Fort Saganne (1984)

In 1911, a professional soldier (Gerard Depardieu) is sent to the French ruled Sahara where he falls in love with the daughter (Sophie Marceau) of an aristocratic family. But her family rejects him as he is from a provincial background. But his bravery and exploits as a soldier in the campaign against Islamic insurgents make his reputation. While visually impressive, Alain Corneau's three hour epic doesn't seem to go anywhere. The film itself was cut by about a half hour in some releases and though I haven't seen any of the cut versions, I'm not so sure that trimming it was a bad idea. One can see what Corneau was striving for (in some ways the film's desert vistas are as visually stunning as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA), a sort of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT set in the Sahara but he doesn't have the feel for an Epic. It feels padded out particularly the ridiculous and overheated Catherine Deneuve scenes which are the worst in the film. The film's producer Samuel Bronston (KING OF KINGS, FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE) knew a thing or two about making epic films so it's a pity he didn't pass the secret to Corneau. The sumptuous cinematography is by Bruno Nuytten (JEAN DE FLORETTE) with an expert score by Philippe Sarde. With Philippe Noiret and Said Amadis.