In the Sudan, in 1883, British colonial forces defend Khartoum against an invading Muslim army led by a religious fanatic, the Mahdi.
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Title: Khartoum (1966)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Charlton Heston | ... | ||
| Laurence Olivier | ... | ||
| Richard Johnson | ... | ||
| Ralph Richardson | ... | ||
| Alexander Knox | ... |
Sir Evelyn Baring
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Johnny Sekka | ... |
Khaleel
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| Michael Hordern | ... |
Lord Granville
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Zia Mohyeddin | ... |
Zobeir Pasha
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Marne Maitland | ... |
Sheikh Osman
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| Nigel Green | ... |
Gen. Wolseley
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Hugh Williams | ... |
Lord Hartington
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Ralph Michael | ... | |
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Douglas Wilmer | ... |
Khalifa Abdullah
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Edward Underdown | ... |
Col. William Hicks
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Peter Arne | ... | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
After an Egyptian army, commanded by British officers, is destroyed in a battle in the Sudan in the 1880's, the British government is in a quandary. It does not want to commit a British military force to a foreign war but they have a commitment to protect the Egyptians in Khartoum. They decide to ask General Charles "Chinese" Gordon, something of a folk hero in the Sudan as he had cleared the area of the slave trade, to arrange for the evacuation. Gordon agrees but also decides to defend the city against the forces of the Mahdi - the expected one - and tries to force the British to commit troops. Written by garykmcd
Taglines:
THEY SAY THE NILE STILL RUNS RED FROM THE BATTLE OF KHARTOUM! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
15 June 1966 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Kartum See more »Box Office
Budget:
$6,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Christopher Plummer was approached to play the role of Stewart, but he wanted too much money for it. See more »Goofs
As Hicks is helped up during the first battle scenes, a bloody spear point is visible sticking out of his chest prior to him being struck by the spear. See more »Quotes
The Mahdi: I should prefer, Gordon Pasha, that you leave Khartoum now. You are not my enemy. Why should your blood sweeten the Nile?See more »
This is my favorite epic, because every element of the story - religion, politics, tactics, and the clash of two brilliant personalities - is given detailed and intelligent treatment. Heston is great in this kind of role (a Christian patriarch...how very fitting), and Olivier's performance lends the Mahdi considerable nobility, even though he's obviously the "bad" guy.
Post 9/11, this is quite a strange one to watch, since it's not very different from the crisis we face today! Ah, the endless cycles of history.
But I digress. This is literate, fun, and relevant entertainment about a little-known period in history (little known to Americans, anyway). I've done some research on Gordon and the Mahdi, and from what I've learned, I can say that the film is pretty accurate. The Hollywoodized parts, such as Gordon's face-to-face meetings with the Mahdi, were added for the sake of drama. Since they work so well, I think their inclusion was actually a great idea.
The direction is admittedly flat sometimes. Heston acknowledged this once, but maintained that the film is still among his best. What really matters is that the script hums along, the acting is superb (Ralph Richardson!), and the battles are well choreographed. For whatever reason, when all's said and done, this beats the heck out of "Lawrence of Arabia" in my book. I suppose I'm just a sucker for compelling religious conflicts.