Sword in the Desert
Encyclopedia
Sword in the Desert is a 1949 American
war film
directed by George Sherman
.
, who ferries illegal Jewish immigrants into Palestine
to fight against the British authorities there.
The Evening Standard
claimed that the film was "not for the eyes of Britons" and the Daily Telegraph insisted that British audiences would be surprised to see the unwonted harshness with which the British troops in the film treated Jewish civilians. There were demonstrations and disturbances outside the New Gallery
, London
, when the film opened there on 2 February 1950, and pamphlets supporting the Union Movement were distributed to people wanting to see it. Five days later, the Public Control Committee of London Country Council followed the advice of the Home Office and prohibited further public showings of the film in order to prevent further scenes of rowdiness by what it termed fascist elements. It ignored the protest from the National Council for Civil Liberties that its action constituted a ban on free speech.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
directed by George Sherman
George Sherman
George Sherman was a film director of action movies beginning in the 1930s. The New York-born director's films include The Sleeping City and Tomahawk.-Filmography:*Red River Range...
.
Overview
The film presents the moral struggle of an American Captain, played by Dana AndrewsDana Andrews
Dana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
, who ferries illegal Jewish immigrants into Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
to fight against the British authorities there.
The Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
claimed that the film was "not for the eyes of Britons" and the Daily Telegraph insisted that British audiences would be surprised to see the unwonted harshness with which the British troops in the film treated Jewish civilians. There were demonstrations and disturbances outside the New Gallery
New Gallery
New Gallery may be:*the English name for the Neue Galerie, a museum of German art in New York*New Gallery , a 19th century gallery in London*New Gallery , an art museum in Kassel...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, when the film opened there on 2 February 1950, and pamphlets supporting the Union Movement were distributed to people wanting to see it. Five days later, the Public Control Committee of London Country Council followed the advice of the Home Office and prohibited further public showings of the film in order to prevent further scenes of rowdiness by what it termed fascist elements. It ignored the protest from the National Council for Civil Liberties that its action constituted a ban on free speech.
Cast
- Dana AndrewsDana AndrewsDana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
as Mike Dillon - Märta TorénMärta TorénMärta Torén was a Swedish stage and film actress of the 1940s and 1950s.Torén began her career on the stage and from 1947 she appeared in films. She appeared on the cover of the June 13 issue of Life Magazine in 1949....
as Sabra - Stephen McNallyStephen McNallyStephen McNally was an American actor remembered mostly for his appearances in many westerns and action films. He was an attorney in the late 1930s before pursuing a career in acting.-Career:...
as David Vogel - Jeff ChandlerJeff Chandler (actor)Jeff Chandler was an American film actor and singer in the 1950s.-Early life:Chandler was born Ira Grossel to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Anna and Phillip Grossel. He attended Erasmus Hall High School, the alma mater of many stage and film personalities...
as Kurta - Philip FriendPhilip FriendPhilip Wyndham Friend was a British film and television actor.-Filmography:* Inquest * The Midas Touch * Pimpernel Smith * The Day Will Dawn * In Which We Serve...
as Lieutenant Ellerton - Hugh French as Major Sorrell
- Liam RedmondLiam RedmondLiam Redmond was an Irish actor known for his stage, film and television roles.-Early life:Redmond was one of four children born to carpenter Thomas and Eileen Redmond...
as Jerry McCarthy - Lowell Gilmore as Major Stephens
- Stanley Logan as Colonel Bruce Evans
- Hayden RorkeHayden RorkeWilliam Henry Rorke was an American actor best known for playing Col. Dr. Alfred E. Bellows on the hit 1960s American sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Career:...
as Captain Beaumont - George Tyne as Dov
- Peter Coe as Tarn
- Paul MarionPaul Marion (actor)Paul Marion is an American actor, notable for roles in To Have and Have Not , Mysterious Doctor Satan and Captain Midnight. He was once married to the actress Isabel Jewell. He acted on film from the late 1930s to 1955's Devil Goddess, when he left acting to become an agent....
as Jeno - Marten Lamont as Captain Fletcher
- David WolfeDavid Wolfe (actor)David Wolfe, aka Dave Wolfe of New York City was an American film actor from 1949 to 1954. After his acting career, he was the lover of American Broadway showman Tommy Tune.-Filmography:...
as Gershon