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Action in Arabia

  • 1944
  • Approved
  • 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
635
YOUR RATING
George Sanders, Lenore Aubert, and Virginia Bruce in Action in Arabia (1944)
CrimeDramaRomanceThriller

Reporter Michael Gordon uncovers intrigue in Damascus, where the Allies and Nazis struggle for control of Arab sympathies.Reporter Michael Gordon uncovers intrigue in Damascus, where the Allies and Nazis struggle for control of Arab sympathies.Reporter Michael Gordon uncovers intrigue in Damascus, where the Allies and Nazis struggle for control of Arab sympathies.

  • Director
    • Léonide Moguy
  • Writers
    • Philip MacDonald
    • Herbert J. Biberman
  • Stars
    • George Sanders
    • Virginia Bruce
    • Lenore Aubert
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    635
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Léonide Moguy
    • Writers
      • Philip MacDonald
      • Herbert J. Biberman
    • Stars
      • George Sanders
      • Virginia Bruce
      • Lenore Aubert
    • 19User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos5

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    Top cast48

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    George Sanders
    George Sanders
    • Michael Gordon
    Virginia Bruce
    Virginia Bruce
    • Yvonne Danesco
    Lenore Aubert
    Lenore Aubert
    • Mounirah al-Rashid
    Gene Lockhart
    Gene Lockhart
    • Josef Danesco
    Robert Armstrong
    Robert Armstrong
    • Matthew Reed
    H.B. Warner
    H.B. Warner
    • Abdul El Rashid
    Alan Napier
    Alan Napier
    • Eric Latimer
    André Charlot
    • Andre Leroux
    • (as Andre Charlot)
    Marcel Dalio
    Marcel Dalio
    • Chakka - Arab Henchman at Airport
    Robert Andersen
    Robert Andersen
    • William Chalmers
    Jamiel Hasson
    • Eben Kareem
    Abdullah Abbas
    • Arab Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Rafael Alcayde
    Rafael Alcayde
    • Hotel Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Ansara
    Michael Ansara
    • Hamid
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Arnold
    • French Gendarme
    • (uncredited)
    Eric Berge
    • Gendarme
    • (uncredited)
    Maurice Brierre
    • Drunken Customer
    • (uncredited)
    Buster Brodie
    Buster Brodie
    • Bald-Headed Man
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Léonide Moguy
    • Writers
      • Philip MacDonald
      • Herbert J. Biberman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews19

    6.2635
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    Featured reviews

    7gorgo-22839

    Great lovable 1940's spy yarn

    This movie pops up quite regularly on late night TV-and every time I get sucked into watching it. A cut above usual B grade movies with some very good stock footage of Arabic life the plot is the usual spy Vs spy yarn -but I have to say its very enjoyable. The cast is likable with a number of familiar faces all going earnestly about their business. The real star for me are the Art directors and set decorators. They did not have much to work with on the back-lot but have created that quintessentially Hollywood interpretation of what Damascus would or rather should look like. This is great entertaining action-er that's enjoyable its Casablanca inspired introduction to the final shoot out where the good guys triumph. Well worth a look at any time of the night.
    bob the moo

    Sturdy but a little too straightforward

    Two Western journalists are on their way home through Syria when they see a familiar face talk with the daughter of an Arab leader. When one follows the man later that night, he is found dead. His colleague Michael Gordon investigates and finds clues pointing to a plot to pervert the leadership of the tribes and lead them with the Nazi's against the allied forces.

    I watched this film simply because the title caught my eye in the schedules. Given the fact that the screening occurred while other channels were covering the war on Iraq as part of their news cycle, I initially assumed it was a documentary of some sort. A look to see it was a film made decades ago suggested that the schedulers had maybe been guilty of bad taste. However watching it there was little to support this thought.

    The film is set in the Middle East which, in this film, spreads from Iraq across into Africa ending in Morocco. The politics of the area are difficult now and were still complex when this film was made, so the plot decides to mostly ignore internal issues and focus on the bigger picture of the Nazi threat. By doing so it becomes a bit of propaganda that almost works quite well, but mostly means the plot becomes quite straightforward. The film focuses on the potential for the Nazi's to use the tribes to sweep through the Middle East and Africa and Gordon's investigation to stop it. Mostly the film is very talky and even the action scenes are quite pedestrian (despite the music played loudly thought them), this would be OK if it had a bit more twists and turns but really it goes where you expect it to. This is not to say it is bad – but it is pretty unremarkable.

    Sanders plays it as usual – upright, tough and gentlemanly, he also is quite stiff and unanimated. This works well for the majority but I would have liked a little more heart in it. The support cast are all OK but are strangely (or perhaps not so strangely) made up of mostly white characters playing Arabs – only the crowd shots appear to use non-white faces. This isn't a major detraction but it is a distraction at times – esp when supposed Arab princesses are played by white women who would be more at home shopping in Manhattan.

    Overall this is a sturdy little film that is short but still feels a little too long. The straightforward plot and talky nature make it feel a little dull at times but there is just enough going on to hold the interest.
    6planktonrules

    Enjoyable.

    Reporter Michael Gordon (George Sanders) is passing through Damascus, Syria from an assignment. Another American reporter arrived along with Gordon...and soon this other reporter is discovered dead! Michael is determined to get to the bottom of whoever is responsible for his murder...and the trail soon heads to a pretty lady, some Nazis and even the chieftain of the Bedouin tribes! And, again and again, Michael slips in and out of one dangerous situation after another but you know he'll be okay, as he's the hero!

    This is a decent film--mildly interesting but made even better by the lovely performance by George Sanders, who is, as usual, very smooth and engaging. Well worth seeing and a bit better than the typical wartime propaganda film.
    6blanche-2

    Nice thriller

    George Sanders experiences some "Action in Arabia" in this 1944 RKO film that also stars Virginia Bruce. Sanders is a reporter in Damascus who wants to find the killers of a fellow reporter. He uncovers a Nazi plot of the Germans attempting to turn the Arabs against the Allies.

    It's not much, but there's some great action, and if you're a fan of George Sanders, he's at his elegant best in this, beautifully dressed and very smooth.

    There are nice performances from an able supporting cast that includes Gene Lockhart, Alan Napier (that's Alfred the Butler on Batman), and H.B. Warner.

    A small propaganda film, reminiscent in its way of Casablanca, but pleasant enough.
    6thinker1691

    " War is headed this way, it is in our hands to choose "

    In the Arab world there is a saying that Allah grants wisdom but only the foolish ignore it. In this movie, The vast area of the Middle East is slowly being foolishly drawn into the second world war and both sides are doing their level best to secure the help of all the tribes. In this Philip MacDonald story George Sanders plays American News Correspondence Michael Gordon who arrives in Damacus with a colleague who is soon murdered. Directed by Leonide Moguy, our hero is unable to understand why. Because he is a newsman, Gordon is Keen to discover the reason. Unfortunately, the police and several interested officials wants him to leave on the next day's flight. In the meantime, he ties into the local network of Spys, counter spies and assassins, each with their own agenda towards their approaching war. This Black and White movie has all the traditional mystery and drama who with it's plethora of exciting cast members, such as Virginia Bruce, Gene Lockhart and Robert Armstrong makes for a great film. ****

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Desert footage was shot by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack in 1937 for an unmade film on the life of Lawrence of Arabia..
    • Goofs
      When Danesco (Gene Lockhart) is taken into the hotel owner's office, the two men who brought him there stand next to him on either side. Then when the owner had them frisk Danesco for cheating, the two men approach him from several steps away from behind.
    • Quotes

      Matthew Reed: You're a troublemaker, Gordon!

      Michael Gordon: That's what Herr Goebbels said about me once. I was deeply flattered.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Inglourious Basterds (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      La Marseillaise
      (1792)

      Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle

      Variations in the score when the Free French Cross of Lorraine is shown

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 6, 1944 (Mexico)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Arabic
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Danger in Damascus
    • Filming locations
      • RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $200,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 15m(75 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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