Khartoum [DVD]

I'd seen this film a couple of times during the 70s and 80s. It's not great entertainment, but it's one of those movies that passes the time for dudes on a lazy weekend afternoon.Heston plays a lord with questionable morals not brought up nor otherwise addressed in the movie, who defends the fortress city of Khartoun.What has always gotten me about this movie is why the moat was not dug deeper, and then extended as the water retreated to high season levels. I'm just baffled by that. Because had that been done, then Heston's character probably would have successfully defended the city. But that's just me.It's a dude film. About dudes fighting dudes during the height of the Victorian era in North Africa. Lots of shots fired, lots of camels and horses falling in front of the camera ... other stunts ... stuff like that. It's okay for what it is, but I think the film could have high lighted some of the strategy and tactics and let the viewing audience in on why certain decisions were made and others not.It's not a deep film but had the gloss of being an important one, and gets your hopes up before dashing them later on, so its kind of manipulative in that way.Again, it's week end fodder. Don't take it too seriously.

This movie made 50-plus years ago is the "Hollywood-ized" version of the siege of Khartoum during the Sudanese wars in 1883/4. It is beautifully filmed but historically incorrect. General "Chinese" Gordon and the religious leader of the Sudanese, the Mahdi never did meet. One has to ignore Charlton Heston's feeble attempt at an English accent, and Laurence Olivier's peculiar "home-made" Sudanese accent.But a rollicking good tale anyway.

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This is a wonderful story and a riveting film, as the other reviewers have noted. This DVD version is crisp and clear, well done. The final narrator comment is on the mark -- A world in which there is no room for Gordons is doomed to turn to sand.If you would like to learn in exquisite detail what the Mahdi was truly like, his background, the games he played interposing himself between God and man, his private vices versus public face of holiness, the extent of his crimes against duped humanity, how he died [the narrator fo the film says we will never know, but Rudolph Slatin reported the cause of death more than 100 years ago], then by all means read "Fire and Sword in the Sudan," written by Colonel Sir Rudolph Slatin Pasha, an Austrian officer held captive inside the inner circles of both the Mahdi and his successor the Khalifa Abdullahi for twelve agonizing years. General Gordon's severed head was brought to Slatin in prison before it was taken as prize to the Mahdi. Slatin, an expert linguist and accomplished field commander, was appointed by Gordon as governor of Darfur and led troops in the field against rebels for one year after being cut off from all contact with his government. He played convert to Islam as a strategy to inspire his troops and to stay alive as a personal slave to the Mahdi and the Khalifa, biding his time until he could make good his escape. Slatin's story is at least as inspiring as the life of the legendary General Gordon. Several anecdotes Slatin reveals about Gordon give a special insight into the kind nature of the great but human general.My only complaint about "Khartoum" -- The movie was grossly slanderous toward General Hicks, who commanded the troops massacred in the opening scene. Rediculed in the movie as a "fool," the facts show him a great hero. When questioned by one of his friends before the fatal expedition in which Hicks died and his 10,000 troops were wiped out, Hicks said, "I am as Jesus Christ in the midst of the Jews." He knew he was about to become a martyr. He and his handfull of officers all agreed their chances were bleak. Still he marched off, thinking his honor might be impugned if he refused to advance. When the Mahdi made Hicks an offer to accept his surrender with terms and passed out hundreds of handbills along the route of march documenting that offer, Hicks refused. He died to protect his honor just as Gordon later died. An officer sent to his death for nothing by ignorant politicians. Sound familiar?Sir Winston Churchill's book "The River War" is a brilliantly told first-hand account of the retaking of the Sudan. Churchill's written description of the charge of the 21st Lancers is as vivid as any war scene ever filmed.General Gordon's Khartoum Journals are also available in several different printings."Khartoum" will open an entirely new world to those interested enough to study the history. Those were days when 3,000 men could be killed in one twenty minute clash by spear and sword, rifle and pistol. The scenes of bravery on a large scale are like nothing we could imagine today. Many of us tend to panic at the scale of human life taken in today's war on terror. We forget the huge scale of the battles our ancestors fought before the dawn of the age of modern weaponry and terrorist attacks. We underestimate the ability of a strong society to absorb incredible blows in battle, and risk joining the ranks of the terrorized and self-defeated. Abraham Lincoln once wrote that if this great nation is to ever die, it will be by suicide, not at the hands of foreign armies incapable of stealing a single drink from the Ohio river.

Internecine conflicts among and between the various Islamic factions in the Middle East and North Africa are constantly in the news today, but they are only a reflection of the violent nature of Islam through the ages. This film is a tragedy set in the Sudanese city of Khartoum and deals with the Siege of Khartoum that began in 1884 and ended in the first month of 1885. The performances of Charlton Heston as M.G. Charles Gordon and Sir Lawrence Olivia as Mohammad Ahmed/Mahdi are very convincing. The story line, cinematography, and action sequences are all excellent.Egypt was still in nominal control of Sudan after the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882, but the rise to power of a charismatic Sudanese Muslim fundamentalist claiming to be the Mahdi, an Islamic version of the Messiah, threatened both the Egyptian and British interests in North Africa and the Suez Canal. The defeat by the Mahdist Army of an Egyptian army commanded by British officers increased the prestige and following of the self-proclaimed Mahdi, as well as yielding modern arms and munitions that would enable them to besiege Khartoum and eliminate the Egyptian presence. The British government of Prime Minister Gladstone saw very little of value in Sudan and attempted to avoid sending British troops into the conflict, being unaware that the Mahdi intended to continue his offensive until all Muslim countries were part of his domain. Major General Charles Gordon had been the Governor-General of Sudan for a time, and had become very popular with the common people by ending the slave trade there during his tenure. Gladstone commissioned Gordon to go to Khartoum and extricate the Egyptian population.The approaching conflict is presented with ethnic, religious, and political overtones. The Mahdi is pursuing jihad, a holy war to purge Islam and bring a revival of the basic tenants of Islamic doctrine. The Mahdi, Mohammad Ahmed, resents his co-religionists from Egypt on all three levels, and intends to execute them rather than permit them to evacuate. Gordon could leave, but could not evacuate the Egyptian military garrison or civilians. Gordon's choice was to ignore his instructions from the British government and remain in Khartoum to organize and supervise preparations for the siege in the hope that British policy could be altered and Khartoum spared. The tactical formula for assaulting a fortified defensive position with similarly equipped and trained soldiers indicates that the attacking force must be three times greater (3:1) than the defending force to achieve success. The Egyptian garrison defending Khartoum numbered approximately seven thousand, but the Mahdist Army numbered over fifty thousand, a ratio of over seven to one (7:1). The valiant efforts of General Gordon and the Egyptian garrison as portrayed in this film are inspiring.

Basil Dearden"s exotic 1966 historical epic Khartoum arrives on a German region B Blu ray courtesy of Spirit Media. Presented in full HD 1080p in the film's correct Ultra Panavision aspect ratio of 2.76:1 this also comes complete with an uncompressed DTS HD MA stereo soundtrack but sadly no extra features. It is worth noting that Twilight Time released this as a limited edition of 3000 in the US and Eureka Entertainment inaugurated Khartoum into their prestigious Masters Of Cinema range in the UK. Both of these editions do feature an audio commentary but the UK release has been cut by 29 seconds at the insistence of the BBFC to remove all scenes containing dangerous horse trips in accordance with their animal cruelty policies. For better or worse this German disc retains all of these sequences in their entirety.Synopsis:Basil Dearden opens his 1966 production of Khartoum (after the beautifully scored Overture) with a four minute monologue narrated by English actor Leo Genn who chronicles the history of the Nile whilst bringing you up to speed with the uprising of Muhammad Ahmad (portrayed here by a heavily made up Lawrence Olivier) a self ordained leader who claimed to be the Mahdi (a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology) who launched a holy war and Islamic uprising against the Ottoman-Egyptian military rule in Sudan.The action begins in the Sudanese desert circa 1884 with The Battle Of El Obeid as an Egyptian army led by British officers is massacred by the Mahdi's forces. This of course causes a huge problem for the British government and in particular Prime Minister of the time William Gladstone (Ralph Richardson). In fear of losing face after the defeat to an indigenous army and in no hurry to embroil his government in anymore African matters is advised by his cabinet to seek out national hero and Christian Evangelist General Charles 'Chinese' Gordon (Charlton Heston) who had previously been asked by the Khedive to serve as Governor General of Sudan and who in this position had fought to abolish slavery, touture and corruption in the region. His mission is to try and convince the Mahdi to lay off an attack on the Sudanese city of Khartoum and allow safe passage to the British and Egyptian residents. Knowing full well that he is being set up as a scapegoat should this unsanctioned mission fail Gordon still agrees to the job and accompanied by a single aid Colonel J.D.H Stewart (one time Bond consideration Richard Johnson) travels to Khartoum where he is treated as a Messiah by it's Egyptian inhabitants whom he helped to liberate. After a meeting between Gordon and the Mahdi (which didn't actually happen but is an excuse for two huge actors to chew the scenery) it is made clear that the Mahdi is interested in more than just the Sudan and that the defeat of Khartoum and no safe retreat for the Egyptian troops within would be a good example of his power. Believing Khartoum to be worth saving Gordon disobeys orders to leave calling upon the British government to intervene and send reinforcements. Unfortunately this wasn't put into action fast enough despite the siege on the city spanning almost a year and Gordon being confident in not only the it's defences and dwindling food supply but also the assistance of the British government and friend Sir Garnet Wolseley (Nigel Green of Zulu) with Khartoum finally being sacked and Gordon defeated in the March of 1885.Basil Dearden's Khartoum harks back to a time when films had roadshows engagements, overtures and intermissions set to beautifully arranged orchestral music and the screen was often filled with hundreds upon hundreds of extras and exotic panoramic vistas showcasing far off lands that the average viewer would only ever dream about or witness in a movie theatre. The last of only a handful of productions to be shot using Ultra Panavision 70 (until Quentin Tarantino famously reinvigorated interest in the format for his epic snow bound western The Hateful Eight) Khartoum is a ravishing feast for the eyes. Like other movies shot in this large format (which was also known as MGM Camera 65 when it debuted with Ben Hur in 1959) the aspect ratio is significantly wider than any other scope format measuring in at a spectacular 2.76:1 providing beautifully vast and endless views of the harsh desert landscapes, exceptional depth of field and compositions that resemble painterly works of art. It is worth noting that all Ultra Panavision 70 features were actually shot anamorphicly on 65mm but printed on 70mm film with the remaining 5mm being devoted to a discrete 6 track stereophonic soundtrack.Despite the lavish cinematography Khartoum is though a somewhat dry picture often getting bogged down by starchy dialogue heavy scenes delivered in a rather austere and reserved way. I also find the subject matter to be rather curious for what is an expensive picture shot on possibly the best equipment of the era. I myself had never heard of General Gordon before having seen this film and very much doubt he was known to American audiences either even back in the mid 60's so to shoot a production of this scope and scale with the intention of roadshow engagements and worldwide box office returns did seem a gamble and is possibly the reason the film isn't as well remembered today. Khartoum was also promoted as an epic along the lines of Ben Hur, Cleopatra or Lawrence Of Arabia but compared to these huge 70mm extravaganzas it is surprisingly short. Remove the overture, intermission, entr'acte and exit music and it barely hits the two hour mark.The screenplay by Robert Ardrey did however receive an Oscar nomination and there is no doubt as to the pedigree of the performances on display. Charlton Heston had by this point become the go to star for the many historical and biblical epics that surfaced in the 50s and 60s with his bankable name now being synonymous with grandiose studio productions and epic roadshow pictures. Some reviewers have complained about the casting of Khartoum but I found Heston to portray the stubborn and occasionally pompous English general surprisingly well (despite his accent) as he is the perfect fit for these larger than life biblical and military figures. Laurence Olivier was another criticism being an odd casting choice for his role of the Mahdi and in these more sensitive times it is easy to see why some may consider a respectable English thespian donning dark face makeup to play a devious Muslim villain to be going a tad too far. However outdated this concept may seem now this was produced in 1966 when cinema patrons were less conscious of such things with Olivier's performance (all shot rather statically on a soundstage at Pinewood Studios) being particularly memorable despite his limited screen time.The main draw of Khartoum is though the battle sequences which punctuate the movie at key moments and were shot under the guidance of champion rodeo star and stunt coordinator Yakima Canutt who is possibly best known for his work alongside John Ford on Stagecoach. These may not have the grand scale of say Lawrence Of Arabia (despite David Lean's movie being shot at the less aggressively wide Super Panavision 2.20:1 ratio) but are often visually arresting despite their occasional chaotic nature and also beautifully composed making you wonder how cinematographer Edward Scaife never received an Oscar nomination. I suppose it could be said that anything shot in Ultra Panavision 70 is going to look magnificent just because of the sheer size and capabilities of the format but the arrangements for these scenes plus the gorgeous set design (which did receive a BAFTA nomination) are wonderful to behold making you wish that all large scale productions had been shot this way.Despite it's outdated cultural references, inaccurate history and talky midsection Khartoum is still a rip roaring Saturday afternoon matinée adventure filled with well staged battles and sweeping Ultra Panavision cinematography the kind of which we would rarely see again. Of course it will always be compared to Lawrence Of Arabia and indeed it does have similar historical context but Basil Dearden isn't David Lean and his movie is far more simplistic in its approach to storytelling relying instead on arresting visuals and a great cast who knew their way around an historical epic or two.Picture:Khartoum was originally released by Twilight Time in the US and then Eureka in the UK so it would make sense that this German release from Spirit Media would utilise the same source materials as these. It is worth noting before I offer my views on this transfer that I haven't seen either of the two previous releases but checking specifications courtesy of Caps-A-Holic they do appear to have nearly double the video bitrate and are housed on BD50 discs as opposed to the Spirit Media which is given less space to breathe on a smaller BD25.So is this German disc compromised in any way? It's hard to tell as I found the AVC encoded 1080p transfer to be extremely satisfying in almost all areas. Presented in Khartoum's correct Ultra Panavision aspect ratio of 2.76:1 the image is gorgeous and beautifully cinematic with deep blacks and revealing shadow delineation. The extremely wide panoramic framing can take a few moments to get used to with the black bars encroaching onto the screen far more than standard 2.35 or 2.40 but once your in the groove it does look rather unique as you are treated to sweeping expansive shots of the North African locations and incredibly detailed battle scenes. Depth is readily apparent in almost all parts of the film and detail is also pleasing although there is some softness that I took as an inherent part of the original shoot. I am unsure as to what source was used for this but it isn't as spectacular as Ben Hur's Ultra Panavision transfer but far more attractive and textured than the abysmal treatment of The Greatest Story Ever Told which is another 70mm picture crying out for a new scan. Colours are for the most part natural and well balanced if on occasion a tad muted although the opening shot of a sunrise silhouetting the pyramids of Giza is especially rousing setting the tone splendidly for the upcoming movie.Grain is fine but almost always visible adding a wonderful vintage charm to the photography especially as the wide frame lingers on the exotic palm edged skylines and print damage was kept to a minimum with occasional white specs and an odd flicker during the opening monologue. I did detect some slight edge enhancement which was most noticeable when characters dominated the screen but nothing that was going to completely disrupt your enjoyment of what is a strong high definition presentation of a beautifully photographed film.Sound:For it's 70mm roadshow engagements Khartoum was presented with a six track magnetic stereo soundtrack. This early use of multi-channel theatre sound employed five screen channels (left, left centre, centre, right centre, right) which reproduced accurate movement across the huge screens utilised for the presentations positioning dialogue and effects exactly where they happened plus a mono surround channel which was fed to various speakers around the auditorium.When Twilight Time prepared Khartoum for it's Blu ray premiere they were only supplied with a two channel mix by MGM and not the full six track which could've been used to create a 4.0 or even 5.1 mix. Fortunately the audio here is stereo (some 35mm prints were mono) and judging by the wide imaging and split channel effects which are often very noticeable along the front of the soundstage this could even be a downmix of the original six track. Presented in 16bit DTS HD MA at 867kbps this is a very capable reproduction of Khartoum's sound design which when played through a matrix decoder such as Dolby Pro Logic IIx generated a very engaging experience. The opening overture music by Frank Cordell sounded incredibly agile and precise sweeping through the soundstage and filling the room with its glorious splendour. Into the movie this sounded appropriately vintage but also very clear and transparent with strong stereo separations across the front positioning voices and effects across the screen. The battle sequences though obviously less bombastic than a modern movie soundtrack again enjoyed glorious stereophonic width from cannon fire and explosions through to stampeding horses and the hollering of troops. The track is though front heavy with very little emanating from the surround channels apart from the score. Maybe a dedicated discrete 4.0 or 5.1 mix would've opened it up slightly but I can't help but think that this is how Khartoum originally sounded and as a purist I have no complaints. Dynamic range was more than acceptable for a film of this vintage and I didn't notice any damage or distracting anomalies.There is also an uncompressed DTS HD MA German mono track and no forced subtitles when the English audio is selected.It is worth noting that the Twilight Time also features a DTS HD MA 2.0 mix with a higher bitrate at 2064kbps and Eureka a LPCM track 2304kbps. Both are also 24bit as opposed to Spirit Media's 16.Extras:Sadly Spirit Media supply nothing in the way of extras apart from English and German theatrical trailers.Because of this the only advantage of this German disc over the UK release is the uncut status.Conclusion:Although it will never been held in the same regard as David Lean's masterpiece Lawrence Of Arabia, Khartoum is still an enjoyable spectacle featuring some great performances and jaw dropping Ultra Panavision cinematography all held together by a rousing score and exotic lacations.This German Blu ray from Spirit Media features a less technically robust transfer compared to the UK release from Eureka but is completely uncut and in all fairness looks and sounds rather good. Recommended for the movie alone but if you want extras go with either the limited edition US BD or cut UK release

J'ai aimé ce film tel que je l avais vu au cinéma dans les années 60 il est parfait

Khartoum DVD Blue Ray. Played it. Excellent. On the Dot Service. Thank you.

Great Epic, Great Cast, A must See.

Wenn Sie angesichts der heutigen politischen Situation (Arabischer Frühling) geschichtliches z.B. zum Mahdi-Aufstand interessiert und Sie doch keine Guido Knopp Doku sondern lieber einen guten, alten Monumentalfilm zum Thema sehen wollen - dann greifen Sie zu diesem Film.Die gute Recherche-Arbeit (für einen Spielfilm!) wird leicht bewertbar durch die wikis zu "Charles George Gordon" und "Mahdi". Einfach mal kurz durchsehen und dann den Film anschauen.Gerade wenn man bedenkt, dass in dieser Gegend der jüngste Staat der Erde liegt (Südsudan) dessen Entstehungsgeschichte man in den Nachrichten verfolgen konnte, dann sollte man sich diesen Film über Sendungsbewußtsein, politische Auswirkungen des Islam und europäische Machtpolitik nicht entgehen lassen.Zum Film: Die Besetzung ist alleroberste Kategorie - Charlton Heston gibt den evangelikalen schottischen "Christian Soldier" sehr überzeugend - unterstützt von einer Maske, die man am besten würdigt, wenn man einen Ausdruck des Gordon-Photos in Wikipedia neben den Fernseher hält.Ich habe mich immer gefragt, wer diesen genial-diabolischen Mahdi spielt und wo in dem Film eigentlich Laurence Olivier steckt - er steckt unter der Schminke und dieses Casting verstehe ich noch weniger, seit ich mir die englische Tonspur angetan habe: er spricht englisch mit vorgetäuschtem arabischem Akzent und ich kann ihn nicht mehr als 2 min. ertragen, weil die deutsche synchro da einfach viel besser seinen Charakter als charismatische Volksverführerfigur trägt.Omar Sharif hätte doch theoretisch zur Verfügung gestanden - ja, Olivier spielt genial, aber in englisch/arabisch und bei seinem Bekanntheitsgrad als Shakespeare-Schauspieler, da müssen doch einige im Kino mit dem Kopf geschüttelt haben?Einen muß ich in dem Zusammenhang aber noch auf die gleiche Stufe stellen: Ralph Richardson als Gladstone. Diese Szenen in England, bei denen das Kabinett berät, was sie mit der verfahrenen Situation machen sollen und wie Richardson hier den durchtriebenen Politiker spielt, der eigentlich am besten die Situation in ihrer Gefährlichkeit/Sinnlosigkeit erkennt, das ist schon Extraklasse.Ich mag diese Szenen mit am liebsten am ganzen Film.Vielleicht deshalb, weil die Schlachtszene mit Gordon beim fouragieren beleuchtungstechnisch seltsam getrickst aussieht, weil die große Schlacht gleich zu Anfang zwar sehr gut inszeniert ist, aber an der Stelle merkwürdig verschwendet wirkt und weil der Kampf um das Nilboot zwar auch gut gedreht ist, aber seltsam unaufgelöst ohne Höhepunkt bleibt.Der Endkampf um Khartoum dagegen, läßt Heston zu großer Form auflaufen und ist auch in den Massenszenen sehr eindrucksvoll.Insgesamt ein guter Film, aber nicht in einer Liga mit "Lawrence von Arabien". (Allerdings ertappe ich mich dabei, ihn häufiger mal so ein bisschen anzuschauen, als den Lawrence.)Politisch gesehen haben beide Filme ja in der heutigen Zeit wieder Aktualität gewonnen. Was mir bei Khartoum auffällt: Gladstone will ums verrecken nicht die Knochen eines einzigen Soldaten wegen des Sudans riskieren und wird doch durch einen einzelnen Idealisten, der das Ganze billig lösen sollte, immer tiefer hineingezogen. Als Kontrastprogramm zur heutigen politischen Handhabung des arabischen Aufstands sind beide Filme erneut zu empfehlen.