Sirocco (1951)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

A.I. Bezzerides (writer)
Hans Jacoby (writer)

Release Date:

13 June 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Action

Tagline:

BEYOND CASABLANCA . . . Fate, in a Low-cut Gown, Lies in Wait for Bogart!

Plot:

A cynical American expatriate gets involved in smuggling and gun-running for the rebels during the 1925 Syrian insurgency against French occupation.

Plot Keywords:

Rebel | 1925 | Gun | Syria | Smuggling

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Harry Smith
Märta Torén	...	Violette
Lee J. Cobb	...	Col. Feroud
Everett Sloane	...	Gen. LaSalle
Gerald Mohr	...	Major Jean Leon
Zero Mostel	...	Balukjiaan
Nick Dennis	...	Nasir Aboud
Onslow Stevens	...	Emir Hassan
Ludwig Donath	...	Flophouse proprietor
David Bond	...	Achmet
Vincent Renno	...	Arthur

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #15117)

Company:

Santana Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

According to actor Jamie Farr, the movie debuted on Saturday night at the Rivoli in his home town of Toledo. Most of Toledo's Arab-American community turned out to see it. As a scene where Bogart walks though a crowded bazaar begins to fade, an Arab voice is heard shouting, "Ya hallah deen bayak!" which caused most of the audience to collapse in laughter. The non-Arabs in the house did not understand why everyone else was laughing until the line was translated for them: "Goddamn your father!"

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the explosion in the club, the bartender lights two candles. Although the only light inside supposedly comes from the candles, their shadows are projected on the wall behind.

Quotes:

Violette: What a man! You're so ugly! Yes, you are! How can a man so ugly be so handsome?

Pre-blacklist casting

There's an interesting scene with Lee J. Cobb intimidating a grovelling Zero Mostel. In real life, Cobb succumbed to pressure from the House UnAmerican Activities Commission and named others in the entertainment industry who had "communist" affiliations. Mostel refused to give any information about anyone else, was blacklisted and was unable to work in the entertainment industry for almost a decade. Bogie's character initially acts only in his own self-interest, but subsequently does "the right thing" despite personal risk. In real life, Bogie was part of a group formed to oppose the HUAC, a group which quickly fell apart in disarray when the HUAC started to push back. Bogie started out doing "the right thing" but when personal risk loomed, quickly acted to protect his self-interest.