Caravans

I had the exceptional opportunity to be one of two Americans in-country to witness the filming of Caravans. It was filmed outside Isfahan, Iran and I was then the American Vice-Consul in Isfahan (read: second banana, of two). Our Consul, my lovable, affable boss, was David McGaffey and he and our wives enjoyed several opportunities to visit the set and to dine with the cast. The real setting of the story, I believe, was in Afghanistan. My tiny claim to fame is that my desk was the one used by Joseph Cotton, who played the American Ambassador. I had inherited the ambassadorial-size desk as a result of the closing of a consulate in Khoramshar many years earlier -- it filled my tiny office such that I had to squeeze to get by and sit at it. The crew borrowed several other props from our consulate, including, most notably, our official metal seal, which they masked over to say Embassy instead of Consulate, as best I recall.

The actors were superb, as was the costuming. It is hard to imagine, for example, that only one or two actors had "real" guns and the rest of the army had cleverly-painted sticks. Alas, the direction sank the movie, to my everlasting disappointment. Caravans is a great Michener read, but the movie died and my "6" is, I think, charitable and a salute to the fine folks who graced Isfahan with their presence back then, for several fun-filled weeks.

An entertaining adventure with all the ingredients , set in the Middle East in 1948 , and concerning about an American emissary , Michael Sarrazin , sent by the Ambassador, Joseph Cotten , to find a senator's daughter , the gorgeous Jennifer O'Neill . After an unsuccessful marrying a native army officer , she has joined a caravan formed by the tribe Kochi led by Anthony Quinn travelling through the sunny desert .

Enjoyable and obscure film that failed at boxoffice . An unusual and colorful adventure with great cast and full of action , thrills , battles and being well treated oriental social habits from desert life . Anthony Quinn gives a nice acting , as usual ; Quinn work is well up to his ordinary high standards . Anthony played a lot of exotic roles such as : Osceola in Seminola , Crazy Horse in They died with boots on , Chief Yellow Hand in Buffalo Bill , Kublai Khan in Marco Polo , a bullfighter in Santo the magnificent , an Emir in Simbad the sailor , a Mexican rebel in Viva Zapata , Quasimodo in The hunchback of Paris , a Basque in The passage and here a sort of Zorba the Sheik . But the beauty and attractive Jennifer O'Neill is the real star of this film .And support cast is pretty good , such as Barry Sullivan , Joseph Cotten , Mohamad Ali and Jeremy Kemp .

Glowing colour and distinctive photography by Douglas Slocombe , including exhilarating and riveting exteriors from Iran , during Sha period and prior Jomeini . Rousing and catchy soundtrack by Mike Batt , including an unforgettable leitmotif .The motion picture ,produced by usual editor Elmo Williams , was professionally directed by James Fargo , though it has some flaws and gaps . As the spectacular outdoors , acceptable interpretation , and the size of the drama are not enough to make this one a memorable picture , but it remains in many ways an agreeable experience. James Fargo is a craftsman who started as an assistant director to Clint Eastwood films . He has directed Eastwood vehicles: The enforcers , Every which way but loose , and Chuck Norris : Forced vengeance . And other dramas and action movies as Second chances , Born to race , Riding the edge , Game for vultures , Voyage of rock aliens . He also made Tv episodes from Hunter , A team , Tales of gold monkey , among others .

So, OK, Citizen Kane this isn't. I re-read the original Michener book a few years ago and went looking for the movie. Only the largest video store in town had it, and you had to ask, because it was waaaay in the back stacks.

They simplified and Hollywood-ized the book's plot and removed much of Michener's trademark exposition on the good things, bad things, history and cultural foibles of Afghanistan. For that matter, they scrubbed out the word "Afghanistan" and made it a generic "country in the mid-East".

But it does have a lot of wonderful photography of Iran and a genuine bedouin people, who provided the extras for Anthony Quinn's "tribe". Iran had its revolution and became mostly closed to the West just a year after shooting, and it is almost heartbreaking to see all the magnificent countryside and archaeological sites that provide the backdrop, along with the knowledge that it is still so difficult, dangerous, and expensive to visit.

US Embassy official "Miller" (Michael Sarazin) is despatched into the desert to try to track down the missing daughter of an influential US Senator. After many days (and it does feel like it) he meets her new and proud local husband - "Col. Nazrullah" (Behrouz Vossoughi) who initially refuses to let him meet her, only for it to turn out that she has again gone missing. More travelling reveals she has taken up with "Zulfiqqar" (Anthony Quinn), a tribal leader who makes a bit of money on the side smuggling Russian rifles into India. What now ensues is a remarkably filmed but terribly plodding adventure story that sees him and "Ellen" (Jennifer O'Neill) begin to understand each other and for him to realise just what she loves about her new home and it's people. Mike Batt's score (featuring the lovely dulcets of Barbara Dickson) and some beautiful and historic cinematography in and around Iran adds loads of richness to this presentation of the story, but sadly Quinn arrives far too late in the day to rescue this from grand-scale mediocrity and it ends rather weakly and ponderously. It could easily have been thirty minutes shorter and perhaps that would have tightened it up enough to sustain the thinly padded out thread, but as it is, it's a long old slog!

This is a rare look into the Islamic world just before the Iranian revolution, that virtually cut-off all communication with Western cultures. International intrigue, and the complexities of "cold-war" politics are just below the horizon in this all too "Ugly American" tale of the last caravan.

The tribal scenes are unequaled in their energy and authenticity. The inclusion of local clans and their customs bring forth a realism unique to modern films. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of the screen play, which is shallow and reflects western values at their worst. Acting is staged at best. No attempt at character development, much less motivation.

Spectacular filming of Iranian ruins. Biblical visions, for those with open minds,are stunning. We can only hope for a deeper glimpse.