You'd think a film made by the great Bill Wellman, staring three of the best actors of the age: Ronald Colman, Walter Huston and Ida Lupino would be really special wouldn't you? Disappointingly this is more of an "ok if you've nothing better to watch" film rather than another 1939 classic.
As you'd expect, the acting, direction and production is superb but the problem is Ronald Colman's character is very, very dull. He's not someone you can care about, just a miserable artist who mopes around regretting losing his first love. Had he been a more interesting person, perhaps he wouldn't have lost her. The only character with some vitality is Ida Lupino's. She's excellent in this picture and had this been her story rather than Colman's, it might have been something rather special.
Another reason we don't quite care about these people is the context of the time it was set in. These days there's difficulty engaging with our heroes' lives because the reason for Britain's involvement in the Egyptian-Sudanese wars is lost in history. Why should we venerate their military exploits in Africa? Today it might just be seen as Empire building but Britain's involvement is far more complicated and difficult to explain but suffice it to say that on this occasion, Britain wasn't the bad guy. Colman and Huston were therefore fighting on the side of good. Watching this now, "the noble cause" is impossible to get across.
Overall, it lacks the emotion to be full-blown melodrama and lacks the depth to be a serious drama.
