Review of Khartoum

Introduction

The Middle East is in turmoil as a brutal warlord rages across the land. However the British have a moral obligation to protect its interests in the area. Parliament is divided over how to handle the matter and the Prime Minister`s popularity is slipping as a result. Sounds familiar doesn`t it? The battlefield isn`t Iraq though, and in fact the story is one that occurred over a hundred years ago in Sudan. It`s time for another epic motion picture with a cast of thousands and grand arid vistas. Give current events though, some elements of the story are particularly apt.

In the 1880`s, a singular figure came to prominence in the Nile region. Believing he was the Mahdi of prophecy, one man gathered an army around him to wage holy war against the infidels and corrupt of the region. Having already defeated an Egyptian expeditionary force commanded by an inept British Colonel, the Mahdi`s forces had already captured a formidable arsenal. His gaze next turned to Khartoum and its mosque, where he believed that he and his followers would next worship. Back in England, people were dismayed at the humiliating defeat of a British officer, no matter how inept his command and were baying at parliament to exact some measure of retribution. Prime Minister Gladstone though, was loath to commit British forces where they were unnecessary. He was eventually persuaded of the necessity to protect British interests in Egypt and compromised by sending just one man, the popular and charismatic General Gordon, to arrange the evacuation of all Egyptian citizens from Khartoum. Gordon had previously freed Sudan of the curse of slavery and was considered the best qualified man for the job, but Gordon`s love of the Sudanese nation was such that a mere evacuation wouldn`t be enough for him. He had a plan that would provide some hope for the people of Khartoum. But by the time he finally reached the city, events had moved far faster than anticipated and his plan had come to nothing. Khartoum was under siege and Gordon`s only hope rested in convincing the reluctant British government of the need for military intervention.

Video

Epic films immediately conjure images of glorious landscapes and multitudinous casts, with the occasional grandly staged battle thrown in for good measure. Khartoum certainly doesn`t disappoint in this respect, filmed in Super Cinemascope and presented here at the ratio of 2.35:1. Made in 1956 you would expect print damage and indeed there are moments of scratches, dirt and blips, but despite that the film is in impressively good condition. The image is invariably clear sharp, and with strong colours, though on occasion moiré is apparent in excessively detailed scenes. This brings the best out in the grand cinematography, in itself a glorious travelogue of the Nile Delta. From the Pyramids to the arid wastes of the deserts, all looks great in this film. Add to that some impressive battles featuring the aforementioned cast of thousands and we have the customary ingredients for an epic film.

Audio

As usual with the MGM back catalogue titles, there are several soundtracks to choose from. A DD 2.0 English track is joined by similar tracks in German, French, Italian and Spanish. It`s a rather mundane front focussed mix that really doesn`t come to life very often. However the dialogue is clear at all times and the heroic music from Frank Cordell is accurately recreated if unimaginatively. In keeping with films of the era, Khartoum comes with the original overture, intermission and exit music, and is a nostalgic hark back to an earlier age of cinema.

Features

A veritable Babel of subtitles, as well as a trailer. The menus are static but a minor problem with the auto-switching renders them at the wrong ratio of 4:3

Conclusion

"An epic, stirring drama of two men and two empires." With that description you can hardly go wrong. It`s even better when it`s based on a true story and when your stars are the voice of God himself, Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier, then you know that you are in for a cinematic treat. Made during the golden age of epic cinema, you will know just what to expect from a film of this nature and Khartoum in no way disappoints. In addition to the credentials I have already mentioned is an excellent and intelligent script, which doesn`t pander to its audience but presents the protagonists as complex but human individuals.

The story itself is gripping, with the epic scale of the action in the deserts of Sudan interleaved with the backroom politics and manoeuvring of statesmen deciding the fate of thousands. Some intelligent and captivating dialogue, often layered with meaning and indicative of the excellent script, helps this. Charlton Heston`s performance is strong and really helps carry the film beyond just a recitation of history.

However that doesn`t mean that the film isn`t flawed. Made in 1966 it has become somewhat dated, especially for the politically correct generation. There are a couple of Arab stereotypes wheeled out once again here, notably the usual belly dancer watched disinterestedly by an audience of dignitaries. I quickly became tired at the number of blacked up faces portraying Arab characters with criminally bad accents. The worst offender of all has to be Lawrence Olivier, with his thickly applied make up and comically implausible accent, barely offset by his prodigious acting talent. I had to suspend a fair amount of disbelief to accept him in the role, and it`s only through his (apocryphal) encounters with Gordon that he felt believable.

The other problem I found in this film was it`s British bias. Understandably you had to choose a side and tell the story from that viewpoint, but that meant that the Mahdi`s character became reduced to just the leader of an army fighting a religious war. The character was actually more complex and interesting than portrayed here, a man who actually believed he had a destiny foretold by the Prophet Mohammed, and it would have been interesting to see more of his story and viewpoint rather than the dry narration that started the film.

Still, Khartoum is deserving of the epic tag and is presented on this MGM disc with good picture and adequate sound. Once again an MGM back catalogue title is released without flourish and flair, you would think that titles like this would be deserving of extras. If you are into grand scale historical drama, then you could do worse than the rarely televised Khartoum.