A cynical American expatriate gets involved in smuggling and gun-running for the rebels during the 1925 Syrian insurgency against French occupation.A cynical American expatriate gets involved in smuggling and gun-running for the rebels during the 1925 Syrian insurgency against French occupation.A cynical American expatriate gets involved in smuggling and gun-running for the rebels during the 1925 Syrian insurgency against French occupation.
- Violette
- (as Marta Toren)
- Arab Singer
- (uncredited)
- Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Hungarian
- (uncredited)
- Waiter
- (uncredited)
- Minor Role
- (uncredited)
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
- The Barber
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to actor Jamie Farr, the movie debuted on Saturday night at the Rivoli in his home town of Toledo. Most of Toledo's Arab-American community turned out to see it. As a scene where Bogart walks though a crowded bazaar begins to fade, an Arab voice is heard shouting, "Ya hallah deen bayak!" which caused most of the audience to collapse in laughter. The non-Arabs in the house did not understand why everyone else was laughing until the line was translated for them: "Goddamn your father!"
- GoofsIn a very key plot point scene Balukjiaan goes to Smith's warehouse on behalf of French intelligence and tries to find out if there are any dried apricots. He uses as an excuse that he is throwing a birthday party for himself and has plenty of pilaf and pahklava, but nothing sweet for dessert. Pahklava is the Armenian name for baklava, which is a very sweet Greek and Middle Eastern dessert. Either the writers didn't know what pahklava is or the whole premise of needing dessert is mistaken.
- Quotes
Col. Feroud: Why don't you do both? Take the money and kill me too.
Emir Hassan: You want to die? Why do you want to die?
Col. Feroud: I only want to arrange a truce. Cease fire for 24 hours, so that Syrians and Frenchmen can sit together.
Emir Hassan: And what shall we discuss, the terms of our surrender?
Col. Feroud: We can try to settle our differences according to the dignity of man.
Emir Hassan: There is dignity in men who are willing to give their lives for what they believe in.
Col. Feroud: Men needn't die to prove their dignity.
Emir Hassan: You're asking me to surrender!
Col. Feroud: I'm asking you to consider your people. An effort must be made. We must make some effort! Otherwise, we're not civilized men. Perhaps we'll fail and the war will go on, but at least we will have tried. That's all I want.
Emir Hassan: Colonel, you are a fool.
Col. Feroud: I come to talk of peace and understanding and you call me a fool?
Emir Hassan: Yes, Colonel. I respect you, but you are a dreamer and a fool.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Play It Again, Sam (1972)
The main message of Sirocco is a depressing one: If things turn bad, the efforts of single individuals are of negligible effect. We have a disillusioned French officer (Lee J. Cobb who I have never seen better). He wants to prevent a planned execution of civilians as a retaliatory act after an ambush, not out of idealistic motives or with any hope but just because he is sick of all the killing. Like all the other characters he gets bogged down by the circumstances and in the end departs on a meeting with the "patriots" with the Bogart character's help. Everyone agrees that this action is meant to be a suicide. The officer even gets out of his uniform which heretofore had the function of a corset.
Great sets and scenes abound here. Damascus is a place of eternal night - and we never get out of the place into the open. The Roman Catacombs seem to be inspired by Giovanni Piranesi's "carceri" drawings. There is a great scene in which the Bogart character buys a belly dancer's finger cymbals. Another scene begins with the focus on a visibly tender and juicy steak which the Bogart character starts cutting into. "He brings his own food", the waiter explains to other patrons who would like the same. What a better way to depict a war profiteer?
As the lines above suggest, the storyline of Sirocco is pretty sprawling and the film is more of a situation than a story. That makes it only more realistic and instructive. Our time is right for anti-war movies of this kind. In can recommend it.
- manuel-pestalozzi
- Dec 27, 2011
- How long is Sirocco?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Sirocco - Zwischen Kairo und Damaskus
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $4,349
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1