Sirocco (1951) "Bogart's Socko in Sirocco" / NEW DVD - NTSC, All Region

Apparently, Bogart referred to this 1952 film as "a stinker". Well, I don't think it's that bad - it's not one of his or anyone else's best films by any means, but I've seen far worse.Basically, the film, set in Damascus in 1925 (at a time when the Syrians were, in real life, engaged in a ferocious anti-French imsurrection) has Bogart playing Harry Smith, an apparently stateless American making a shadey living by uncertain means, treading a thin line between running guns to the Syrian nationalists and staying in the good books of the French authorities by any means possible. In other words, he is Rick Blaine pre-"Casablanca". The French authorities are personified by the severe Gen. LaSalle (Everett Sloane), who basically wants to shoot all the Syrians until they stop being naughty, and Col. Feroud (Lee J. Cobb), who sees things from the Syrian point of view and wants to try negotiating with them. Harry meets and tries it on with Feroud's mistress Violetta (Marta Toren), who is bored and wants out of both Feroud and Syria, but just as they are preparing to leave for Egypt, Smith gets into hot water when his gun-running activities are exposed...There are two main problems with this film. Firstly, none of the characters, apart from Feroud, is even remotely likeable. Bogart's Smith has none of the redeeming facets of Bogart's Blaine; he lacks Blaine's embittered nobility, and has nothing to commend him to the audience's sympathy; he is a s**t, pure and simple. Violetta is as venal as they come and, I suspect, was only introduced to the plot to give it a bit of sex appeal and female interest. She is good-looking, but I can't imagine anyone wanting to spend any time with her for the pleasure of her company (unlike the playfully attractive Ilsa Lund). Only Feroud (perfectly played by Cobb) has any integrity or likeability; tormented by Violetta's faithlessness and by his fruitless efforts to handle a terrible situation in a humane way, he is a well-rounded, sympathetic character but, because of this, seems out of place in a film where he is surrounded by entities that offer nothing for the audience to identify with, to like, or to find interesting (even the villains in "Casablanca" were likeable, interesting, or both).Secondly, the film was simply made at the wrong time. It tries to recapture the wartime zeitgeist that gave birth to films like "Casablanca" and, ultimately, to a whole host of other films (such as, inter alia, "Journey into Fear", "The Mask of Dimitrios" and "Notorious") that have become immortal because of how they faithfully reflected the feelings, thoughts and hopes of their times. From a technical point of view, the film is beautifully made; the sets, lighting and atmosphere are faultless - it is a quality production. But by 1952 the times it dealt with had passed; the attempt to give the film its pre-war flavour by dealing with a far-off conflict that few had heard of and fewer cared about, especially after the cataclysm of World War 2, fell flat as a pancake.Which is a shame, as it had the potential to be a great film - I saw a part of it when I was in my early teens, was intrigued by its off-beat subject matter and smokey, elusive atmosphere, and have wanted to see it properly ever since, which is why I bought it. Unfortunately, the whole is, in this case, less than the sum of its parts. It's not a stinker - I still think it's worth seeing, if only to see how studios can, with the best will in the world, get things so very wrong - but it is a disappointment. Worth seeing - once - as a curiosity.

Once he was a bar-owner in Casablanca called Rick. This time he's in import-export in Damascus (specialising in guns and dried fruit) and goes by the name of Harry, surrounded by more fezes and burnt-cork make-up than you can shake a stick at. It's 1926 and he's trying to remain neutral in a colonial war between the Arabs and the French.Bogart plays another of his cynical, world-weary expatriates, who regains his humanity, Lee J. Cobb plays the French officer and Maria Toren the girl they fight over, but he's no Claude Rains and she's no Ingrid Bergman.Pretty formulaic but there are one or two surprises along the way.

Once again, Bogie is a entrepreneur/smuggler/gun-runner/blackmarketeer working both sides of a war. This time it's Syria vs. France in 1925. All goes well until he gets a conscience and tries to mediate the dispute. Bad move! Nevertheless it is always fun to see one of the giants of film in tight spots. Only 3 stars because of the shop worn story-line.

A disappointing film. It's just like Casablanca only with a terrible plot, boring dialogue, and uninteresting characters.

This DVD arrived on time and in good condition. Not one of Bogart's best but quite good anyway, he is always arresting on the screen and this was not exception. We enjoyed it.

I bought this film for Märta Torén, and wasn't disappointed. So sad she died so very young, when she was already proclaimed as the new Ingrid Bergman, who was also a friend of her.The movie can be seen as a sort of Casablanca, only this one being situated in Syria. Humprey Bogart and Lee J. Cobb are very great as well.I don't agree with the people who don't like this picture.

A great film with a great actor.

Great , thanks .