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Five Graves To Cairo (1943) remains of critical interest to the noireaux and other aficionados who hover among the tombstones which mark the old old films that are rarely but watched no more, because it forms the foundational evidence for the thesis of one of the most interesting noir writers and commenters on the globe, which is Dan Hodges of The Film Noir File.
Production of Five Graves to Cairo lasted from January 4 to February 20, 1943, and was primarily filmed at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California. Some exterior scenes were shot on location at the Salton Sea, Camp Young at the Army Desert Training Center in Indio, California, and in Yuma, Arizona. These locations stood in for Sidi Halfaya, a fictionalized version of Sidi Barrani.
Director Billy Wilder initially wanted Cary Grant to play the role of Bramble, but despite their friendship, Grant declined. Instead, the British hero was portrayed by American actor Franchot Tone, who spoke with an American accent. Anne Baxter was cast in the film after Paramount borrowed her from Twentieth Century-Fox, although David O. Selznick had initially agreed to lend Ingrid Bergman for the role.
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The film features German actors playing German characters, ensuring authentic accents, except for Erich von Stroheim, whose Austrian accent occasionally slipped. The German tanks depicted in the film were American M2 light tanks used for training, while the British forces used American M3 Medium tanks.
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Critical reception was mixed. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times praised von Stroheim's performance but criticized the overall story and other performances, describing the film as having "shenanigans" reminiscent of a haunted house. Conversely, Variety magazine called it "a dynamic, moving vehicle," praising Wilder's direction and the film's suspenseful moments and portrayals. Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader lauded the film as a "crisp spy thriller" and recognized it as excellent early work from Wilder. Quentin Tarantino later listed Five Graves to Cairo as his 10th favorite film of all time in 2008.
The film also inspired real-life events. Brigadier Dudley Clarke, commander of the British deception department in Cairo, saw the film in January 1944. He was inspired to create Operation Copperhead, a ruse involving a look-alike actor impersonating General Bernard Montgomery to mislead German intelligence about the timing of the Allied attack on northern Europe. This deception was dramatized in a book and a movie titled I Was Monty's Double.
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Five Graves to Cairo serves as a remake of the 1927 film Hotel Imperial, set during the Nazi Afrika Korps' conquest of Egypt. British Corporal John Bramble (Franchot Tone), having survived an attack on his tank, stumbles upon a decrepit hotel called "The Empress of Britain." There, he is taken in by the sympathetic owner, Farid (Akim Tamiroff), but meets disdain from the French maid, Mouche (Anne Baxter), who resents the British for abandoning her country at Dunkirk, leading to her brothers' capture.
The plot thickens as a German battalion led by Field Marshal Rommel (Erich von Stroheim) commandeers the hotel.
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Despite the potential for suspense and claustrophobic storytelling, the film's propagandistic nature hampers its impact. Unlike the best wartime propaganda films that balance optimism with vulnerability, Five Graves to Cairo features one-dimensional heroes who appear overly confident of their eventual victory. Tone's Bramble comes across as cocky and nonchalant, undermining the tension of the scenario.
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Baxter's Mouche offers a more nuanced character, driven by personal stakes as her brothers are held in concentration camps. Her initial attempts to ingratiate herself with Rommel and Lieutenant Schwegler (Peter van Eyck) add depth, though the film treats her with contempt, perpetuating stereotypes of the French as self-serving cowards.
The film's strength lies in its entertainment value as a "hangout movie." Von Stroheim's portrayal of Rommel is captivating, his character's arrogance and magnetism stealing the show. The Nazi antagonist's charm contrasts with the British protagonist's lack of relatability, highlighting an objective failing of the film.
Five Graves to Cairo entertains despite its flaws, offering a glimpse of tension and intrigue amidst a propagandistic framework. Its memorable performances, especially von Stroheim's, ensure its place as an interesting, if not fully realized, wartime thriller.
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As the tanks of publicity rolled towards the cinematic gates, here were the wild and Wilder promises made for receipt of its production:
AS BIG...AS EXCITING...as the world-shattering events that inspired it! (Print Ad- The Journal, ((Wood River, Ills.)) 21 October 1943)
They Had A Date With Fate In a Desert "Grand Hotel" (Print Ad-Times-News, ((Twin Falls, Idaho)) 28 July 1943)
DARING ADVENTURE BEHIND ROMMEL'S LINES! (Print Ad- Elmira Star Gazette, ((Elmira, NY)) 2 July 1943)
ROMMEL'S SECRET...That Almost Won Him a Continent (Print Ad-Calgary Herald, ((Calgary, Alta.)) 31 December 1943)
GASP at amorous intrigue and terrifying adventure...as spies out-fox the Desert Fox! (Print Ad- Brooklyn Eagle, ((Brooklyn, NY)) 8 June 1943)
"WE'LL WIN AFRICA IN FIVE DAYS!"-Rommel DID A WOMAN BLAST HIS HOPES? (Print Ad-Daily News, ((Los Angeles, Calif.)) 29 June 1943)
Did a Woman Start the Rout of Rommel?
Franchot Tone in Five Graves To Cairo (1943)
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Five Graves to Cairo is as compelling a war-spy thriller as could be had, and celebrates Hollywood perfection and the super-strength of Germanism in the Golden Age of the Silver Screen, and it is set against the backdrop of the Nazi Afrika Korps' advance into Egypt. It explores the cooperation between the symbolic characters representing the English and French, despite their underlying rift, while portraying an Italian general as ineffectual.
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| Erich von Stroheim in Five Graves To Cairo (1943) |
The screenwriting duo of Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett first collaborated on Ernst Lubitsch's screwball comedy Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1938). They continued their partnership with What a Life (1939), Midnight (1939), and Ninotchka (1939), a career-defining role for Greta Garbo that earned them their first Academy Award nomination.
Although they lost to Gone With the Wind (1939), their success with these screenplays for Paramount allowed Wilder to secure the director’s seat for their next collaboration, The Major and the Minor (1942).
Their working relationship was famously described by Brackett in “It’s the Pictures that Got Small,” a collection of diary entries edited by Anthony Slide, which chronicled their collaborative process. Brackett humorously noted that suggesting an idea, having it torn apart, and then seeing it resurface as Wilder's idea was part of their creative dynamic.
Before moving to Hollywood, Wilder directed Mauvaise Graine (1934), also known as Bad Seed. Seeking to avoid being confined to screenwriting, he convinced producer Arthur Hornblow Jr. to let him pitch a film adaptation of the play Connie Comes Home to Ginger Rogers. Rogers, having gained clout from her Oscar-winning performance in Kitty Foyle (1940), chose to work with Wilder, leading to the successful collaboration on The Major and the Minor.
Wilder's chance meeting with Ray Milland at a stoplight secured Milland's involvement in the project, despite the role initially being written with Cary Grant in mind.The protagonists in Five Graves to Cairo are ordinary individuals who rise to greatness by bravely facing dark circumstances and overcoming personal issues for the greater good. Akim Tamiroff, Anne Baxter, and Franchot Tone deliver commendable performances, but it is Erich von Stroheim's portrayal of Rommel that stands out. His captivating, man-you-love-to-hate performance adds depth to the film.
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In summary, Five Graves to Cairo offers a thrilling narrative with strong character dynamics, underscored by Wilder and Brackett’s exceptional storytelling and Wilder’s adept direction. The film’s blend of suspense, character development, and historical context makes it a noteworthy addition to wartime cinema.
In 1943, Hollywood produced numerous war films to support the U.S. involvement in World War II. These films ranged from low-budget rush jobs to excellent "A" level classics, all essentially serving as propaganda to boost the morale of the American public and troops. German exile filmmakers like Fritz Lang and Billy Wilder found themselves in a unique position, having previously exercised restraint due to Germany's status as a profitable export market.
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However, once the war began, Fascism became the unequivocal enemy, leading to a shift in the industry's approach.
Fritz Lang started early with Man Hunt (1941), a film released six months before Pearl Harbor that set its story in the late 1930s, highlighting the Nazi threat to democracies. By 1943, Lang tackled the conflict head-on with Hangmen Also Die!, depicting the assassination of Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich by Czech partisans.
As the war turned in the Allies' favor, Lang made Ministry of Fear (1944), a spy thriller based on a Graham Greene novel. Post-war, Lang used the spy genre in Cloak and Dagger (1946) to explore the new threat of atomic weapons.
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Billy Wilder, an Austrian Jewish man who fled Germany as the Nazis rose to power, settled in Hollywood in 1933 and quickly found success as a screenwriter. He earned his first Oscar nomination for co-writing Ninotchka (1939). As the war intensified, Wilder became a writer/director, a rare Hollywood double threat. Five Graves to Cairo (1943) was his second film as a director, blending elements of propaganda and spy thriller.
Five Graves to Cairo follows British tank corporal John Bramble (Franchot Tone), who, after surviving an attack in the North African desert, finds refuge in a hotel called the "Empress of Britain," run by Farid (Akim Tamiroff) and French maid Mouche (Anne Baxter). When the Germans, led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (Erich von Stroheim), commandeer the hotel, Bramble must impersonate the deceased waiter, Davos, who was a German spy. This allows Bramble to act as a double agent and uncover Rommel's secret supply dumps in Egypt, the "five graves to Cairo."
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Paramount's propaganda efforts were generally more restrained compared to other studios, only ceasing their German distribution facilities when the Nazi government shut them down in 1940.
The film’s production began with Paramount adapting Lajos Biro’s play, updating it to the contemporary North African campaign. This change involved shifting the lead character from female to male, placing him in a heightened state of conflict, and employing a variety of genre approaches to make the story immediate and compelling.
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Wilder and Brackett worked on the screenplay during the fall of 1942, inspired by the ongoing battle for El Alamein, and created the fictional Sidi Halfaya.
At the time, Paramount executives were likely nervous about the progress of the war in North Africa, especially the dominance of Rommel and his Afrika Korps. The structure of the war resembled a three-act movie, with initial British victories followed by Rommel’s offensive and culminating in his near-supremacy by the summer of 1942.
Domestic film audiences were familiar with this narrative structure due to the repetition of similar themes in popular war films like Desperate Journey (1942), Action in the North Atlantic (1943), and So Proudly We Hail (1943).
Five Graves to Cairo stands apart by making a subversive appeal through comedic misidentification and outlandish characters, as Wilder had done in The Major and the Minor (1942). The film opens with a title card setting the scene for June 1942, where the British Eighth Army was retreating, and Rommel’s forces were advancing towards Cairo and the Suez Canal. American audiences were already well-acquainted with these events through newsreels and combat movies.
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Five Graves to Cairo is an unconventional war film that deviates from typical contemporary war movies by focusing less on battle and more on the planning, scheming, boasting, and espionage that accompany it. The opening scene immediately sets an unsettling tone, depicting a lone tank navigating the Libyan Desert like a ghost ship. The tank's crew, except for one, is dead, killed by the tank's own exhaust system, emphasizing the futility and randomness of war.
The protagonist, Corporal John J. Bramble (Franchot Tone), is introduced in a dramatic fashion, highlighting his confusion and weakness as he stumbles through the desert. This portrayal establishes him as an unlikely hero, a soldier seemingly out of his depth who must nevertheless find his purpose in a chaotic situation.
Bramble eventually arrives at the Empress of Britain hotel in the deserted village of Sidi Halfaya. The hotel, run by the Egyptian Farid (Akim Tamiroff) and the French maid Mouche (Anne Baxter), becomes the central setting for the narrative.
As the German High Command, led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (Erich von Stroheim), arrives, Bramble is forced to assume the identity of Davos, a dead waiter who was a German spy. This deception allows Bramble to gather intelligence on Rommel's plans.
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Von Stroheim's entrance as Rommel is a standout moment in the film, with his shaved head and immaculate uniform presenting an imposing figure. Wilder cleverly positions the audience to look down on Rommel from a hotel balcony, reducing him in size and emphasizing his arrogance.
The film explores themes of non-belonging and loss, common in Wilder's work, and portrays complex characters with humor and depth, even within the context of wartime propaganda. This nuanced portrayal of a Nazi general with humor and complexity is uncommon in Hollywood war films of the period.
Five Graves to Cairo is notable for its blend of espionage, comedy, and drama, setting it apart from more straightforward war films. Its focus on the intricacies of war beyond the battlefield, combined with Wilder's unique storytelling and character development, makes it a compelling and distinct entry in wartime cinema. The film's portrayal of Bramble's risky impersonation, the tension-filled interactions with Rommel, and the vivid depiction of the harsh desert environment contribute to its enduring impact.
The plot follows British Corporal John J. Bramble (Franchot Tone), the sole survivor of a British tank crew, as he stumbles across the Empress of Britain Hotel in the deserted Libyan border town of Sidi Halfaya. The hotel owner, Farid (Akim Tamiroff), and French chambermaid, Mouche (Anne Baxter), are the only remaining inhabitants.
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| SPOILER IN THE SAND! Five Graves To Cairo (1943) |
As the Germans commandeer the hotel for Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (Erich von Stroheim), Farid conceals Bramble, setting the stage for the film’s complex espionage narrative.
The film is super duper well-made, tightly written by Wilder and his longtime collaborator Charles Brackett, and features strong performances. Tone carries the film effectively, while Baxter exudes screen chemistry despite her inconsistent accent. Von Stroheim nearly steals the show as Rommel, providing a captivating antagonist. Tamiroff provides comic relief, skillfully fulfilling his role.
Five Graves to Cairo stands, if a film can stand,or stand out, it stands out as a well-crafted war thriller, capturing the tension and intrigue of espionage during World War II. Wilder's direction and the ensemble cast's performances elevate the film, making it a notable entry in wartime cinema.
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Characters representing the anti-war resistance resonated with American audiences as they depicted "regular folks" who, oppressed by the Germans, were driven to take action. By involving Mouche and Farid in critical roles, Wilder offered a fresh dynamic, moving away from the typical Allies-hero/Axis-villain narrative. He focused on individual struggles within broader wartime circumstances, rather than a collective military effort, which distinguished Five Graves to Cairo from its contemporaries.
Wilder shared an inclination for Anglophilia, portraying Bramble as the epitome of the stiff upper-lipped, resolute British character. However, by casting an American actor as a Brit, Wilder undercut Hollywood's conventional war movie formula, opting instead for a satire of Rommel's egotism.
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| Anne Baxter in Five Graves To Cairo (1943) |
Bernard Dick notes that Rommel is portrayed as "too civilized for caricature, too tragic for vilification," but Wilder and cinematographer Seitz emphasize his arrogance, presenting him as a larger-than-life martinet. Even post-war, Rommel's character was reframed in The Desert Fox (1951), contrasting von Stroheim's portrayal with James Mason's tragic interpretation.
By bestowing on Bramble the identity of a dead man, Wilder completes a cycle of disguise and deception, epitomized by the death and rebirth of Davos. Sinyard and Turner observe that the film revolves around cultural tensions, largely resolved through disguises and deceptions. Bramble's repeated survival against near-certain death, facilitated by his French collaborators and German employers, highlights the resolving role of death in a Wilder film.
In Five Graves to Cairo (1943), everyone pretends to be what they are not, including Rommel, who poses as an archaeologist to hide his supplies.
This dark masquerade, initially explored by Wilder in The Major and the Minor, is amplified here with higher stakes. As Bernard Dick notes, Wilder begins with a ruse, lightening it for comedy or darkening it for melodrama.
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| Fortunio Bonanova in Five Graves To Cairo (1943) |
This theme recurs in Wilder’s work, including The Apartment, Witness for the Prosecution (1957), The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), and Kiss Me, Stupid (1964). However, rarely do these deceptions carry the risk of death for nearly every character.
By integrating high stakes into an unconventional war movie, Wilder and Brackett examine shifting dynamics between men and women, allies and enemies, and cultural rivalries. Five Graves to Cairo is a groundbreaking exploration of deception, protagonist suitability, and the omnipresent threat of death, establishing recurring motifs in Wilder’s oeuvre. This film merits further study for its rich insights into Wilder’s thematic and stylistic evolution.
In establishing a visual style for the comedy-drama, Wilder collaborated with black-and-white cinematography master John F. Seitz, art directors Hans Dreier and Ernst Fegte, and costume designer Edith Head.
The detailed settings, such as the slightly decrepit Empress Britain hotel interior and von Stroheim's dazzling white dress uniform, greatly enhance the film's visual style. Wilder and Seitz relied on two- and three-person grouped medium shots due to the stage play source material and the confined hotel rooms.
Seitz used contrast lighting to maximize visual impact, creating light and dark backgrounds through rattan-shuttered windows. The film's visual design, featuring detailed backgrounds with significant depth, evokes comparisons to Casablanca (1942). The distressed architecture of the hotel, from whitewashed bricks to dark wooden beams, provides a striking backdrop for Seitz's mobile camera work.
This approach allowed Wilder to shift perspectives constantly, maintaining a focus on Bramble's actions and motives while keeping the viewer engaged.
This is a must see hit of 1943, and for war drama, film making chops, entertainment and thoughtful excitement, it is your surest best for spy-time action from the 1940s.
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Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
Directed by Billy Wilder
Genres - Thriller, War, Desert Nazi, Espionage, Assumed Identity | Release Date - May 26, 1943 | Run Time - 96 min.
In Five Graves to Cairo, Corporal John J. Bramble (Franchot Tone) exemplifies the classic espionage imposter. As a survivor of the British Eighth Army in North Africa, he finds refuge in an isolated hotel, "The Empress of Britain," which metaphorically reflects the dilapidated state of the British Empire. The plot thickens when the German Afrika Korps, led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (Erich von Stroheim), commandeers the hotel. Bramble assumes the identity of the hotel's French waiter, Paul Davos, who was killed in a recent bombing. He later discovers that the real Davos was a German agent, using this knowledge to deceive Rommel and gain his trust.
Rommel reveals a crucial map of Egypt, showing where the Germans have hidden essential supplies. Assuming Bramble is merely a waiter, Rommel believes he can safely disclose this information. However, Bramble realizes that the "five graves to Cairo" where supplies are buried spell out E, G, Y, P, T on the map. Recognizing the strategic importance of these depots, Bramble knows that their destruction by the British would be pivotal in defeating the Nazis in North Africa.
Dan Hodges draws a parallel between Bramble’s story and the misunderstanding of the origins of film noir. Since 1946, the origins of film noir in Hollywood have often been misinterpreted. Hodges posits that the earliest film noirs in Britain and the United States were as much spy films as they were crime films. These "spy noirs" emerged during the Second World War: in the UK starting in the mid-1930s, and in the US from the late 1930s, continuing shortly after the war.
Hodges emphasizes the historical context of WWII as crucial in the genesis of Anglo-American film noir. He introduces tables of UK and US spy noirs, differentiating those cited in film noir references from his own identified spy noirs, which have not been previously acknowledged. His research reveals that many spy films from the WWII era deserve recognition as spy noirs due to their distinct noir visual style.
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Hodges underscores the validity of including UK and US spy noirs in the filmography of film noir, supported by photographs and videos showcasing the noir style. An illustrative scene from Five Graves to Cairo involves an air raid, where Bramble's true identity is nearly exposed, leading to a tense chase through the hotel, exemplifying the high quality of the noir visual style.
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In summary, Hodges argues that spy noirs played a fundamental role in the origins of film noir, shaped by the WWII era's historical context. This re-evaluation broadens the understanding of film noir, highlighting the genre's evolution and its entwinement with espionage narratives.
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