Modest but enjoyable*, this Robert Wise fish-out-of-water WWII dramedy puts Navy man Richard Widmark in the Gobi Desert to oversee a weather station that’s sequentially threatened by nomadic Mongols, strafed & bombed by Japanese scouting planes, loses chief meteorologist & equipment, and is finally forced to cross the desert (Widmark & non-combatant staff) in hope of reaching the sea and ‘liberating’ a ship. Plenty of unusual events & action (lots of TechniColored exploding ordnance), a growing relationship with that Mongol tribe they’ve gifted with 60 WWI horse saddles, why it’s even loosely based on a true incident. Abetted by Charles Clarke’s handsome lensing (really good desert dune stuff/AZ & NV locations), a pleasingly recognizable ensemble cast (Darryl Hickman especially winning, Murvyn Vye not at all embarrassing as Mongol Chief), and actual laughs in Everett Freeman’s well structured script.* Like William Wyler, Wise a stickler on construction, one of his secrets. Another secret, the obvious good time everyone seems to be having on set.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: *The men dub one of the Mongols ‘Harpo’ for his slight resemblance. Sure enough, Freeman gives him a signature Harpo charade routine where he mimes out his message.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: *Late in his career, Wise wanted to make Mid-List films this size, but found studios unwilling to Green Light anything but mega-budgets for him, even after a few mega-flops.
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