Il segreto del Sahara Online

The Secret of the Sahara is the type of drama that Hollywood has long since abandoned. The story is original, the location (and sets) are breath taking and the cast is first class, with outstanding performances from Michael York as the obsessive archaeologist Desmond Jordan and Ben Kingsley as Sholomon, the Polish Jew who has found peace in the desert. David Soul provides a real sense of menace as Lieutenant Ryker and steals almost every scene from his co-stars. Andie MacDowell is slightly under used as are the other female cast members, but the director Alberto Negrin keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace, aided by a hauntingly beautiful musical score from Ennio Morricone. There are some obvious limitations to the production which are easily over looked; Ryker seems to cross the desert to the same two or three locations to dizzying effect, and some of the dialogue feels a bit out of place but these are only minor points. All in all this is a quality drama and I only wish that more of this calibre were made.

Wow. I saw this when it was aired for the first time on an Austrian or German TV-Channel. I was still a child then, and I couldn't get it out of my head. This is a very well done mini-serial with a very good plot, and it would deserve a DVD release. If you can get the soundtrack album released on CD by RCA, get it! The music is so wonderful and brought back so many memories...

Usually one can watch a mini-series once or maybe twice. I saw this one 8 times! It`s absolutely amazing, everyone can enjoy this film. I watched this mini series with my family, including my 70 year old grandma and 10 year old sister and everyone enjoyed. A must!

I watched this movie long time ago, when I was still leaving in Italy. It was a good movie. In this movie, you will see a mix of very good actors, Italiens, Americans, Middle East. The story is a little an realistic, but at the same time more you watch it more you want to know what the end will be. This is the magic story of an English scientist who goes to the Sahara to discover the secret of the "Speaking Mountain". He will not be the only one to have this interest,a Capitan of the French Legion and a powerful men of the area are also after the same secret. The story will be full of battles, love and intrigues. The English man will be come blind after a battle with one of his enemies.The love of Anthea (Wife of the king who's is protecting the secret of the Speaking Mountain) will safe him.

When I was ten Years old this was the best series ever going on the Slovak (Czechoslovak ???) TV. Thanks god I found this series again (two DVDs althogether 360 minutes and 4 parts cca 2,50 Euros for both DVDsin Lacne knihy shop) I nearly began to cry. My god. I understand that the people from States or Australia will not like this kinda stuff, because this is no Hollywood at all (Thanks God Almighty). It is typical Italian romantic adventure series just as the tower of the firstborn but ten times better. Michael York was always one of my most favourite actors because he was not taking only Hollywood roles (he even played a role in one Slovak film !!!). Here we can even see Andie Mac Dowell and Ben Kingsley as well. Plenty of good actors. I really recommend this movie to the fans of the Mummy, so they can finally see what mystery, adventure and romantic means. I despise films without atmosphere and idea (rubbish like mummy and mummy returns). This is a must see for fans of films like Indiana Jones (Can' t wait to see the fourth instalment). Not so much adventure though, more mystery.

I have seen the Secret of the Sahara a number of times since it's release, and I can't say that it's lost its attraction. If you enjoy the whimsy of a fairy tale, set in an extra-ordinary location such as the Sahara, good against evil, a little romance thrown in, a little jealousy, handsome leads, then the Secret of the Sahara is just the ticket!

2 versions exist in commerce : - a DVD which isn't in french but English with subtitle German, it's the mini-series of 6 hours, unfortunately don't find in France. - a record VHS of 2h05 which is a movie.

I remember to see this series at the television but I don't record it. I know all many people would like to watch again. I paid 54 ? for a VHS of this movie.

Then a series unforgotten where there are love, venture and science-fiction with many actors like Michael York, David Soul , Mathilda May,...

Enjoyable adventure in the Sahara's desert with a powerful international cast but the movie is very long and it is one of the disadvantages of the film, also, the star, Michael York ( "Austin Powers" ) doesn't convince in his role and this is strange because he is a good actor.

On the other hand, the special effects are very poor. All of this is supplied for a fabulous cast. Good performances of Soul, Bosé, McNamara and, of course, Ben Kingsley. Special mention for two women: Andie MacDowell, great as Anthea, a year before of "Green card", and the beautiful spanish actress, Ana Obregón ("Bolero", "La vida alegre", "La mirada del otro"... ), in a small role as Tamamet.

Finally, this is a good movie of adventures and original cast in a graceful place, the desert of Sahara.

God, i don't know how to describe the feeling when i finally found this TV on IMDb, have tried many times before but all failed. i was a child When first time watched this on TV, that was 11 or maybe 12? And for the first time that i remembered, i cried and touched by some emotions about love, not like from parents, but grownups. And as i remembered, the photography and music was so beautiful that i took a cushion an sit in front of TV seriously, as if it was some sacred moment. Maybe from that time on, watching movie became an ceremony to me.

For years i've been looking for this movie, and if it's not having a look an the score list of master Ennio Morricone, i couldn't found it.

Just what to say thanks to Morricone and IMDb, you've really completed me in this part.

Recommendate this movie to all.

I have to say that this story has all the elements of a great fantasy/advernture story, the types that kids read and dream about.

A scientist in the desert looking for a long lost city and its people, trekking through the searing heat, the pesky soldiers interested in their own selfish schemes, and a surprise ending. Most elements (not all) are to the point and kept simple, not over-doing THOSE parts. It starts off seeming like an enjoyable family adventure/fantasy movie.

However, some things that were a bit overdone, and in my opinion were totally unnecessary, were the rape scenes and situations. This could have been an enjoyable family movie, but there are a few scenes that are disturbing and maybe for some traumatizing, that really don't have any place in a film like this.

A good movie (or mini-series) which could have been fun for the whole family, and especially good for helping kids' imagination soar, if it wasn't for those scenes.

Michael York headlines the cast in this Saharan adventure flick that populates an expansive tableau with stock characters throughout: there's a rugged, Indiana Jones-style archaeologist hero, a damsel in distress, various violent and unpleasant Arabs, plus some mystical hidden treasure hidden beneath the sands.

Given the number of countries involved in the production of this miniseries - they include Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and West Germany - it should have been a lot better than it actually is, which is completely forgettable. The narrative just about holds your interest but as a whole it's hardly anything to get excited about. I blame the script, which feels flabby and unfocused with way too many extraneous characters in the cast taking up too much screen time.

The shooting locations in Morocco are about the most interesting thing here, although playing "spot the actor" can be fun. Ben Kingsley is an Arab, and Andie MacDowell the youthful love interest (I kept thinking "she looks like Andie MacDowell" only to realise it actually was her during the closing credits). York gives a stiff central performance, and it's left to David Soul to ham things up as a villain. The twist ending has to be seen to be believed, but trust me, it's not really worth it.

I was taken by storm watching this adventure, couldn't wait for the next episode, dreamt of her, was so in love. So long ago since I was 10 or 11 years old but still remembering how she made me feel. I never saw it again and I'm struggeling if i ever should or not. I thought Andie was the most beautiful actress ever and they did a great job with Das Geheimnis der Sahara. I feel a little cheated on cause now I know that I didn't hear her original voice haha

The film opens with an older Michael York setting the scene for the main events of the film which are seen in retrospective. His monologue begins;

" Too many years have passed since that time; and now, my memory fools me. My thoughts become lost in a confused jumble....".

And n'er a truer word were spake; I should have known....

I recently recorded 'The Secret of the Sahara' when it was broadcast on UK TV channel 'movies4men', as a movie of about 2-02" actual running time. I was expecting something pretty good; after all with a decent cast, epic desert scenery, an intriguing plot, and a Morricone score, how could you go wrong?.

Well, I think I know the answer to that now.

First of all you make a mini-series which runs six hours. Because it is to be broadcast on TV in 1988, you shoot it in 4:3, (even though you are using Panavision cameras). To fill the time, you work the plot so that you have lots of characters who are peripheral to the main thrust of the story. You shoot and reshoot in the exact same setups, so that 'the empty desert' is nearly always full of footprints already. You have lots of people with strangely pale skin and have them play desert dwellers alongside folk who have the complexion of old shoe leather. You have your lead man, who has the plummiest British accent in recorded history, attempt to play an American.

Then, you cut about four hours of what you have made, and attempt to cobble the rest of it into something that makes sense, all so that you can have 'a movie' with a vaguely normal running time.

Well I can say that as a visual spectacle, the 4:3 format does it no favours, and whatever film-to-video transfer was done, the result is sub-VHS quality. That isn't so bad, there are plenty of films like that; it is just a wasted opportunity. However, unless you meant to do it from the start, and plan very carefully, you just can't cut four hours out of something and still have it make sense; as another reviewer has mentioned, characters appear and disappear for little reason, and even the main thrust of the plot is made obscure by all this.

To my amusement, at one point Michael York 'pretends' to be an Engishman; 'ah-ha' I thought; 'this will be a plot twist where he will be revealed to have been English all along, and to have been pretending (badly) to be an American prior to this'.... No such luck....

Later on, the David Soul character asks 'what is this place?'. I couldn't have told him, and (based on the events portrayed) I don't see how anyone else could have, either.

I daresay that if you had seen and enjoyed the mini-series, the condensed movie version might well be like 'the greatest hits' to you. But if you haven't, it is very likely to seem like a load of garbled nonsense.

If you have a special interest in any of the lead actors you are probably going to want to watch this, but otherwise, I think there are better things to see.

There a many ways to make a dreadful film and Secret of the Sahara has found the secret to most of them. It is a badly plotted costume drama set in a strange Sahara populated by scores of magnificent horses, but only six camels; two very strange snakes - a fanged anaconda and a Southwest US sidewinder; a range of two dimensional characters played in some cases by talented actors; and a falcon in an oasis. Worst of all is the disjointed script. The characters do not so much interact as careen off each other. Characters disappear without further reference, characters ride off into the desert at exactly the point where they should have stayed at the oasis, and it is never clear what Jordan (Michael York) did learn. Every time a plot line establishes itself, a hole develops in it or the audience is left to wonder where it went. A great deal of talent (Kingsley, York, and McDowell) and a great deal of money is wasted in making this film. This is a film that leaves you singing the praises of the dolly grip.

One of those movies that aren't good enough, but not bad enough either to dislike whole-heartedly. The story appears to have potential (admittedly I'm a sucker for anything that ties the ancient with the otherworldly) but alas let down by a pretty abysmal screenplay. Now and then it borders upon the laughable (but far from the laugh-fest I had with "Kull The Conqueror (1997)"). The overall production smells second-rate (is it just me or was someone so unobservant or so lazy as to not do anything about that dirty camera lens??) for something produced in 1989. Saddest of all are the wasted acting talents, though they do a commendable job at keeping the whole enterprise afloat. An effort most definitely, but a weak one nonetheless that deserves a weak 7/10.

ps. Anyone care to speculate on what happened to Jordan's son? I guess someone, um, forgot about him during that "farewell" scene...

I first saw this film as a kid; It got etched in my memory so profoundly that after 20+ years I would still remember it fondly. Not memories, but images and feelings of awe. For years I didn't even know the name of the film (mini-series); All I knew was "Jordan" and the "Singing Mountain". And the haunting leitmotivs!

And then one day I decided to track it down - And what a movie it was! It's a unique experience, a mysterious world that I tasted last when I played Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantis or when I read the book of MYST and watched the original stargate - A SciFi-Fantasy romance, one of those rare things that has the power to carry you to some alternate reality, not overly complicated, but inspiring and beautiful - even now, I couldn't help feeling sucked in to the naively romantic world of my childhood!

Highly recommended!

Hi,

I paid some 10 dollars for this DVD, with a duration of 360 min and a whole uncut production. However, this proved to be an Italian version of the movie with English subtitles.

I don't pay tribute to such a hoax and want my money back!

As for the argument of a friend of mine, that he is willing to make a recording from TV - viz., my answer is that it's worth making such an attempt in a high definition format and then transfer it to DVD in a proper studio. Further, collecting VHS tapes is old fashioned ...

It so happened, that so many video information is blundered in so many incomprehensible languages. People are getting more distanced by this, instead of closing the gap ...