Il canto del deserto

The original stage operetta of THE DESERT SONG had a strong score and an intriguing premise with only a very shallow plot, and was filmed faithfully in 1929, and in 1953, the version widely shown on television today. The 1929 version had been hampered by early sound technology and was shot entirely in the studio in black and white, and during the next decade Warners had tried unsuccessfully to come up with a way to remake it while eliminating the creaky, cliché-ridden plot elements. Script after script was rejected until early in 1942, when director Robert Florey and producer Robert Buckner proposed a serious and realistic treatment centering around current events in Morocco. The Vichy regime was overseeing construction of a trans-Saharan railway, built with forced Arab labor and financed by the Third Reich. Transferring Nazi manipulation of French colonial rule to the years just prior to World War II effectively modernized the operetta's setting, and gave political significance to its depiction of a native revolt.

In emphasizing the adventurous aspects of the plot, rather than leaving it as a backdrop, important changes were made to the score, with Buckner and Florey eliminating those aspects that did not assist plot development. Music highlights the action, for instance as a lone rider summons the rebel forces for the initial attack on the French railroad to free the Riff prisoners. Events progress during the musical numbers: desert shots depict the heroine's subjective imagination, while one of the French official's moral instincts surface during a patriotic dance. Buckner and Florey converted the female lead into a professional singer instead of the love-struck girl of the operetta. The humor was overhauled by adding an American reporter whose "scoops" are constantly censored by an effeminate French government official–a sly dig at the Hays office but also an unintentional foreshadowing of the film's fate at the hands of censors. Despite the collaboration on the new screenplay, the final release credits made no mention at all of the scriptwriters. The star of the new version of THE DESERT SONG had actually been selected several years earlier, after two screen tests in early 1939. The first had been under his real name, Stanley Morner, and the second under his new screen name, Dennis Morgan. No other actors were tested for the lead, and Dennis Morgan would become Warner's leading star of the 1940s.

To add to the authenticity of the topical story, the North African desert locale was reproduced with the utmost possible realism; director Florey was familiar with the region from a 1923 trip. After surveying Palm Springs, Lone Pine, Death Valley, Victorville, Las Vegas, Utah, and Arizona, a location near Gallup, New Mexico was selected. Increasing wartime constraints convinced Warners to begin photography as soon as possible in 1942, even though this meant filming in the sweltering heat of the desert in June and July. The location shooting alone cost $107,000, nearly twice the amount budgeted, and was the last elaborate location jaunt before wartime restrictions went into effect. The stunning New Mexico scenes, photographed in bright, vivid Technicolor hues, were complemented back in the studio with sets and photography using such visual motifs as narrow city streets, framing shots through Moorish gates and windows, and composition in depth. Florey decorated the sets with many items from his own collection, such as his Toulouse-Lautrec posters on the café walls. French refugees from fascism were prominently employed on the film, including Victor Francen, who plays the Arab collaborating with the Nazis, and technical director Eugene Lourie, who had just arrived in the United States from France via Casablanca. Production lasted a total of 72 days (eight over schedule), from June to September 1942. Warner Bros. planned to have THE DESERT SONG in release by the beginning of 1943, but by then it had become enmeshed in wartime censorship. The script had been written and production was underway before all the various wartime guidelines had been fully codified. In December 1942, an analysis by the Office of War Information's Bureau of Motion Pictures condemned THE DESERT SONG for an unsympathetic depiction of the French, recommending either a complete revision or shelving for the duration of the war. Real events came to resemble the movie: November 1942 saw the Allied invasion of North Africa, and idealists were outraged by the Roosevelt administration's pragmatic decision to accept surrender from a Vichy leader. A film which so forcefully denounced the Vichy French could only fuel the controversy.

Warner Bros. decided to wait more than a year, until December 1943, before premiering THE DESERT SONG. Even then the movie ran into political trouble as the Free French pressed Warners to eliminate certain scenes Florey had inserted that related to colonialism, such as the line "why doesn't France export some of its love of freedom." Not until August 1944 was THE DESERT SONG granted a general export license, and only with a provision precluding sale to countries with substantial Moslem or Arab populations, presumably because of the glorification of a native revolt. After all the difficulties, the effort put into THE DESERT SONG proved worthwhile. Going into general domestic release early in 1944, fifteen months after its completion, it was a box-office champion, and critical reaction was generally favorable as well. Nonetheless, general audiences have not seen it in over fifty years. A rights problem in one added song has precluded television or video release of this version of THE DESERT SONG. This is unfortunate, since despite its timely theme, this version of THE DESERT SONG hardly dates and stands the passage of years remarkably well.

It was in 1944, when my relatives and neighbors, all were very much concerned about the War. My mother and I went to see the Desert Song movie. I was so impressed by the scenery and Dennis Morgan as the hero. One scene were he was looking over a dune at the Nazi soldiers, is so vivid in my mind. After the movie was over and we got home, the phone rang and we were told all of our relatives in Europe were safe and our relatives in the Army were safe. So this movie was really important to us. Thanks or the opportunity to vent my thoughts.Believe it or not only one other person that I know saw the movie, and now he is dead too. Thanks for all.

The various commentators on the 1943 version of The Desert Song cleared up (and confirmed?) the suspicions of a 9-year old boy who thoroughly enjoyed the movie in 1944. It was only after many years and reminiscences (in addition to a fascination with the history of World War II) that I began to wonder why this movie never appeared in public again.

MY suspicions were confirmed by briantaves of Washington, DC in his comment on The Desert Song; viz., that the politics of North Africa and Vichy French were involved. Considering the time-line of the filming and release (1943-1944), it would appear that the American invasion of Morocco in November of 1942 was involved in the original planning. Our troops were actively resisted by the French troops in Morocco (under the control of the Vichy French (collaborators with the Nazis). A tricky situation considering that the "Free French", led by Charles DeGaulle in London, were our allies.

As for the copyright issues regarding one song (that keep the movie from being viewed once again), fuggedaboutit! Even as a 9-year old, I knew it was a good movie.

First saw this movie in 1945,when I was in the navy.Recently saw it again on video,but this was in black and white.A couple of the scenes seemed different,but my memory is not what it used to be.Maybe one of the other users could clear this up for me.

My only comment is that such a wonderful film should not be placed somewhere on the shelf and forgotten thru the years. It is too great a picture to not allow the many people (like myself) who would love to purchase it and show it to their family and friends to enjoy for as many times as they wish. And besides, I think Dennis Morgan was a wonderful singer and a very handsome actor. And so, once again, I am hoping that whoever places these films on video will take all our comments into consideration and take notice of the many people who feel the same as I do about this film. The newer version with Gordon MacRae does not appeal to me at all. I want the old version. Let's just say it is the nostalgia part of me that is hoping that this can be accomplished.