''Sundown'' is a 1941 American

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

film starring Gene Tierney,

Bruce Cabot Bruce Cabot (born Étienne de Pelissier Bujac Jr.; April 20, 1904 – May 3, 1972) was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll (character), Jack Driscoll in ''King Kong (1933 film), King Kong'' (1933) and for his roles in films ...

and

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

. It was directed by

Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway (March 13, 1898 – February 11, 1985) was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven films. Backgrou ...

, produced by Jack Moss and

Walter Wanger Walter Wanger (born Walter Feuchtwanger; July 11, 1894 – November 18, 1968) was an American film producer active from the 1910s, his career concluding with the turbulent production of ''Cleopatra,'' his last film, in 1963. He began at Param ...

, written by Charles G. Booth and Barré Lyndon, and released by

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

. Set in

British East Africa East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was an area in the African Great Lakes occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Controlled by Bri ...

, the film's adventure story was well received by critics, earning three

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations, but it was a failure at the box office.

Plot

An aircraft lands in Kenya near Rhino Rock, and Zia ( Gene Tierney) disembarks and is met by a caravan she owns. In Manieka,

, Bill Crawford (

), District Commissioner, contacts the governor at

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ...

, requesting a month-long furlough to study the Senshi, a local tribe. His colleague, Lt. Roddy Turner (

Reginald Gardiner William Reginald Gardiner (27 February 1903 – 7 July 1980) was an English actor on the stage, in films and on television. Early years Gardiner was born in Wimbledon, England, and he was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Katz, ...

), sends a message to the governor to cancel the furlough as the Senshi are becoming hostile. Two aircraft land at Manieka, bringing both rifles and Major Coombes (

), the Governor's agent. Coombes tells Crawford that he is taking control of the outpost. When he finds Pallini ( Joseph Calleia), officially an Italian prisoner of war, but unofficially the chef, Coombes wants Pollini put into restraints. He then asks Crawford why he wants a furlough, saying that someone is smuggling rifles to the Senshi. Dutch engineer Jan Kuypens (

Carl Esmond Carl Esmond (born Karl Simon; June 14, 1902– December 4, 2004) was an Austrian-born American film and stage actor, born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. Although his age was given as 33 in the passenger list when he arrived in the USA in January 19 ...

), working with the Italian government, is making a mineral survey of the area. Coombes suggests that Kuypens instead file his report with the British; he agrees. A local trader named Abdi Hammud (

Marc Lawrence Marc Lawrence (born Max Goldsmith; February 17, 1910 – November 28, 2005) was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C. Lawrence. Early life Lawrence w ...

) sets up an ambush of the British troops, but Crawford and his men are able to stop the attack. Zia, daughter of the late Abu Kalli, who now runs the family network of trading posts in East Africa, arrives at the outpost. Pallini has known Zia for many years, and on Pallini's birthday, the outpost decides to throw him a party. The men make sure they invite Zia, but when she arrives, she must sit at a segregated table because by native custom she is considered a half-breed. Crawford sits with her and discovers that she is African. The locals believe that one of the six white men will die that night. But there are only five of them at the party. When the white hunter, Dewey ( Harry Carey), arrives, everyone else suddenly disappears. Two locals shoot at Crawford, but they miss, while Zia is grazed by a bullet. One of the attackers is killed and turns out to be the trader Hammud, responsible for the earlier ambush. The suspicious Coombes orders Zia to leave the outpost, despite her slight wound. Kuypens confronts Zia in her quarters, who quickly recognizes his German accent. Kuypens is a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

agent who is bringing in rifles to arm the Senshi. She agrees to go with him, but passes a warning message to Pallini to give to Crawford. Before Pallini is able to deliver it, Kuypens kills him. Pallini becomes the one (of the six) fated to die that night. The men find his body and Crawford decides to pursue Kuypens. Crawford confers with Dewey on where Kuypens will go. His rock samples, being volcanic, lead Crawford and Dewey to a geographic area they know. Their armed reinforcements follow shortly behind. Zia is taken to a large cave complex where the rifles are being prepared. Crawford and Dewey find one of the arms stores and manage to blow up some rifles and ammunition. They also find the large cave complex; Dewey goes back to bring up their reinforcements. Kuypens informs Zia that he knows that she is actually the daughter of Graham Fletcher, who, along with her mother, died when Zia was just two years old. Abu Kalli adopted her and raised her as an Arab. Crawford is captured, and is placed in a large cell with Zia, who tells him that the Senshi will attack Marieka the following day. Crawford suspects that she is working with Kuypens, but she finally convinces him that he is wrong. The two escape by tricking their guards, but a shoot-out between them, Kuypens, and the guards ends with Zia being captured. Crawford plays dead, then overpowers the guard sent to finish him off. Coombes and Dewey arrive with the British reinforcements, foiling the attack on Marieka. During the battle, Coombes is able to shoot Kuypens, but not before the Nazi agent fatally wounds him. Later in London, Zia and Crawford are married before attending a large memorial service for Major Coombes. Afterward, they make their plans to return to Africa.

Cast

* Gene Tierney as Zia *

as William (Bill) Crawford *

as Major A.L. Coombes * Harry Carey as Dewey * Joseph Calleia as Pallini *

as Lt. Roddy Turner *

as Jan Kuypens *

as Abdi Hammud * Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Bishop Coombes *

Gilbert Emery Gilbert Emery Bensley Pottle (June 11, 1875 – October 28, 1945), known professionally as Gilbert Emery, was an American actor who appeared in over 80 movies from 1921 to his death in 1945. He was also a playwright, author of seven Broadway pla ...

as Ashburton *

Jeni Le Gon Jeni LeGon (born Jennie Ligon; August 14, 1916 – December 7, 2012), also credited as Jeni Le Gon, was an American dancer, dance instructor, and actress. She was one of the first African-American women to establish a solo career in tap da ...

as Miriami * Emmett Smith as Kipsang *

Dorothy Dandridge Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She is the first African-American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which was for her performance in '' C ...

as Kipsang's Bride *

Woody Strode Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 – December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. Aft ...

as Tribal Policeman (uncredited in his first screen role)

Production

Producer

worked out some deals with other studios to assemble an impressive cast and crew for ''Sundown''. The 21-year-old star Gene Tierney was on loan from 20th-Century Fox "on the condition that she was given sole top billing in all advertising". Wanger also borrowed

from

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

to direct the epic. Barre Lyndon wrote the screenplay based on his novel, which had been successfully serialized in ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

'' early in 1941. Although the setting was to be in Kenya and the eastern deserts of Africa, location shooting took place in "Hollywood's oft-used Bronson Caverns" in Hollywood Hills, California's Mojave Desert, and, at Hathaway's suggestion, the high desert plains in the Shiprock area of New Mexico, site of ancient Pueblo settlements.Miller, John M
"Articles: 'Sundown' (1941)."
''TCM'', 2019. Retrieved: August 12, 2019.

Reception

Film historian

Leslie Halliwell Robert James Leslie Halliwell (23 February 1929 – 21 January 1989) was a British film critic, encyclopaedist and television rights buyer for ITV, the British commercial network, and Channel 4. He is best known for his reference guides, '' Fi ...

described ''Sundown'' in ''Leslie Halliwell's Film Guide'' (1989) as "artificial looking romantic actioneer with (a) good cast". Film reviewer Hal Erickson, wrote in ''AllMovie.com'' that ''Sundown'' was "... impressively photographed (by Charles Lang) and directed (by Henry Hathaway), 'Sundown' just misses being as profound as it obviously wants to be". According to ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', ''Sundown'' earned theatrical receipts in the US of $1,050,000."101 Pix Gross in Millions."
''Variety'' January 6, 1943 p. 58. The film was a financial failure, losing $658,824.

Award nominations

The following were nominated for

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

: "The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners"
''oscars.org'', 2019. Retrieved: August 12, 2019."Details: 'Sundown'."
''NY Times'', 2019. Retrieved: August 12, 2019. *

Charles Lang Charles Bryant Lang Jr., A.S.C. (March 27, 1902, Bluff, Utah – April 3, 1998, Santa Monica, CaliforniaBest Cinematography *

Miklós Rózsa Miklós Rózsa (; April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensi ...

for Original Score *

Alexander Golitzen Prince Alexander Golitzen (Golitsyn), ( Moscow, February 28, 1908 San Diego, July 26, 2005) was a Russian-born American production designer who oversaw art direction on more than 300 movies. Born in Moscow in the princely Golitsyn family, Alexan ...

and

Richard Irvine Richard "Dick" Irvine (April 5, 1910 – March 30, 1976) was an American art director. He is best known for his Academy Award nomination in the category Best Art Direction for the 1941 black and white film '' Sundown''. Over his long career ...

for Best Art Direction

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Bernstein, Matthew. ''Walter Wagner: Hollywood Independent''. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2000. . * Halliwell, Leslie. ''Leslie Halliwell's Film Guide''. New York: Harper & Roe, 1989. . * Maltin, Leonard. ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia''. New York: Dutton, 1994. .

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sundown (Film) 1941 films 1940s war drama films 1941 drama films American aviation films American war drama films American black-and-white films American World War II films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Henry Hathaway Films shot in New Mexico Films scored by Miklós Rózsa Films set in Africa Films set in the British Empire Films produced by Walter Wanger World War II films made in wartime