The Secret of the Sahara (1988– )
"Il segreto del Sahara" (original title)

Desmond Jordan is an archaeologist who find an old parchment in where is mentioned the history of the Loudspeaker Mountain, the guardian of an ancient and sought-after treasure hidden in ... See full summary »

Stars:

Michael York, James Farentino, Ben Kingsley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael York	...	Desmond Jordan
James Farentino	...	Khalif of Timbuktu
Ben Kingsley	...	Sholomon
Andie MacDowell	...	Anthea
David Soul	...	Lieutenant Ryker
Miguel Bosé	...	El Halem
Daniel Olbrychski	...	Hared, the blind man
Diego Abatantuono	...	Orso, the desertor
Delia Boccardo	...	Yasmine
Ana Obregón	...	Tamamet
Radost Bokel	...	Parizade
William McNamara	...	Philip
Itaco Nardulli	...	Kerim
Mathilda May	...	Myriam
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	De Brosse

Storyline

Desmond Jordan is an archaeologist who find an old parchment in where is mentioned the history of the Loudspeaker Mountain, the guardian of an ancient and sought-after treasure hidden in someplace of Sahara's desert. After to save Anthea, Khalif's wife, the two run away of evil Lieutenant Ryker and his legionaries and El Hallem, a dangerous and infamous bandit of the desert. At the same time that Khalif order to his guards recover to his wife Philip, Jordan's son, travels from London to Egypt looking for his father to help him to discover the location of the Loudspeaker Mountain, trying to reveal the mystery that it hides.

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Plot Keywords:

desert | bandit | secret | tv mini series | ancient text | 

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Genres:

Adventure

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Details

Country:

Italy Switzerland West Germany Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 January 1988 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Secret of the Sahara

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

360 min 105 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Saharan Dream"
Composed by Ennio Morricone
Lyrics by Leonie Gane
Performed by Amii Stewart
RCA Records Label
Music copyright: BMG Ariola S.p.A.

User Reviews

A haunting drama

The Secret of the Sahara is the type of drama that Hollywood has long since abandoned. The story is original, the location (and sets) are breath taking and the cast is first class, with outstanding performances from Michael York as the obsessive archaeologist Desmond Jordan and Ben Kingsley as Sholomon, the Polish Jew who has found peace in the desert. David Soul provides a real sense of menace as Lieutenant Ryker and steals almost every scene from his co-stars. Andie MacDowell is slightly under used as are the other female cast members, but the director Alberto Negrin keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace, aided by a hauntingly beautiful musical score from Ennio Morricone. There are some obvious limitations to the production which are easily over looked; Ryker seems to cross the desert to the same two or three locations to dizzying effect, and some of the dialogue feels a bit out of place but these are only minor points. All in all this is a quality drama and I only wish that more of this calibre were made.