Khartoum

Basil Dearden's Khartoum (1966) is a fairly typical '60s Roadshow Epic. Slow-moving, talky and a bit stiff, it nonetheless musters considerable entertainment value in its sweeping vistas and rousing battle scenes.

Sudan, 1883. The Mahdi (Laurence Olivier), a Muslim fanatic, leads an uprising against Anglo-Egyptian authority, slaughtering an Egyptian army under Colonel Hicks (Edward Underdown). Fearing to commit themselves too heavily, Prime Minister Gladstone (Ralph Richardson) dispatches the colorful General Charles Gordon (Charlton Heston) to evacuate Khartoum of its non-Muslim population. Already revered for his efforts in stamping out slavery in the Sudan, Gordon begins organizing his own army to fight the Mahdi, much to the chagrin of his aide, Colonel Stuart (Richard Johnson). As the Mahdi prepares to attack Khartoum, a British army is belatedly sent to relieve Gordon - but it's already too late.

With its eccentric British hero, cynical take on imperialism, Middle Eastern setting, sweeping desert vistas and cast-of-thousands battles, Khartoum has ambitions of being another Lawrence of Arabia, but it doesn't come close. The movie quickly establishes a sluggish, static pace: long-winded, almost-nonsensical narration, an indifferently-staged massacre and a lengthy scene with Gladstone and other bigwigs occur before we even meet Gordon. The film doesn't pick up until the one-hour mark, and even then it's largely inert outside of the battles. It's too plot-heavy and talky for a straightforward adventure, but the efforts to add substance are mixed at best.

A major failing is the cast of one-note archetypes. Gordon is larger-than-life and charismatic, but we get little sense of what drives him, beyond vanity and a vague love of the Sudan - let alone why the Sudanese would swear undying allegiance to him. The Mahdi is a pan-Islamist with delusions of grandeur (not unlike Herbert Lom in El Cid), and other Sudanese are slightly above Gunga Din stereotypes - Gordon's servant (Johnny Sekka) even mistakes him for Christ! Stuart seems to exist to have puerile arguments with Gordon. Character is a general failing of epics, with few transcending the demands of spectacle, and Khartoum is no exception.

The movie's portrayal of imperial politics is a high point. Robert Ardrey's script intelligently portrays imperial maintenance as a game of bluff and brinksmanship. Gladstone, wanting to avoid disastrous adventures like Isandlwana, sends Gordon to Khartoum to save British face while washing his hands of responsibility. Such equivocation is useless against a determined foe like the Mahdi, and many die needlessly for a politically-safe "gesture". Our own recent history shows that military equivocation and half-hearted projection of power bring only grief.

Dearden manages an excellent production. With the help of cinematographer Edward Scaife, legendary second-unit man Yakima Canutt and art director John Howell, Dearden creates a top-notch spectacle. The Egyptian locations are unquestionably gorgeous, the period sets and costumes elegantly recreated, and the battles are mostly excellent - particularly the finale, with its thundering explosions, toppling ladders, and swords running with stage blood - this is why epics are made! Frank Cordell's rousing, dramatic score is another high point.

Charlton Heston is perfect as Gordon, his faltering accent aside: no one else could face down a murderous crowd with only a walking stick and get away with it. I'm torn what to make of Laurence Olivier's Mahdi: his blackface and accent are ridiculous, but he's imposing nonetheless, issuing dread proclamations and brandishing severed hands with gusto. Richard Johnson (a one-time James Bond contender) is completely one-note: little wonder his career never took off. The supporting cast is bristling with top British talent: Ralph Richardson (Doctor Zhivago), Michael Hordern (Where Eagles Dare), Nigel Green (Zulu), Alexander Knox (Nicholas and Alexandra), Peter Arne (Straw Dogs) and Zia Mohyeddin (Lawrence of Arabia).

Khartoum succeeds as a rousing battle epic, but little more. It's worth a look, but the unpretentious adventure of The Four Feathers (1939), also set during the Mahdist War, would be recommended first.