Big Truck and Sister Clare

This is a great look at portions of the Israeli desert, carried forward with a story made interesting by conflict between two men. People who have been there will appreciate the way the land is portrayed, even in this 1974 snapshot. The Yom Kippur war is never mentioned, and it is instructive to see how Palestinian arabs and Palestinian Jews really do sometimes cooperate in Israel.

Ustinov, the older trucker, is concerned about finances to the point of being afraid when he should take a chance. The younger trucker (Perry King) is kind of a swashbuckler, with his own style of getting things done. The nun (Francesca Annis) not only serves as a nurse, she also pries their souls open a tiny bit, so that hardship changes their relationship with each other. She also serves as a translator and liaison to the local arabs, who generously rescue them and their truck from a difficult situation in the Israeli desert.

Curiously, Ustinov's character is never given a name. I would have liked to see a little more authenticity in the truckers. The only Hebrew they used was "shalom!" But for the most part, it was an enjoyable movie.