Khartoum (1966)

After an Egyptian army, commanded by British officers, is destroyed in a battle in the Sudan in the 1880's, the British government is in a quandary. It does not want to commit a British military force to a foreign war but they have a commitment to protect the Egyptians in Khartoum. They decide to ask General Charles "Chinese" Gordon, something of a folk hero in the Sudan as he had cleared the area of the slave trade, to arrange for the evacuation. Gordon agrees but also decides to defend the city against the forces of the Mahdi - the expected one - and tries to force the British to commit troops.

IMDB

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I am a big fan of epics – those stories of men larger than life on a mission that often proves impossible, yet they do their utmost to succeed, despite the odds. Such a movie is Khartoum, the story of General Gordon who was sent down by the British government under Gladstone to rescue the Egyptian nationals from the Sudan which was under severe pressure from the Muslim mystic *Mohammed Ahmed el Mahdi **= “The Expected One.” * The Mahdi was a messianic figure of the sort that springs up from time to time in various religions. This one claimed he would spread “proper” Islam across the face of the world, starting in the nominally Muslim territories like Sudan and spreading far and wide. Charlton Heston, as General Gordon heads a star-studded cast including Ralph Richardson, as Prime Minister Gladstone and Laurence Olivier, as the Mahdi. There are many other fine primarily British actors in the international cast. Heston is sent to Khartoum deep in the heart of Central Africa because the Mahdi has destroyed an Egyptian army of 10,000 men, led by a British officer, William Hicks. Gladstone does not want revenge, just to do the minimum to placate the various political interests he has to juggle. Gordon will go alone with orders to simply evacuate the Egyptians and return. There will be no British Army for military adventures. The only problem is, Gordon has an independent mind and once he is in Khartoum he will not leave. He fortifies the site with the Khartoum garrison and awaits the Mahdi’s attack. Gladstone, now properly embarrassed, starts an army up the Nile with orders to proceed slowly. He is going to give Gordon every chance to evacuate on his own. The exciting conclusion shows what happens when an immovable object meets an irresistible force. Khartoum shows the comparison between the Muslim and the Christian, as Gordon was a Christian mystic much as the Muslim Mahdi was also. Each was staunchly faithful to his god and believed they could work miracles. For drama’s sake the director (Basil Dearden) had the two foes have two face to face meetings, something that almost certainly never happened. The acting is top notch with a supporting cast boasting Nigel Green, Michael Hordern, and Richard Johnson backing up the principals Charlton Heston and Sir Laurence Olivier. The music score, by Frank Cordell, is very memorable and you might find yourself whistling it. I like Khartoum among the best of all films I’ve ever seen. ViewPoints

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Special Features: Theatrical trailer

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