Rope of Sand [Blu-ray]

Director: William Dieterle William Dieterle

Overview

Producer Hal Wallis evidently hoped to recapture the magic of his earlier Casablanca with 1949's Rope of Sand. To that end, he hired three of Casablanca's supporting players: Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, and Peter Lorre. This time, Henreid is the villain, a sadistic police inspector named Paul Vogel. Stationed somewhere in Africa, Vogel hopes to find a legendary lost diamond field. His principal rival in this endeavor is jewel thief Mike Davis (Burt Lancaster), who continues bouncing back from every death trap lain for him by the ill-tempered Vogel. The scenes in which Davis is subjected to various physical tortures is pretty raw for a 1940s film. Claude Rains co-stars as a diamond syndicate head misleadingly named Toady, while Peter Lorre does his shifty-mercenary act. Billed ninth as the nominal heroine is Hal Wallis' latest discovery, French actress/singer Corinne Calvet.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/23/2014
UPC:	0887090086608
Original Release:	1949
Rating:	NR
Source:	Olive
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:44:00
Sales rank:	15,209

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Burt Lancaster	Mike Davis
Paul Henreid	Commandant Paul Vogel
Claude Rains	Arthur Martingale
Corinne Calvet	Suzanne Renaud
Peter Lorre	Toady
Sam Jaffe	Dr. Francis Hunter
John Bromfield	Thompson
Mike Mazurki	Pierson
Kenny Washington	John
Miranda	South African Veldt Singer
Josef Marais	South African Veldt Singer
Edmund Breon	Chairman
Hayden Rorke	Ingram
David Hoffman	Waiter
Carl Harbord	Operator of Perseus Club
Georges Renavent	Jacques the Headwaiter
Ida Moore	Woman
David Thursby	Henry the Bartender
Trevor Ward	Switchboard Operator
Martin Wilkins	Batsuma Chief
Everett Brown	Batsuma Chief
Darby Jones	Batsuma Chief
Byron Ellis	Callboy
James R. Scott	Clerk
Blackie Whiteford	Guard
Harry Cording	Guard
Art Foster	Guard
Jozsef Mariass	Josef Marais
Nestor Paiva	Ship's Captain

Technical Credits

Walter Doniger

William Dieterle	Director
Gordon Jannings	Special Effects
Hal B. Wallis	Producer
Walter Doniger	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Surprisingly violent for 1949, Rope of Sand is a middling adventure yarn -- nothing special, but certainly entertaining enough when there's nothing else on the tube. As is so often the case, it's the screenplay that keeps Rope from being a better film. All of the ingredients for a good thriller are here, but they're slightly stale. They also seem to be thrown in somewhat at random, not because the story demands it but because the writers couldn't really come up with anything better. Director William Dieterle does the best he can with the material, and his work is fine -- but he still can't keep the film from dragging a little too often. Also working against the film is the female lead. Corinne Calvet is attractive and has some appealing qualities, but she's too weak a presence to hold such a key role, especially against an actor of such power as Burt Lancaster. Fortunately, the rest of the cast are more than up to their roles, and the contributions of Lancaster, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, and Paul Henreid are the biggest assets of the film. Lancaster, Rains, and Lorre are good playing familiar roles, but the big surprise is Henreid, who's cast against type as a sadistic villain -- and plays the role with great brio.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler