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Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Erich von Stroheim, Peter van Eyck, Akim Tamiroff ... see more see more... , Fortunio Bonanova , Konstantin Shayne , Fred Nurney , Miles Mander , Leslie Denison , Ian Keith , Philip Ahn , Bud Geary , Frederick Giermann , Otto Reichow , John Royce , Roger Creed , Sam Waagenaar

Billy Wilder's Five Graves to Cairo is the third take on Lajos Biro's theatrical tale of romance and espionage, Hotel Imperial. This time, the action is transplanted from World War I Galicia to World ... read more read more...War II Egypt as Rommel's Afrika Corps viciously forces the British Army to retreat towards Cairo. Protagonist John J. Bramble (Franchot Tone) is stranded in the Sahara, the lone survivor of a British tank crew. In shock and suffering from sunstroke, Corporal Bramble deliriously staggers across the desert searching for the nearest outpost. What he finds is the Empress of Britain Hotel in the Libyan border town of Sidi Halfaya. The city has been deserted and destroyed; no one remains but the Inn's owner, Farid (Akim Tamiroff), and the French chambermaid, Mouche (Anne Baxter). To the woman's chagrin, Farid conceals the English soldier as the Germans commandeer his hotel for the lodging of General Rommel (Erich Von Stroheim). Mouche is unsympathetic toward the plight of any Englishman. She feels the British had abandoned the French Army at Dunkirk, where one of her brothers was killed and another was captured. She has remained in Sidi Halfaya only to wait for the German Army and to bargain for her sibling's freedom, not to help the British. Despite Mouche's protests, Bramble assumes the identity of the hotel's deceased waiter, Davoss, who was crushed during an air raid. Surprisingly, the disguise affords him an immediate audience with Rommel. Davoss was, in fact, a top-secret Nazi spy. This access to Rommel, the invincible Desert Fox, inspires Bramble to remain at the Empress. It becomes his mission to steal the crucial secret of the five supply depots the Germans have buried from Tobruk to Cairo -- which gave them a fighting advantage -- and possibly turn the war in Britain's favor. Meanwhile, after being rejected by the General, Mouche is desperately reduced to "entertaining" Rommel's deceitful lieutenant in order to help her brother. She and Bramble inevitably grow closer as they each struggle to save what is dear to them. When the body of the real Davoss starts to emerge from the rubble in the Empress' basement, it becomes Mouche's fate to make the ultimate decision between saving one brother and saving many. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi

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77% liked it

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13 critics

PG, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Billy Wilder

Release Date: January 1, 1943

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DVD Release Date: June 10, 1997

Stats: 38 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (38)

  • benjaminguilbert2
    February 9, 2008
    benjaminguilbert2
    See Von Stroheim playing Rommel and die. The German genius must have been secretly delighted to hear about the break out of WWII as he could once more be "the man you'll love to hate". The rest of the film is rather an uninteresting studio B despite a few good scenes by director ... read moreBilly Wilder who may not have been quite used to Hollywood yet.

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
August 14, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Director Billy Wilder handles the varied story elements, countless suspenseful moments and vivid portrayals in excellent fashion. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

It has a little something for all tastes, provided you don't give a darn. Full Review

Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

A crisp spy thriller. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
July 27, 2011
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Intelligently told, excellently acted and superbly photographed wartime espionage thriller. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
December 20, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Wilder and Charles Brackett keep the suspense consistently wry and barbed Full Review

Urban Cinefile Critics
April 11, 2008
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile

This cleverly orchestrated espionage/war drama (with a patriotic coda befitting its year of production, 1943) is enhanced by subtle touches of humour, all emanating from character, which makes it a tr... Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
March 18, 2006
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

Wilder's work is known for its bitter cynicism and able balancing of absurdity with dead seriousness, but this film, while enjoyable, shows an uncertainty of tone. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
January 26, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

An impressive wartime espionage thriller. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
June 30, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Billy Wilder's Oscar-nominated espionage thriller, a fictitious account of how Rommel was foiled by the Brits, is entertaining in large measure due to Erich von Stroheim's performance Full Review

Ken Hanke
August 13, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Early, often overlooked Wilder with a classic Stroheim performance.

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