Die vermißte Patrouille (1934)

Die vermißte Patrouille: Directed by John Ford. With Victor McLaglen, Boris Karloff, Wallace Ford, Reginald Denny. A dozen British soldiers, lost in a Mesopotamian desert during World War I, are menaced by unseen Arab enemies.

“John Fordu0026#39;s the Lost Patrol probably reflects Fordu0026#39;s views on life in general . Ford knew what he wanted in the way he handles the various actors in their parts and each fulfills their role admirably . Karloff is a bit over the top at times and evidently Ford wanted that . Fordu0026#39;s symbolism is reflected in the setting , the circumstances and the characters and is enhanced by Max Steinersu0026#39; brilliant score . The characters are a u0026quot; Grand Hotel u0026quot; collection , but each having his own views about life and how death meets them.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe setting is Mesopotamia , the original Garden of Eden as pointed out by Karloff . Here is Eden ruined by the fall of man , bleak , barren and deserted .There are only ruins with very little nourishment for sustenance . Death is represented by the unseen Arabs. It strikes without warning or without being seen . It strikes at the most inopportune times . All want an opportunity to fight this unseen enemy that has decimated their ranks.It strikes mercilessly and cruelly and shatters all hope . Man facing his mortality controls nearly all of the discussions and the reminiscing . u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe helplessness of man in the midst of his circumstances seems to be Fordu0026#39;s u0026quot;archu0026quot; for this film . This is conveyed by the inability to see the enemy or know when he will strike . He steals the provisions needed to survive and there is no way to retrieve them .The seeming u0026#39;victoryu0026#39; of reaching the oasis shatters that illusion after the first night . u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne other commented on the anti-Christian ( or religious ) bias of Ford that shows itself in this picture . One strong point that Ford makes is that there is u0026#39; no help from above u0026#39;. The airplane seems to be a sign that help has arrived , but that hope is soon shot down . Then the two men discuss that they know nothing about flying ( read religion ) . Their final act of helplessness and unbelief is to burn the plane . No help is coming from above ( God ) . u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI sat spellbound watching Ford weave a masterpiece of a tapestry of symbolism . Here is Ford at the top of his game and illustrating his genius whether you agree with his philosophy or not . This is not just a story ( and it is a great one at that ) , but it is manu0026#39;s response to life . That is where and why the attempted remakes have failed . They see only the struggle and try to focus on that . The struggle against odds has been done in every genre ,so they bring nothing new to the table . Ford used the struggle as a tableau for the deeper struggle of the basic dilemmas of man and life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI will watch this over and over .”