Desert Legion

French Foreign Legion Captain Paul Lartal (Alan Ladd) travels to the hidden city of Madara in Northern Africa after a request for help he receives from local princess Morjana (Arlene Dahl). He met the woman under mysterious circumstances after his regiment suffered a deadly ambush at he hands of Omar Ben Calif's bandit gang. Lartel is convinced that Calif is in Madara under an undercover personality.

"Desert Legion" is an unpretentious adventure film with a fine cast, great color, acceptable settings and lots of action.

Alan Ladd doesn't add much to his carrier with his movie but it doesn't hurt it either. Arlene Dahl was made for Technicolor and plays her part fine. But perhaps the most interesting role is that of Richard Conte as Crito in one of the usual villain characters he played decently so often (no surprise there). The spears duel between Ladd and Conte is a highlight of the film most of all because of its originality back in 1953.

Light entertainment but enjoyable if you like adventure films.

I flat out disliked Desert Legion, and did not care for Alan Ladd's character Paul. Lartel ( this from a Ladd fan). Why? He was stupid ( leading his troops into a major defeat where only he survives), and arrogant. I can understand being stupid and arrogant if you are the bad guy, or the film is a comedy, but Ladd was supposed to be the hero, and the comedy was supplied by Private Plevko ( Akim Tamiroff) who was the best one in the film. Which is a major read I consider this to be Ladd's worst film ( at least his BEST film ( Shane) is his next one. Perhaps as bad as Ladd was Richard Conte.as Omar Ben. Khalif. He was a one dimensional bad guy if there ever was one. I will say Arlene Dahl (Morjana) is nice to look at in Technicolor ( although nothing more then a beautiful love interest, and I will take Sophia Loren from Legend Of The Lost in the desert both in looks and in realism over Arlene Dahl any day of the week). I give this movie two stars. One for Tamiroff and one for looking at Arlene Dahl. 2/10 stars.

Adventure movie about the Foreign legion in a remote location in North Africa , as a regiment of legionnaries under command of Paul Larval, Alan Ladd, become involved into an ambush by the nasty Omar Calif , Richard Conte .Paul is only survivor of a violent , bloody attack thanks to a gorgeous , lovely Princess , called Morjana : Arlene Dahl , in the sunny desert .Then , Paul is carried to the mysterious city of Madara. Later on , Paul returns to Tabelbala fort where he tells his fantastic story to Major Vasil , Leon Askin, but he doesn't believe him.

Entertaining Arab adventure set in the Algerian mountains where our starring Alan Ladd is wounded and healed by a beatiful Princess , gorgeous Arlene Dahl. Being freely based on a 1927 novel written by Georges Arthur Surdez titled The Demons Caravan and moving screenplay from Irving Wallace and Lewis Meltzer. It contains noisy adventures , thrills , action, romance , battles and an exciting bare chested lance-throwing competition . Alan Ladd gives an acceptable acting in his usual style as the brave legionnaire led to a hidden city and harassed by enemies . And Richard Conte who steals the show in a double nasty role as Omar Ben Calif and Crito .While Arlene Dahl is frankly wonderful and enjoyable as a mysterious princess who rescues Paul . Support cast is pretty good , such as Anthony Caruso, Leon Askin , AkimTamiroff , Oscar Berger , George J Lewis , among others .

Colorful cinematography in brilliant Technicolor , mostly shot in studios , Universal Studios City Plaza , Universal City , California and usual exteriors in Lone Pine, California . Stirring , evocative and thrilling musical score by Frank Skinner .The motion picture was professionally directed by Joseph Pevney, though it has some flaws , gaps and failures . Joseph was a good artisan , being well known as a very organized and precise filmmaker who was nonetheless relaxed on the set . He directed a lot of movies of all kinds of genres such as Wartime : Torpedo run , Away all boats , Air cadet. Adventures as Yankee Pasha , Tammy , Twilight for the God, Congo crossing ,Ring circus , Legion of desert . Western : Lady from Texas , The plunderers . Thriller : Undercover girl , Flesh and fury , Man of a thousand faces , Iron Man , Shakedown , The strange Door , 6 bridges to cross , Istanbul. Rating 6/10. Passable and decent adventure movie . The flick will appeal to Alan Ladd fans .

The legion étrangère has always been a topic that makes people dream.Lots and lots of movies were made ,not only in France.Here,the most famous are probably Duvivier's "la bandera" and Jacques Feyder's "le grand jeu".Twas also one of Edith Piaf's favorite subjects of song (le fanion de la légion,mon légionnaire). This is a pretty ridiculous movie.At the beginning,I was thinking it was a remake of Pierre Benoit's "l'atlantide"(two most famous versions being Pabst 's (1932)with Brigitte Helm-Metropolis- ,and Edgar G Ulmer's (1963))It was certainly influenced big-time by Benoit's book.The blond officer lost in the desert who's taken in by a beautiful lady from a mysterious city of the sands,we've seen that movie before. After,Joseph Pevney and Pierre Benoit go different ways.THe director,abetted by unimaginative scriptwriters ,turn what could have been a trip into the fantastic element,à la "thief of Bagdad" or "lost horizons",into the run-of -the- mill hero-heroine-villain.The rest is so predictable :you can see where the characters are up to from a mile off."Desert Legion" fills its quota of treasons,duels,torture,and glamour.The setting is not impressive, a two-bit cardboard desert city,and for good measure,exotic dances.

Desert Legion was Alan Ladd's second film after leaving his nurturing studio of Paramount. It was hoped he would get better parts by his agent and wife Sue Carol. But sad to say this was the run of film he got.

It's a typical action potboiler with Alan Ladd in the French Foreign Legion on patrol and in pursuit of a local Algerian bandit who no one can seem to locate. On patrol one day after a couple of raiders, Ladd and his patrol are surprised by reinforcements who come from out of nowhere and everyone is killed, but Ladd. He wakes up and finds desert princess Arlene Dahl nursing him back to health. The next thing he knows he's back at Legion headquarters with this wild tale of a lost city in the desert.

Ever since Universal made Arabian Nights with Jon Hall and Maria Montez they had these middle eastern sets and so you could depend year after year on one or two pictures with that setting. So on this one shot deal Alan Ladd got to do Desert Legion with those same sets.

Maureen O'Hara in her memoirs said no one thought she was more ludicrous cast in these films as a redheaded Middle Eastern princess. But I will say that Desert Legion did provide some explanation why redheaded Swede Arlene Dahl was in North Africa.

Had this film been done a decade earlier it might have made great material for a serial. It has all the ingredients and you just write a bunch cliffhanger semi-climaxes and it would have done well.

Looking like he's having a great old time is Akim Tamiroff as Ladd's sidekick who deserts with him to find this lost city. Richard Conte however just doesn't come off as an Arab.

Desert Legion is the kind of film Alan Ladd should have been done with at his stage of life and career.