mmunier
I see 6 reviews here, let's not forget we're now in 2018! I can't imagine too many of younger generations bothering about such a film. But I am from that generation and in the 60's was a young man.
It was just my lunch "course" served on a small TV screen with low sound quality. it was an ordinary day but as soon as the film started I found the story interesting and intriguing...Then the lady turned up and we had to believe things would change in this devilish remote desert station. Until then and we the arrival of a new worker there were five men all having very different characters, so living in close quarters you would expect some friction. Beside Peter Van...I did not know any of the other actors but I felt they all did a reasonable job. Yes a little over dramatic but we have to keep in mind the period. It pleasantly filled the duration of the feature.
moonspinner55
Five men of disparate nationalities work an oil station in the sweaty Sahara; just as tempers begin to boil over within the group, a sexy girl and her ex-husband invade their territory (or rather, crash it--seems this reckless dame harbors a death wish for herself and her former spouse). Brian Clemens and Bryan Forbes, adapting Jean Martet's play "Men Without a Past", invest the dialogue exchanges with interesting give-and-take, but their scenario isn't inventive or enlightening or even titillating (despite the ads). Certainly the basic thrust of the material--when will the men take advantage of their new arrival--is salacious, however the writers are more interested in probing the human condition and all its faults (although there is some sex involved). Director Seth Holt ably delineates the disintegration of morality and decency among the men, but this woman is something else: a willing pawn in their company, she's both tease and temptress. Actors Studio alum Carroll Baker seemed to get stuck in a revolving door of sexually-uninhibited characters after "Baby Doll", yet this role does call for an actual dramatic performance and she delivers. ** from ****
JasparLamarCrabb
A virtually forgotten potboiler directed by Seth Holt. A disparate group of men working an oil refinery in the Sahara get company in the form of foxy car crash victim Carroll Baker. Sexual tension ensues as Baker leads on at least two of the men, including group leader Peter van Eyck, who's desperate to get out of his miserable existence. Adding to the mix is Baker's possessive husband (Biff McGuire), who, though bedridden, refuses to let Baker go. Extremely well acted but perhaps a bit too melodramatic to really be taken seriously, there is nonetheless plenty to recommend...Baker is in peak form and Van Eyck is great. Ian Bannen steals the show as a crass bully and Denholm Elliott is his uptight foil. There's a great music score by Ron Grainer. The script was worked on by Bryan Forbes.
pjc7992
As you look at the evolution of film through the 50's and 60's, one trend readily observed is that of increasing use of sex and nudity - as earlier boundaries began to expand. This film, coming in 1965, appears on the cusp of a change from more veiled hints of sex to more explicit scenes as the 60's closed and we moved into the 70's and beyond.A few themes run through this film, one being that of the overbearing boss many of us have been saddled with in our careers - one who knows that the men have signed on for an extended stay under his "command" and plays his hand to the hilt. A boss who has little or no regard for his men and motivates through intimidation.Clearly, the director reaches out to the farthest boundaries of the times (and mores) to inject the sexual tension of Ms. Baker arriving on the scene. She is beautiful and sexual and is never out of control of the situation. There is nothing explicit here (but oh so close); nevertheless, the suggestive nature of visits from members of the crew works just as well. In the end, she stands up to the crew commander in a way none of the men (save one) ever had.I think the film is a well-acted little gem.