Five Graves to Cairo

Miserable effort by Wilder, who seems to have not been directing this one at all, nevertheless the script was competent enough to carry it through some mediocre acting and lackluster camerawork, hell it even made up somewhat for Wilder's directing blunders. The one terrible thing is the ending, which is simply atrocious--so it ends up being a sub-par watch.

Disappointing. It's still a solid wartime stuck-in-one-place film, but the Wilder trademarks of witty dialogue and frantic action just aren't there yet. The final ending made it seem too much like a propaganda film to rally the troops, which takes away from the (undercooked) tragic romance. Fav scene: Tone arguing for the greater good with "million brothers" and Baxter countering with an equally reasonable bit about her own brother.

The ending really makes this one stand up as a note-worthy if minor WWII movie. I love the small setting and especially Stroheim's fantastic performance.

ugh one of the worst endings - pure propaganda of the worst kind. The cinematography is the clear stand-out amidst this tired cast/script. Not nearly enough.

Its ok but kind of muddles through what should have been a better story.

Viewed December 12, 2020.

A rare thing--a witty war film Von Stroheim is wonderful. Unfortunately, the whole thing is marred by some heavy-handed propaganda and an unsatisfactory ending.

Billy Wilder scores again. Groovy WW2 adventure movie. Erich von Stroheim is perfect as Rommel

Script manages to incorporate wit and humor into genuinely exciting wartime yarn.

87.00

87.000

The one-location bit that is most of the film is very good, but the last 10 minutes are terrible.

It works more as a war comedy than a spy film, because its main strenghts as a thriller appear only in the second half, when Davos, the british soldier disguised as a Nazi collaborator, manages to figure out what the five graves and the five letters mean -- you know, it is Egypt, and it was there all the time. Anne Baxter's character, accused of helping the brits, dies in the end just to punish the only one that seemed to care about one individual -- her armless, imprisoned bro. Yeah, war sucks.

It's a little bit preachy, but it was made in 1943.

Kuzey Africa, Almanlar, ingilizler, otel, Eric Rommel, Mükemmel bir hikayesi var. Çölde başı boş dolanan bir tanktan düşen John Bramble, çölde karargah sandığı bir yere ulaşır. Burası Sidi Halfaya'da bir oteldir. İngilizler ise burayı boşaltmıştır. Otelin Mısırlı sahibi John'u Alman birlikleri gelince saklamak durumunda kalır. John, ise otelde hava saldırısında ölen Paul Davos'un yerine geçer. SP Davos, alman ajanıdır. İşler bu noktadan sonra karışır. INGILI

Not particularly bad, just one of Wilder's lesser pictures. It's a little less clever, less intense, and light on directorial flair. Even so it's a decent way to pass the time, and I always enjoy seeing von Stroheim act.

There are brief flashes of very good filmmaking here, but ultimately they all fade away. Von Stroheim is great as Rommel, but Tone feels like a second-rate Bogart, and the awkward romance with Baxter never quite works. There are tiny hints of comedy which help break up the tedium while we're waiting for the tension in the third act. I'm normally a fan of definitive endings, but the patriotic flag-waving of this one was too much (the motorcycle could have been the last shot).

It's a Billy Wilder film so it is obviously centered in the story, which is ok, but not that engaging. Also the acting of the main actors was mostly poor, with the notable exception of Erich von Stroheim; this made it harder for me to care for the characters, hell I wanted to see the intelligent Rommel's plan to succeed. The one location movie also made the watching a bit claustrophobic. Not a memorable film, but keeps you entertained for a while.

Well it's Wilder, so you know it'll be an effortless watch. A few performances resonate, and the comic relief bits aren't as obnoxious as they could've been, but it's hampered by a dissatisfying conclusion and some tacked-on pro-war propaganda.

Despite feeling a bit stage-y at times, it manages to be quite intense and fun. It's not totally serious, but it's not exactly a comedy either. Somehow this works and it feels very ahead of its time. It's well paced and everything flows well together (I was also happy about the lack of a romantic subplot). All the performances are good, particularly Franchot Tone and Erich von Stroheim - who proves to be a much better actor than director. Ending feels cheesy and tacked on though.

Poor ending and lackluster direction mars this great story a bit, but not enough to make it any less watchable.

85.125.

Well made but very predictable/uninventive wartime propaganda espionage thriller. Kind of feels like Wilder is going through the motions here, which is to say it's still pretty good (it's Wilder), but it's certainly a far lesser work of his. Tamiroff gives a fun performance and von Stroheim is also good. The leads are only middling. I would have ended it in the motorcycle shot, but given the time it was made and the propaganda considerations I understand why it wasn't. Solid but forgettable.

Billy Wilder's war theme is neither distinct nor dramatic. The weakest Wilder so far.

Five Graves to Cairo (1943) shows high quality at times, but doesn't provide the excitement all the way through. Felt it was a real good role for Franchot Tone, who was usually cast in flirtation movies, so it was a nice change to see him in something more serious. Starts off excellent, with the middle portion being the weak spot filling time before the patriotic conclusion. Fresh man in Hollywood, Peter van Eyck, was a vital part on the enemy side.

Might have been fun to watch while the war was still on in 1943.