''Sahara'' (also known as ''Desert Storm'') is a 1995

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

shot in Australia and directed by

Brian Trenchard-Smith Brian Medwin Trenchard-Smith (born 1946) is an English-Australian filmmaker and author, known for his idiosyncratic and satirical low-budget genre films. His filmography covers action, science fiction, martial arts, dystopian fiction, comedy, ...

and starring

Jim Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009), and '' Good Girls Revolt'' (2015–2016). Belushi appeared in fi ...

. ''Sahara'' is a remake of the 1943 film of the same title starring

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

. The film premiered on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

on April 25, 1995.

Plot

In June 1942, on the eve of the

Battle of El Alamein There were two Battles of El Alamein in World War II, both fought in 1942. The battles occurred during the North African campaign in Egypt, in and around an area named after a railway stop called El Alamein. * First Battle of El Alamein: 1–27 ...

, American Sergeant Joe Gunn and the crew of his

M3 Lee The M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3, was an American medium tank used during World War II. The turret was produced in two different forms, one for US needs and one modified to British requirements to place the radio next to the commander. ...

tank ''Lulu Belle'' are the sole survivors of their unit. Boxed in by the enemy, they have no choice but to head south. They come across a group of Allied stragglers at a destroyed first aid station. The stragglers, led by British doctor Captain Halliday, decide to ride with Gunn in an attempt to escape the advancing

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

. Along the way, they pick up first British Sudanese soldier Tambul and his

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

prisoner, Giuseppe, then downed

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

pilot Lieutenant von Schletow. The group ends up at a deserted Saharan

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Long Range Desert Patrol The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. Originally called the Long Range Patrol (LRP), the unit was founded in Egypt in June 1940 by Major Ralph Alger Bagnold, a ...

arrives at the oasis to take charge of the prisoners.

Cast

as Sergeant Joe Gunn *

Michael Massee Michael Groo Massee (September 1, 1952 – October 20, 2016) was an American actor. Active on screen during a three decade career, he frequently portrayed villainous characters. His film roles include Funboy in the dark fantasy ''The Crow'' (1994 ...

as Corporal Jean "Frenchie" Leroux *

Alan David Lee Alan David Lee (born 1955 or 1956) is an Australian actor. Early life Lee grew up on a farm in Kenya before moving to Australia when he was 7. He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1981. When he had initially applie ...

as Osmond Bates *

Jerome Ehlers Jerome Ehlers (20 December 1958 – 9 August 2014) was an Australian actor and writer. Early life Ehlers was born in Perth, Western Australia to Francis Charles Ehlers and his wife Berenice Margaret Franklyn Ehlers. He went to school in Perth ...

as Captain Halliday *

Simon Westaway Simon Westaway (born 22 December 1958) is an Australian actor who has appeared in many television series, films and theatre productions. Education Westaway studied acting with PBL Workshop and John Gauchi's Theatre Workshop. Career Westaway ...

as Marty Williams * Mark Lee as Jimmy Doyle *

Robert Wisdom Robert Ray Wisdom (born September 14, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Howard "Bunny" Colvin in ''The Wire'', Norman "Lechero" St. John in ''Prison Break'', and Jim Moss in '' Barry''. He has been honored with an NAACP Ima ...

as Sergeant Major Tambul * Paul Empson as Waco Hoyt * William Upjohn as Casey *

Todd MacDonald Todd MacDonald (born 1973) is a Canadian Australian actor who is best known for his roles on the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and the drama series ''The Secret Life of Us'' and '' Rush''. Early life MacDonald and his older brother Paul were born ...

as Mike Clarkson * Alexander Petersons as Major Hans von Falken * Julian Garner as Lieutenant von Schletow * Angelo D'Angelo as Giuseppe * Simon Elrahi as Arabian guide * Claus Dyson as Sergeant Kraus * David Slingsby as Captain Mueller * Mark Gerber as Private Bergmann

Production

Director Brian Trenchard-Smith, the son of an Australian officer in the Royal Air Force lived in the UK, but before migrating to Australia, studied filmmaking. Among his 39 movies, five were commissioned by

, including ''Sahara'', the remake of the World War II classic. The film was made on location at Port Stephens,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. Some of the German soldiers were played by 130

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

(RAAF) and

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

personnel. A Fiat G.59 in Luftwaffe desert camouflage was used in the film. The tank in the film was an M3 Medium Tank from World War II. The version supplied to Australia was nicknamed Grant (after British pattern turrets. Not an official designation though). The original 1943 movie differed by having the American version, aka Lee. The commander cupola with the .30 caliber machine gun removed and the tracks used on British Commonwealth M3 Medium Tanks.

Reception

Film historian Alun Evans in ''Brassey's Guide to War Films'', mainly reviewed the earlier 1943 production, but compared and contrasted the two features, noting that the remake had "... sunlight so bright, you need to turn the contrast buttons right down, if you could only say that about the movie."Evans 2000, p. 162. The ''New York Times'' TV reviewer said Belushi "delivers a terrific performance with stunning authority" and the film "proves remarkably effective, bringing us back to a time when good and bad really were quite distinguishable. It's a good yarn, told well once again. And Mr. Belushi's powerful performance could push him to the head of the line on the profitable action-movie circuit."TELEVISION REVIEW; A Remake Of the 1943 'Sahara' O'Connor, John J. New York Times 29 July 1995: A.14.

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Evans, Alun. ''Brassey's Guide to War Films''. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books, 2000. .

External links

* * {{Brian Trenchard-Smith 1995 films 1990s action war films American action war films Australian action war films Films about armoured warfare Remakes of American films North African campaign films Films based on Patrol (novel) Films set in the Sahara Siege films American World War II films Australian World War II films Films directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language action war films