Rope of Sand

Plot

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. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

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. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Burt Lancaster - Mike Davis
• Paul Henreid - Commandant Paul Vogel
• Claude Rains - Arthur Martingale
• Peter Lorre - Toady
• Sam Jaffe - Dr. Francis Hunter

John Bromfield - Thompson; Mike Mazurki - Pierson; Kenny Washington - John; Corinne Calvet - Suzanne Renaud; Edmund Breon - Chairman; Harry Cording; Art Foster - Guard; Carl Harbord - Operator of Perseus Club; Darby Jones - Batsuma Chief; Ida Moore - Woman; Nestor Paiva - Ship's Captain; Georges Renavent - Jacques the Headwaiter; Hayden Rorke - Ingram; David Thursby - Henry the Bartender; Trevor Ward - Switchboard Operator; Blackie Whiteford; Martin Wilkins; Everett Brown; David Hoffman - Waiter; Josef Marais - South African Veldt Singer; James R. Scott - Clerk; Jozsef Mariass - Josef Marais

Credit

Franz Bachelin - Art Director, Hans Dreier - Art Director, Edith Head - Costume Designer, William Dieterle - Director, Warren Low - Editor, Franz Waxman - Composer (Music Score), Josef Marais - Songwriter, Carl Silvera - Makeup, Charles B. Lang - Cinematographer, Hal B. Wallis - Producer, Sam Comer - Set Designer, Grace Gregory - Set Designer, Gordon Jennings - Special Effects, Walter Doniger - Screen Story, Walter Doniger - Screenwriter, John Paxton - Additional Dialogue

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