arabs , one by one and twelve battered fighting men battle it out to the finish . Dead the official commander they are ruled by the sergeant (Victor McLagen) , then arise boiling passions in the burning sands .

Film gets brief psychological remarks about diverse character studios , especially the religious fanatic Karloff and although is completely developed on the wide desert , the tale results to be claustrophobic . Produced by RKO with a script by Dudley Nichols , usual Ford's screenwriter . Merian C.Cooper (King Kong) as executive producer intervened profoundly in this film along with principal producer Cliff Red . The picture was shot for two weeks (1933) in Yuma desert which represented Mesopotamian desert . There , Philip MCDonald (novel's author being based the movie) had been recruited in the British cavalry during WWI (1917) and he ulteriorly wrote an intrigue and suspense tale , adding his war memories . Max Steiner's musical score was nominated for Academy Award . Magnificent direction by the master John Ford and excellent interpretations make this a very good film . Subsequently remade and reworked several times : ¨Sahara¨ (Zoltan Korda) with scenarios in Lybia desert ; ¨Bataan¨(Tay Garnett) in Philippines jungle ; ¨Last of Comanches¨ (Andre De Toth) in Califonia desert ; and even part of ¨Flight of Phoenix¨ (Aldrich) in Sahara desert . The motion picture will appeal to cinema classics moviegoers.