Khartoum

"Where the Nile divides, the great Cinerama adventure begins!"

1966 2h 14m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 133

HistoryWarAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

English General Charles George Gordon is appointed military governor of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan by the Prime Minister. Ordered to evacuate Egyptians from the Sudan, Gordon stays on to protect the people of Khartoum, who are under threat of being conquered by a Muslim army.

“Where the Nile divides, the great Cinerama adventure begins!”

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Cast

Charlton Heston
Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon
Laurence Olivier
Mahdi
Richard Johnson
Colonel Stewart
Ralph Richardson
William Gladstone
Alexander Knox
Sir Evelyn Baring
Johnny Sekka
Khaleel
Michael Hordern
Lord Granville
Zia Mohyeddin
Zobeir Pasha

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Basil Dearden
Writers: Robert Ardrey
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Basil Dearden, shot by Edward Scaife. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Frank Cordell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Fergus McDonell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier and Richard Johnson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Where the Nile divides, the great Cinerama adventure begins!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0060588 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Basil Dearden directs. Edward Scaife behind the camera. Frank Cordell scores. Fergus McDonell cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

160 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Basil Dearden, shot by Edward Scaife. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Frank Cordell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Fergus McDonell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier and Richard Johnson carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Where the Nile divides, the great Cinerama adventure begins!".
7IMDB entry: tt0060588 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 18 themes, including "africa", "siege", "british empire", "islam".

The technical file

Cinematography: Edward Scaife
Original score: Frank Cordell
Editing: Fergus McDonell
Makeup / hair: Hilda Fox
Runtime: 134 min · 2h 14m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: Khartoum (1966)

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Basil Dearden

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-01
★ 6/10
An epically staged historical drama about the uprising in the Sudan by the Mahdi (Sir Laurence Olivier) and his army of Dervishes against the British Empire. Prime Minster William Gladstone (Sir Ralph Richardson) was initially opposed to committing troops to reverse this defeat, and so instead decided to send as an imposing military figure as he could - General Charles Gordon (Charlton Heston). Respected and loathed in equal measure, he travelled to the war zone and our story tells the tale of his attempts to combat the religious fervour and desire for freedom from this local population. This is a great looking film from Basil Dearden and the scale of the battle scenes are impressive; the acting less so and there is something frankly ridiculous about Olivier's portrayal of the Madhi. It's a long watch, too....

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