Got to see FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO recently; saw it last about 20 years ago. The same thing that I'd forgotten bothered me then came back to bother me once more: I simply could not get past the fact that Franchot Tone's accent was never taken into account by the German characters in the story. Of a sudden, Tone, a British Armoured sergeant (with a "suspect" British accent), adopts the identity of the spy Davos, with no noticeable change of accent. Nor does Wilder, the film's director, account for the nationality of Davos. Is Davos multilingual? Are we to assume he's addressing Rommel in German? English? French? This inexplicable glitch compromises the verisimilitude of the entire film and strains the viewer's credulity. As a result, I could not enjoy other elements of the film to the fullest, despite a charming performance by Akim Tamiroff. Furthermore, Von Stroheim is totally miscast as Rommel who, by all accounts, was a svelte, elegant, and heroic figure, not a vainglorious, pompous, and porcine caricature.
Review of Five Graves to Cairo
