Did a Woman Start the Rout of Rommel?
During the 1942 North African campaign, a British straggler passes as a waiter at the hotel commandeered as Erwin Rommel's headquarters. He has thoughts of assassinating Rommel but his cover may provide an even better use.
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Classical in form, grave, earnest and meticulous.
- classical in formformally daring
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- rawmeticulous
- resolvedopen-ended
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is Franchot Tone the best thing in Five Graves to Cairo?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Would a little humor have helped?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is the antagonist more compelling than the protagonist?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- John Chardon TMDB · Jun 20198/10
We shall take that big fat cigar out of Mr. Churchill's mouth and make him say Heil. Five Graves to Cairo is directed by Billy Wilder who also co-adapts the screenplay with Charles Brackett. It's based on the Lajos Biró play Hotel Imperial. It stars Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff, Erich von Stroheim and Peter Van Eyck. Music is by Miklós Rózsa and cinematography by John Seitz. Tone plays John Bramble, the sole survivor of a British tank division who stumbles into a near deserted desert town only to find it suddenly fills up with Field Marshall Rommel and his troops. Assuming the identity of a dead waiter at the hotel run by Farid (Tamiroff), Bramble gains the trust of everyone only to learn that the waiter he is pretending to be was actually a secret agent for the Germans. If he can keep up the pretence and not get found out, Bramble could have great impact on the North Africa Campaign. A cracker is this, an early Billy Wilder film that thrives on tension and clever plotting while pulsing with a great literate strength. Cast are more than capable of making the material work as well, with Tone nicely restrained, Baxter very touching (decent French accent too) and Von Stro
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- Franchot ToneCpl. John J. Bramble / Paul Davos
- Anne BaxterMouche
- Akim TamiroffFarid
- Erich von StroheimField Marshal Erwin Rommel
- Peter van EyckLt. Schwegler
- Fortunio BonanovaGen. Sebastiano
- Philip AhlmSecond Soldier (uncredited)
- Roger CreedFourth Soldier (uncredited)
- Hans MoebusThird Soldier (uncredited)
- Leslie DenisonBritish Captain (uncredited)
Crew
- Billy WilderDirector
- Charles BrackettScreenplay
- Billy WilderScreenplay
- John F. SeitzDirector of Photography
- Miklós RózsaOriginal Music Composer
- Doane HarrisonEditor
Where to watch
Checking availability…
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
Witness 198582% alikeBoth grave, classical in form.
True Grit 201082% alikeBoth classical in form.
Notorious 194682% alikeBoth classical in form.
Moneyball 201181% alikeBoth classical in form.
Hell or High Water 201680% alikeBoth classical in form, grave.
Yojimbo 196180% alikeBoth classical in form.
Wichita 195580% alikeBoth classical in form, grave.
A High Wind in Jamaica 196579% alikeBoth classical in form, grave.
House of Guinness 202579% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, grave.
Blackwell Unbound 200778% alikeGame · Both classical in form, grave.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
