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During the British retreat through Libya, British officer Captain David Holland takes shelter with a [[Bedouin]] tribe and marries the sheik's daughter. After the war his younger brother, who had believed him to be dead, learns that he may be alive in Libya – prompting him to set out and search for him.
During the British retreat through Libya, British officer Captain David Holland takes shelter with a [[Bedouin]] tribe and marries the sheik's daughter. After the war his younger brother, who had believed him to be dead, learns that he may be alive in Libya – prompting him to set out and search for him.


Along with ''Bengazi'' (1955), ''The Back Tent'' is one of the few feature films set in the last days of the British Military Administration of Libya from 1945 to 1951.<ref>The Black Tent (1956) and Bengazi (1955): The Image of Arabs in Two Post-Empire Journeys into the Deserts of Libya
Voeltz, Richard Andrew. CINEJ Cinema Journal; Pittsburgh Vol. 7, Iss. 1, (2018): 169-188. DOI:10.5195/cinej.2018.200 </ref>
==Plot==
==Plot==
The film begins with a tank battle where blonde-haired Captain Holland (Anthony Steel) is sprawled unconscious beside his tank on the sand. When he comes to, he walks over the dunes until collapsing near a Bedouin encampment at an oasis. He is found by the sheik's daughter, Mabrouka (Anna Maria Sandri), who takes him to the camp which consists of several black tents.
The film begins with a tank battle where blonde-haired Captain Holland (Anthony Steel) is sprawled unconscious beside his tank on the sand. When he comes to, he walks over the dunes until collapsing near a Bedouin encampment at an oasis. He is found by the sheik's daughter, Mabrouka (Anna Maria Sandri), who takes him to the camp which consists of several black tents.
Line 57: Line 59:


== Production==
== Production==
===Original Story===
The film was based on an original story by [[Robin Maugham]], who had served in the North African Desert during World War II.<ref>[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/uthrc/00088/hrc-00088.html Robin Maugham biography]</ref> He later published a version of the story in ''Chambers Journal'' and included it in a later anthology of his writings published in 1973.<ref>''British Cultural Memory and the Second World War'' Ed Lucy Noakes, Juliette Pattinson, 2013 p 115</ref>
The film was based on an original story by [[Robin Maugham]], who had served in the North African Desert during World War II.<ref>[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/uthrc/00088/hrc-00088.html Robin Maugham biography] at Robin Maugham Papers, University of Texas</ref> It first appeared as a short story ''Pay Bearer £20'' in ''Cheque Au Porteur''. He later published a version of the story under the title "Desert Bond" in ''Chambers Journal''. Maugham later included the story under the title "The Black Tent" in a later anthology of his writings published in 1973 called ''The Black Tent - and Other Stories''.<ref>''British Cultural Memory and the Second World War'' Ed Lucy Noakes, Juliette Pattinson, 2013 p 115</ref>


In the early 1950s Robert Clarke of Associated British considered buying the screen rights to the story. He decided not to but eventually hired Maugham to be his assistant.<ref>{{cite book|first=Robin|last=Maugham|title=Escape from the shadows|year=1973 |publisher=McGraw-Hill|page=190}}</ref>
⚫
The film was shot at Pinewood Studios and on location in Libya. The film unit was mostly based in Tripoli. The lead actress was Italian.<ref>{{Cite news|title=OBSERVATIONS ON THE BRITISH SCREEN SCENE: Graham Greene Returns to Production -- New Star Is Born -- Other Matters|author=STEPHEN WATTS LONDON.|date=Sep 25, 1955|work=New York Times|page=X5}}</ref>


⚫
Producer Walter MacQuitty was an enthusiast of location filming - hist most recent pictures included ''The Beachcomber''.The film was shot at Pinewood Studios and on location in Libya. The film unit was mostly based in Tripoli. The lead actress was Italian appearing in her first English language film.<ref>{{Cite news|title=OBSERVATIONS ON THE BRITISH SCREEN SCENE: Graham Greene Returns to Production -- New Star Is Born -- Other Matters|author=STEPHEN WATTS LONDON.|date=Sep 25, 1955|work=New York Times|page=X5}}</ref><ref>Round the British Studios
⚫
The film used the site of the Roman ruins at [[Sabratha]] in Libya, which is by the sea,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44803823 |title=NEW DEAL FOR STAR |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=23 |issue=45 |date=4 April 1956 |accessdate=15 May 2016 |page=52 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> although the plot suggests that the camp is deep in the Libyan desert. This is a plot device to provide a bit of eye candy to the viewer and a reason for the Germans to visit in small numbers, like regular tourists.
Nepean, Edith. Picture Show; London Vol. 66, Iss. 1710, (Jan 7, 1956): 11.</ref>

Star Donald Sinden had previously made ''Above Us the Waves'' with producer MacQuitty and ''Simba'' with director Brian Michael Hurst.

⚫
The film used the site of the Roman ruins at [[Sabratha]] in Libya, which is by the sea,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44803823 |title=NEW DEAL FOR STAR |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=23 |issue=45 |date=4 April 1956 |accessdate=15 May 2016 |page=52 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> although the plot suggests that the camp is deep in the Libyan desert. This is a plot device to provide a bit of eye candy to the viewer and a reason for the Germans to visit in small numbers, like regular tourists.<ref>{{cite book|page=269-272|title=A touch of the memoirs|last=Sinden|first= Donald|year=1983 |publisher=Futura}} </ref>


==Reception==
==Reception==
''[[The Observer]]'' had trouble with the reality of the story but thought "the scenery is impressive and the tents... are interesting."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Cause Celebre|author=Lejeune, C A.|date=Mar 18, 1956|work=The Observer|page=15}}</ref> "Too bright, too clean, too polished", wrote ''The Times''.<ref>{{Cite news|title=
''[[The Observer]]'' had trouble with the reality of the story but thought "the scenery is impressive and the tents... are interesting."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Cause Celebre|author=Lejeune, C A.|date=Mar 18, 1956|work=The Observer|page=15}}</ref> "Too bright, too clean, too polished", wrote ''The Times''.<ref>{{Cite news|title=
Mr. Otto Preminger's Latest Film|work=The Times|location=London|date=19 March 1956|page=3|issue=53483}}</ref>
Mr. Otto Preminger's Latest Film|work=The Times|location=London|date=19 March 1956|page=3|issue=53483}}</ref>

The ''Monthly Film Bulletin" thought the "intelligently constructed" script was undermined by "disappointingly slack" direction.<ref>BLACK TENT, The
Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 23, Iss. 264, (Jan 1, 1956): 60. </ref>


The film was released in the US in 1957 on a double bill with ''[[Checkpoint (1956 film)|Checkpoint]]'', also starring Anthony Steel.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Steel Plays Hero in Two Melodramas|author=C S.|date=June 13, 1957|work=Los Angeles Times|page=C13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=British to Stampede American Screen; Fred Astaire Will Compose|author=Schallert, Edwin|date=Apr 19, 1957|work=Los Angeles Times|page=25}}</ref>
The film was released in the US in 1957 on a double bill with ''[[Checkpoint (1956 film)|Checkpoint]]'', also starring Anthony Steel.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Steel Plays Hero in Two Melodramas|author=C S.|date=June 13, 1957|work=Los Angeles Times|page=C13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=British to Stampede American Screen; Fred Astaire Will Compose|author=Schallert, Edwin|date=Apr 19, 1957|work=Los Angeles Times|page=25}}</ref>
Line 82: Line 93:
*{{IMDb title|id=0049014|title=The Black Tent}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0049014|title=The Black Tent}}
*[http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/411149|387676/The-Black-Tent.html ''The Black Tent''] at [[TCMDB]]
*[http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/411149|387676/The-Black-Tent.html ''The Black Tent''] at [[TCMDB]]
*[https://letterboxd.com/film/the-black-tent/ The Black Tent] at Letterbox DVD
*[http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a55d60a ''The Black Tent''] at BFI
*[http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a55d60a ''The Black Tent''] at BFI
*[http://www.briandesmondhurst.org/blacktent.html ''The Black Tent''] at Brian Desmond Hurst website
*[http://www.briandesmondhurst.org/blacktent.html ''The Black Tent''] at Brian Desmond Hurst website
*[https://archive.org/details/variety207-1957-06/page/n69/mode/1up?q=%22black+tent%22 Review of film] at Variety

*[https://archive.org/details/variety202-1956-03/page/n209/mode/1up?q=%22black+tent%22 March 1956 review] at Variety
{{Brian Desmond Hurst}}
{{Brian Desmond Hurst}}


Revision as of 02:00, 27 June 2020

The Black Tent
British theatrical poster
Directed byBrian Desmond Hurst
Written byBryan Forbes
Robin Maugham
Based onstory by Robin Maugham
Produced byWilliam Macquitty
executive
Earl St. John
StarringDonald Sinden
Anthony Steel
Anna Maria Sandri
André Morell
Donald Pleasence
Music byWilliam Alwyn
Production
company
Distributed byRank Film Distributors of America
Release date
March 1956
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office1,351,181 admissions (France)[1]

The Black Tent is a 1956 British war film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Donald Sinden, Anthony Steel, Anna Maria Sandri, André Morell and Donald Pleasence.[2] It is set in North Africa, during the Second World War and was filmed on location in Libya.

During the British retreat through Libya, British officer Captain David Holland takes shelter with a Bedouin tribe and marries the sheik's daughter. After the war his younger brother, who had believed him to be dead, learns that he may be alive in Libya – prompting him to set out and search for him.

Along with Bengazi (1955), The Back Tent is one of the few feature films set in the last days of the British Military Administration of Libya from 1945 to 1951.[3]

Plot

The film begins with a tank battle where blonde-haired Captain Holland (Anthony Steel) is sprawled unconscious beside his tank on the sand. When he comes to, he walks over the dunes until collapsing near a Bedouin encampment at an oasis. He is found by the sheik's daughter, Mabrouka (Anna Maria Sandri), who takes him to the camp which consists of several black tents. The film begins with Charles receiving a note at his country estate and proceeding to London.

The film skips forward to a point after the war when Captain Holland's brother, Colonel Sir Charles Holland (Donald Sinden), is guided into the desert by Ali (Donald Pleasence) in search of his brother. They were drawn by a promissory note that had been given by Captain Holland to the Bedouin for their help and eventually taken to the British embassy for payment. Sir Charles sets off to discover the fate of his brother and eventually reaches the Bedouin camp. He is entertained by the camp's chief, Sheik Salem ben Yussef (André Morrel) and sees a young blonde boy in the camp. Later, the Sheik becomes angry at Sir Charles's line of questioning about his brother, the boy, and note and asks them to leave. Before they leave, Mabrouka gives Ali a sock containing Captain Holland's diary which he gives Sir Charles. The film skips back in time to recount the story within the diary.

Captain Holland, having been tended by Mabrouka, recovers. He learns that Mabrouka is the sheik's daughter and is betrothed to Sheik Faris (Michael Craig) from another tribe. When a German reconnaissance vehicle arrives at the camp, Captain Holland hides in some Roman ruins. The senior German officer then finds Holland's service revolver in a tent.

Mabrouka and Captain Holland become romantically involved to the obvious annoyance of Sheik Faris. He colludes with the Germans who return to the ruins where Holland and Sheik Yussef kill them and Faris. The romance between Captain Holland and Mabrouka deepens and they marry.

Learning of the British victory at El Alamein, Captain Holland seeks to return to the British lines but finds that his wife is pregnant. A group led by the Sheik and Captain Holland travel toward the British lines but come across a column of retreating Italian vehicles. Captain Holland sustains a fatal injury rescuing the Sheik.

The film returns to the present day with the Sheik handing Sir Charles a letter with his brother's will bequeathing his estate to his son. Sir Charles discusses this with his nephew but the boy decides to remain with the tribe and burns the letter.

Cast

Production

Original Story

The film was based on an original story by Robin Maugham, who had served in the North African Desert during World War II.[4] It first appeared as a short story Pay Bearer £20 in Cheque Au Porteur. He later published a version of the story under the title "Desert Bond" in Chambers Journal. Maugham later included the story under the title "The Black Tent" in a later anthology of his writings published in 1973 called The Black Tent - and Other Stories.[5]

In the early 1950s Robert Clarke of Associated British considered buying the screen rights to the story. He decided not to but eventually hired Maugham to be his assistant.[6]

Producer Walter MacQuitty was an enthusiast of location filming - hist most recent pictures included The Beachcomber.The film was shot at Pinewood Studios and on location in Libya. The film unit was mostly based in Tripoli. The lead actress was Italian appearing in her first English language film.[7][8]

Star Donald Sinden had previously made Above Us the Waves with producer MacQuitty and Simba with director Brian Michael Hurst.

The film used the site of the Roman ruins at Sabratha in Libya, which is by the sea,[9] although the plot suggests that the camp is deep in the Libyan desert. This is a plot device to provide a bit of eye candy to the viewer and a reason for the Germans to visit in small numbers, like regular tourists.[10]

Reception

The Observer had trouble with the reality of the story but thought "the scenery is impressive and the tents... are interesting."[11] "Too bright, too clean, too polished", wrote The Times.[12]

The Monthly Film Bulletin" thought the "intelligently constructed" script was undermined by "disappointingly slack" direction.[13]

The film was released in the US in 1957 on a double bill with Checkpoint, also starring Anthony Steel.[14][15]

Turner Classic Movies calls the film "an odd duck... that has never received much fan love in its day or since, and in fact is barely remembered today. But it is, for one thing, the first English-language film shot largely in Libya" and which "plays like something of a prophecy – six years before the epochal on-location imagery and direct exploration of British colonialism we're all familiar with in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia (1962), here are vast desert-dune landscapes punctuated by Englishmen and testy Bedouin on camels, with all of the culture-collision freight that implies."[16]

Books

Theirs is the Glory: Arnhem, Hurst and Conflict on Film takes Hurst's Battle of Arnhem epic as its centrepiece and then chronicles Hurst's life and experiences during the First World War and profiles each of his other nine films on conflict, including The Black Tent.[17]

References

  1. ^ French box office for 1956 at Box Office Story
  2. ^ "The Black Tent".
  3. ^ The Black Tent (1956) and Bengazi (1955): The Image of Arabs in Two Post-Empire Journeys into the Deserts of Libya Voeltz, Richard Andrew. CINEJ Cinema Journal; Pittsburgh Vol. 7, Iss. 1, (2018): 169-188. DOI:10.5195/cinej.2018.200
  4. ^ Robin Maugham biography at Robin Maugham Papers, University of Texas
  5. ^ British Cultural Memory and the Second World War Ed Lucy Noakes, Juliette Pattinson, 2013 p 115
  6. ^ Maugham, Robin (1973). Escape from the shadows. McGraw-Hill. p. 190.
  7. ^ STEPHEN WATTS LONDON. (25 September 1955). "OBSERVATIONS ON THE BRITISH SCREEN SCENE: Graham Greene Returns to Production -- New Star Is Born -- Other Matters". New York Times. p. X5.
  8. ^ Round the British Studios Nepean, Edith. Picture Show; London Vol. 66, Iss. 1710, (Jan 7, 1956): 11.
  9. ^ "NEW DEAL FOR STAR". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 23, no. 45. 4 April 1956. p. 52. Retrieved 15 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ Sinden, Donald (1983). A touch of the memoirs. Futura. p. 269-272.
  11. ^ Lejeune, C A. (18 March 1956). "Cause Celebre". The Observer. p. 15.
  12. ^ "Mr. Otto Preminger's Latest Film". The Times. No. 53483. London. 19 March 1956. p. 3.
  13. ^ BLACK TENT, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 23, Iss. 264, (Jan 1, 1956): 60.
  14. ^ C S. (13 June 1957). "Steel Plays Hero in Two Melodramas". Los Angeles Times. p. C13.
  15. ^ Schallert, Edwin (19 April 1957). "British to Stampede American Screen; Fred Astaire Will Compose". Los Angeles Times. p. 25.
  16. ^ The Black Tent at TCMDB
  17. ^ ISBN 978-1-911096-63-4. Publisher Helion and Company and co-authored by David Truesdale and Allan Esler Smith and a foreword by Sir Roger Moore. Available here: http://www.helion.co.uk/new-and-forthcoming-titles/theirs-is-the-glory-arnhem-hurst-and-conflict-on-film.html

External links

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