Five Graves to Cairo (1943) | |
| Director(s) | Billy Wilder |
| Producer(s) | Charles Brackett (associate) |
| Top Genres | Film Adaptation, Thriller/Suspense, War |
| Top Topics | Based on Play, Spies, World War II |
Featured Cast:
Five Graves to Cairo Overview:
Five Graves to Cairo (1943) was a War - Thriller/Suspense Film directed by Billy Wilder and produced by Charles Brackett.
SYNOPSIS
The Sahara heats up as Allied spies try to outwit "Desert Fox" Rommel in this political thriller ably helmed by WIlder. Tone takes refuge in an oasis hotel run by Tamiroff just after the Afrika Korps rumbles through. He assumes a dead hotel waiter's identity, who also happens to have been a spy for Rommel. The intelligent Wilder-Brackett screenplay keeps things bouncing along with intense suspense and a dash of humor.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.
Academy Awards 1943 --- Ceremony Number 16 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Hans Dreier, Ernst Fegte; Interior Decoration: Bertram Granger | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | John Seitz | Nominated |
| Best Film Editing | Doane Harrison | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
Five Graves to Cairo (1943) and The Desert Fox
By 4 Star Film Fan on Nov 10, 2020 From 4 Star FilmsFor modern audiences especially, the movie’s opening crawl gives us a bit of helpful context. It’s June, 1942.? Field Marshall Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Corps was pounding the Brits back toward Cairo and the Suez Canal. His notoriety as a tactician and “The Desert Fox” is a... Read full article
Five Graves to Cairo
By Amanda Garrett on Apr 22, 2017 From Old Hollywood FilmsToday I'm reviewing the World War II thriller, Five Graves to Cairo (1943), starring Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, and Erich von Stroheim. This article is part of The Franchot Tone Blogathon hosted by Finding Franchot. Old Hollywood leading man Franchot Tone had one of his best roles in the World... Read full article
Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
By Beatrice on Sep 19, 2014 From Flickers in TimeFive Graves to Cairo Directed by Billy Wilder Written by Billy Wilder and Charles?Brackett based on the Lajos Bir? play Hotel Imperial 1943/USA Paramount Pictures Repeat viewing/TCM DVD Billy Wilder’s second directorial effort has little of his characteristic humor or cynicism. ?It is, ho... Read full article
See all Five Graves to Cairo articles
Quotes from
Lt. Schwegler: You're not?
Mouche: ...it's lieutenants I'm afraid of.
Field Marshal Rommel: [to the officers seated at the breakfast table] Rice pudding in Egypt - you never know if it's raisins - or flies!
Lt. Schwegler: [checking his guidebook entry about the hotel] You have a native cook by the name of Berek.
Farid: [nervous] Terek, sir. Terek. Yes, sir. But he ran away this morning. With the British to Alexandria.
Lt. Schwegler: [checking the guidebook] You have a wife.
Farid: Oh, yes, sir. Yes. But *she* run away. Yes, sir.
Lt. Schwegler: With the British to Alexandria?
Farid: [sadly] No, sir. With a Greek to Casablanca.
read more quotes from Five Graves to Cairo...
Facts about
Much public interest was generated when it was announced that Erich von Stroheim would be playing Nazi German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in this picture.
Both of Billy Wilder's two only war films, Five Graves to Cairo and Stalag 17 received the same number of Academy Award nominations: three. Five Graves to Cairo received Oscar nominations in technical categories (Editing, b/w Interior Design, b/w Cinematography) whereas Stalag 17 received Oscar nominations in performance-related categories (Director, Actor, Supporting Actor), the latter winning Best Actor. Five Graves to Cairo and Stalag 17 were both released in years where another black-and-white World War II movie dominated at the Oscars: Casablanca winning three and From Here to Eternity winning eight.
read more facts about Five Graves to Cairo...
