“Khartoum” (1966)

“Khartoum” (1966), directed by Basil Dearden, 3.5 stars

“I don't trust any man who consults God before he consults me” – General Charles Gordon

Charlton Heston plays yet another larger-than life, charismatic commander in this 70mm extravaganza that follows the events leading up to the 1885 siege of Khartoum by Muhammad Ahmad (Laurence Olivier).  Ahmad has proclaimed himself Mahdi, redeemer of Islam, and his loyal supporters have already defeated a British-led army much bigger and better equipped than they.  Most everything I know about the history of the British Empire I’ve learned from epic films such as this, so I'm hardly to be trusted as a reliable source to assess its accuracy. Heston plays General Charles George Gordon, the man sent by British Prime Minister Gladstone (Ralph Richardson) to single-handedly evacuate Europeans from the endangered Sudanese city of Khartoum, all the while keeping a low-profile so the British are not associated with yet another embarrassment in the region should he fail.  The popularity of the Gladstone-led government is at an all-time low, and the fact that it appeared reticent to come to Gordon’s aid actually resulted in a rebuke from Queen Victoria, an incident I gleaned from Wikipedia, not the film.

I’m not a big fan of Heston’s screen acting, and his being cast as a British general seems a bit perplexing.  He doesn’t try very hard to affect an authentic accent, nor does he look at all like Charles Gordon, who was apparently only five foot five whereas Heston dominates every shot he’s in (see photo).  Nevertheless, as the film progressed, I admit to mostly forgetting about any of that and simply enjoyed the action, which I would liken to a more exotic, arid, and literate version of Davy Crockett’s terminal adventure, a sort of El Alamo.

Whether politics did or didn’t figure largely in the outcome or whether Gordon and the Mahdi ever really did swap philosophical views doesn’t really matter.  The film is less a history lesson than a window into extraordinary men acting in and reacting to extraordinary situations.  And speaking of acting, Olivier and Richardson are marvelous, and Heston is actually pretty good, too.  The supporting cast is large, and the more prominent players among them also provide solid performances, particularly Johnny Seka as Khalil, Gordon's loyal aide-de-camp.  The dialog is crisp, there’s plenty of action, and the savage North African scenery, especially when seen in 70mm, is truly spectacular.