Hotel Sahara (1951)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Hotel Sahara |
| Original title | Hotel Sahara |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1951 |
| length | 85 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Ken Annakin |
| script |
George H. Brown Patrick Kirwan |
| production | George Hambley Brown |
| music | Benjamin Frankel |
| camera |
Jack Hildyard David Harcourt |
| cut | Alfred Roome |
| occupation | |
| |
Hotel Sahara is a 1951 British comedy film set in North Africa during World War II , directed by Ken Annakin and starring Yvonne De Carlo , Peter Ustinov and Albert Lieven .
action
Second World War , even the northern edge of Africa is not spared from the warlike activities of the major European powers. In the Sahara desert , the local Imad runs the noble "Hotel Sahara" in an oasis with his fiancée, the seductive Jasmin Pallas, her mother and the employee Yusef. When Imad, after the last civilian guests have moved out, toyed with the idea of giving up everything and fleeing the unsafe area with his people, it was Jasmin who stopped him. After the Italians began to fight the British in 1940, it became fairly uncomfortable for Imad and the others. The Italians, led by Capitano Alberto Giuseppi, take over the hotel. Imad flags accordingly and hangs the Duce on the wall. From now on the occupiers change every few weeks or months. The Italian army suffers its first bitter defeat on the ground and a unit is ordered to destroy any structure that could aid the enemy. This should also include the Hotel Sahara. Imad sabotages the project with a lot of cleverness and skill and can save his hotel just in time. Yusef shoots in the air to give the Italians extra steam on their way to escape.
The British appear next, and again Imad hoists a new flag at the hotel and attaches a new portrait. Their military leaders, Major Randall and Captain Cheynie, vie for Jasmin's attention and favor, while Madame Pallas flirts with the NCOs. Randall's job is to recruit Arabs willing to work for the British. Imad makes it clear to the major that the recruits prefer to be paid in kind, i.e. goods, instead of money. A lively trade in “requisitioned” and “organized” goods begins, in which “Puffin” Cheynie and Private Binns are particularly involved. Cheynie tries to hit Jasmin and gives her now rare nylons. In order to get rid of the annoying British, Imad agreed to organize a conference between the British and the Arabs, if only to get the occupiers to leave the hotel. When the British withdraw, about a dozen Germans arrive and drive out the remaining British. Now the German flag is hoisted and a picture of the leader is placed. Lieutenant Gunther von Heidecke requisitioned the hotel, but as the first occupier he was initially immune to Jasmin's charm. Meanwhile, Imad and Cheynie return to the hotel from the conference on camels, accompanied by the Arabs. Cheynie is disguised as an Arab so he doesn't get into the hands of the Nazis.
Von Heidecke has the Arabs hold a festival and ultimately wants to get to know the sheikhs. Before he can unmask Cheynie, Jasmin creates a distraction and performs a belly dance . Cheynie sneaks away and joins Randall, who is piled in front of the Germans in a bathing suit. Soon, however, the Wehrmacht also left the Hotel Sahara. At least Lieutenant von Heidecke is the only one of the occupiers to ask for an invoice for the services provided. The Germans have spotted a large column approaching nearby. This time it is the French who announce as soon as they arrive that the war is virtually over. And of course Imad's first act is another flag and portrait exchange. The Germans and the British, however, are still nearby. The German lieutenant and the British major come up with the same idea of disguising themselves as Arabs - Captain Cheynie even appears as a veiled woman, but when they arrive the French have already left. When the three men identify the respective enemy, they start shooting at each other. After he ran out of cartridges, von Heidecke flees, pursued by the two Englishmen. Now that Imad and Jasmin believe that peace will finally return after the past few years, they both hear an American voice ...
Production notes
Hotel Sahara was created in January 1951 in Pinewood Studios and with exterior recordings in Egypt and was premiered on July 9, 1951 in London. The German premiere took place on October 12, 1951.
Steven Pallos took over the production management. Ralph Brinton designed the film structures, John Box and Peter Lamont served as draftsmen. Julie Harris designed the costumes. Alan Hume served as a camera assistant. Benjamin Frankel conducted his own composition.
Yvonne De Carlo sings the two songs "I Love a Man" and "Say Goodbye".
As early as 1943, Akim Tamiroff played a similar hotel owner in Billy Wilder's Five Tombs to Cairo .
synchronization
| role | actor | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Jasmine | Yvonne De Carlo | Dagmar Altrichter |
| Emad | Peter Ustinov | Horst Breitenfeld |
| Lieutenant von Heidecke | Albert Lieven | Rolf Mamero |
| Captain Cheynie | David Tomlinson | Horst Beck |
| Capitano Alberto Giuseppi | Guido Lorraine | Dietrich Haugk |
| Yusef | Ferdy Mayne | Rudolf Fenner |
Reviews
The time was: “Here someone met the nonsense of war with a lot of humor. Therefore, not only the Africa fighters should watch the Rank film "Hotel Sahara", although it is only about the legendary desert war. (...) The national peculiarities are drawn so aptly with amiable irony that it is a real joy and nobody would have reason to be upset. Under the very confident direction of Ken Annakin, the actors show performances of considerable unity. "
In the mirror it was said: “The desert hotel survived Italian, English, German and French occupation in 1940, because each time the troops approached, the relevant Führer pictures were hung up and the corresponding flags were raised. With the constant change of crew, Yvonne de Carlo can nuanced prove her versatility. The German lieutenant (Albert Lieven) is the only one who is correct enough to ask for an invoice when leaving - in order to provide it with a Wehrmacht stamp. "
"Cheerful, uncomplicated blank material, no more subtle than a Music Hall sketch."
The lexicon of international films judges: "A humorous comedy from the time of the war in Africa: (...) Amusing entertainment that satirizes the warring powers in a fitting and conciliatory manner."
Halliwell's Film Guide concluded: "Overstretched, studio-bound, irregularly amusing comedy".
The Movie & Video Guide found the film to be a "pleasant flake".
Individual evidence
- ↑ In the English version it is pronounced "Emad".
- ↑ The spelling in the original version is "Yasmin".
- ↑ In the original version the man is called "Heilicke".
- ↑ Hotel Sahara in the German synchronous file .
- ↑ Private desert war. Review in: Die Zeit from October 18, 1951.
- ↑ Review in: Der Spiegel from October 24, 1951.
- ^ Hotel Sahara. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 3, 2020 .
- ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 643.
- ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 598.
Web links
- Hotel Sahara in the Internet Movie Database (English)