Caravans (1978)

An entertaining adventure with all the ingredients , set in the Middle East in 1948 , and concerning about an American emissary , Michael Sarrazin , sent by the Ambassador, Joseph Cotten , to find a senator's daughter , the gorgeous Jennifer O'Neill . After an unsuccessful marrying a native army officer , she has joined a caravan formed by the tribe Kochi led by Anthony Quinn travelling through the sunny desert . Enjoyable and obscure film that failed at boxoffice . An unusual and colorful adventure with great cast and full of action , thrills , battles and being well treated oriental social habits from desert life . Anthony Quinn gives a nice acting , as usual ; Quinn work is well up to his ordinary high standards . Anthony played a lot of exotic roles such as : Osceola in Seminola , Crazy Horse in They died with boots on , Chief Yellow Hand in Buffalo Bill , Kublai Khan in Marco Polo , a bullfighter in Santo the magnificent , an Emir in Simbad the sailor , a Mexican rebel in Viva Zapata , Quasimodo in The hunchback of Paris , a Basque in The passage and here a sort of Zorba the Sheik . But the beauty and attractive Jennifer O'Neill is the real star of this film .And support cast is pretty good , such as Barry Sullivan , Joseph Cotten , Mohamad Ali and Jeremy Kemp . Glowing colour and distinctive photography by Douglas Slocombe , including exhilarating and riveting exteriors from Iran , during Sha period and prior Jomeini . Rousing and catchy soundtrack by Mike Batt , including an unforgettable leitmotif .The motion picture ,produced by usual editor Elmo Williams , was professionally directed by James Fargo , though it has some flaws and gaps . As the spectacular outdoors , acceptable interpretation , and the size of the drama are not enough to make this one a memorable picture , but it remains in many ways an agreeable experience. James Fargo is a craftsman who started as an assistant director to Clint Eastwood films . He has directed Eastwood vehicles: The enforcers , Every which way but loose , and Chuck Norris : Forced vengeance . And other dramas and action movies as Second chances , Born to race , Riding the edge , Game for vultures , Voyage of rock aliens . He also made Tv episodes from Hunter , A team , Tales of gold monkey , among others .

The movie, Caravans, was filmed in Isfahan, Iran, and near by the city out in the desert. I had the opportunity to visit the sets on several occasions. Some of the film was shot at what was then called the Shah Abbas Hotel, the best hotel in town and one which used to be a Caravanseri. It was and still is a beautiful hotel, with much blue and white tile walls and brass chaise lamps. Across from its landscaped Persian garden courtyard is an alcove where one of the scenes of the movie was filmed. It was a tight fit, with many cameras and crew packed into its small space. They did a number of takes that day. Most of the cast stayed at this hotel. Rumors claimed Anthony Quinn didn't like his mattress and threw it out his window. My Time Magazine mentioned that Jennifer O'Neill complained about the lack of dry cleaners. I found these stories amusing. I also got invited to a desert filming near Isfahan and I had a wonderful day on the set. That day, they were shooting the caravan going by as well as Jennifer O'Neill in a tent with some other women. I was able to get some photographs of some of the actors, but when I asked Anthony Quinn if I could take his picture, he asked me not to since he wasn't wearing makeup. There was a good bit of time to kill between filming, and near sunset, some of the Iranian extras started doing a spontaneous mock dance fight using sticks. I heard group singing from Jennifer O'Neill's tent. It was a magical day, one I will never forget. I didn't have the chance to see Caravans until years later. Unfortunately, the movie itself isn't nearly as exciting as watching it get filmed.

This is a rare look into the Islamic world just before the Iranian revolution, that virtually cut-off all communication with Western cultures. International intrigue, and the complexities of "cold-war" politics are just below the horizon in this all too "Ugly American" tale of the last caravan. The tribal scenes are unequaled in their energy and authenticity. The inclusion of local clans and their customs bring forth a realism unique to modern films. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of the screen play, which is shallow and reflects western values at their worst. Acting is staged at best. No attempt at character development, much less motivation.Spectacular filming of Iranian ruins. Biblical visions, for those with open minds,are stunning. We can only hope for a deeper glimpse.

So, OK, Citizen Kane this isn't. I re-read the original Michener book a few years ago and went looking for the movie. Only the largest video store in town had it, and you had to ask, because it was waaaay in the back stacks.They simplified and Hollywood-ized the book's plot and removed much of Michener's trademark exposition on the good things, bad things, history and cultural foibles of Afghanistan. For that matter, they scrubbed out the word "Afghanistan" and made it a generic "country in the mid-East".But it does have a lot of wonderful photography of Iran and a genuine bedouin people, who provided the extras for Anthony Quinn's "tribe". Iran had its revolution and became mostly closed to the West just a year after shooting, and it is almost heartbreaking to see all the magnificent countryside and archaeological sites that provide the backdrop, along with the knowledge that it is still so difficult, dangerous, and expensive to visit.