Desert Legion (1953)

Paul Lartal of the Foreign Legion meets the princess of a lost city in the Algerian mountains.

Director:

Joseph Pevney

Writers:

Irving Wallace (screenplay), Lewis Meltzer (screenplay),

Stars:

Alan Ladd, Richard Conte, Arlene Dahl

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alan Ladd	...	Paul Lartal
Richard Conte	...	Crito Damou / Omar Ben Khalif
Arlene Dahl	...	Morjana
Akim Tamiroff	...	Pvt. Plevko
Oscar Beregi Sr.	...	Si Khalil (as Oscar Beregi)
Leon Askin	...	Maj. Vasil
Anthony Caruso	...	Lt. Massaoud
George J. Lewis	...	Lt. Lopez
Sujata	...	Dancer
Asoka	...	Dancer

Storyline

Paul Lartal leads a troop of legionnaires into ambush at the hands of Omar Ben Calif. Returning later at the request of Princess Morjana he is led to the hidden city of Madara, currently harrassed by the evil Crito. Lartal must do in the bad guys (which includes participating in a bare chested spear-throwing contest), save the city and comfort the Princess.

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Plot Keywords:

foreign legion | lost city | dance number | stoning | bare chested male bondage | 

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Taglines:

A RECKLESS LEGEND OF THE FOREIGN LEGION! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Legionär der Sahara

Filming Locations:

Lone Pine, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a 1927 novel by Georges Arthur Surdez titled 'The Demon Caravan'. Surdez (1900-1949) contributed many "adventure" stories to such publications as 'Collier's', the 'Saturday Evening Post,' and 'Argosy.' He was especially noted for his French Foreign Legion tales.

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Quotes

Crito Damou aka Omar Ben Khalif: [to Paul Lartal] Oh, I've forgotten to tell you. You were tried this morning by my followers. A fair trial. The verdict was unanimous. Death by stoning.

User Reviews

and desert movie...

The legion étrangère has always been a topic that makes people dream.Lots and lots of movies were made ,not only in France.Here,the most famous are probably Duvivier's "la bandera" and Jacques Feyder's "le grand jeu".Twas also one of Edith Piaf's favorite subjects of song (le fanion de la légion,mon légionnaire). This is a pretty ridiculous movie.At the beginning,I was thinking it was a remake of Pierre Benoit's "l'atlantide"(two most famous versions being Pabst 's (1932)with Brigitte Helm-Metropolis- ,and Edgar G Ulmer's (1963))It was certainly influenced big-time by Benoit's book.The blond officer lost in the desert who's taken in by a beautiful lady from a mysterious city of the sands,we've seen that movie before. After,Joseph Pevney and Pierre Benoit go different ways.THe director,abetted by unimaginative scriptwriters ,turn what could have been a trip into the fantastic element,à la "thief of Bagdad" or "lost horizons",into the run-of -the- mill hero-heroine-villain.The rest is so predictable :you can see where the characters are up to from a mile off."Desert Legion" fills its quota of treasons,duels,torture,and glamour.The setting is not impressive, a two-bit cardboard desert city,and for good measure,exotic dances.