Sea of Sand (film)
| Sea of Sand | |
|---|---|
 British film poster |
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| Directed by | Guy Green |
| Produced by | Robert S Baker & Monty Berman |
| Written by | Robert Westerby (Original story Sean Fielding) |
| Starring | Michael Craig John Gregson Richard Attenborough |
| Music by | Clifton Parker |
| Cinematography | Wilkie Cooper |
| Editing by | Gordon Pilkington |
| Distributed by | Rank Organisation |
| Release date(s) | 1958 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Sea of Sand (released in the US as Desert Patrol) is a 1958 war film produced by Tempean Films starring Michael Craig, John Gregson and Richard Attenborough. It was directed by Guy Green and shot entirely in and around Tripolitania, Libya.
The film is set in North Africa during the Second World War and tells the story of a patrol of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) that drove long distances behind enemy lines to fight against Rommel's Afrika Korps.
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[edit] Plot
On the eve of the Battle of El Alamein, Captain Tim Cotton leads a patrol on a raid to destroy a German fuel dump located deep behind enemy lines. Captain Williams of the Royal Engineers is posted to Cotton's patrol to deal with a minefield surrounding the German petrol dump. A regular soldier, Williams takes time to adjust to the non-regulation way the LRDG operates.
After surviving a perilous journey, they arrive and destroy the stocks of petrol, only to find that the dump also contains a large number of tanks. With their radio smashed in a German ambush, they must return to base to report the information while there is time for it to be acted upon.
During their return journey they are harassed by a German officer determined to prevent the LRDG making it back to base.
[edit] Cast
- Michael Craig as Captain Tim Cotton
- John Gregson as Captain Bill Williams R.E.
- Richard Attenborough as Trooper Brody
- Percy Herbert as Corporal "Blanco" White
- Barry Foster as Corporal Mathieson
- Vincent Ball as Sergeant Nesbitt
- Andrew Faulds as Sergeant Parker
- George Murcell as Corporal Simms
- Ray McAnally as Sergeant Hardy
- Harold Goodwin as Road Watch
- Tony Thawnton as Captain Tom
- Wolf Frees as German Sergeant
- George Mikell as German Officer
- Martin Benson as German Half-track Officer (uncredited)
- Dermot Walsh as Commanding Officer (uncredited)
[edit] Production notes
[edit] Writing
The screenplay of Sea of Sand was written by noted author and screenwriter Robert Westerby. The film's technical advisor was Bill Kennedy Shaw, who served as the LRDG's intelligence officer during desert campaign in North Africa.
[edit] Music
The score was by Clifton Parker and was performed by the Sinfonia of London under the musical direction of Muir Mathieson.
[edit] Historical accuracy
In the film, the British troops use Sten submachine guns. But these were never used by LRDG, they used either the .303 SMLE or the Thompson submachine gun.
Additionally, the Afrika Korps are portrayed using American half-tracks fitted with British Bren guns as well as Sten submachine guns. Whilst the Afrika Korps made use of captured equipment due to supply problems, American half-tracks were only available when that nation was encountered in Tunisia in 1943 after Rommel evacuated Libya.
[edit] External links
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