Sahara Cross (1977)

Name: Sahara Cross
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Released: 1977-09-10
Duration: 97 min
Rating: 5
Cast: Franco Nero, Michel Constantin, Pamela Villoresi, Antonio Cantafora, Luca Biagini

Sahara Cross (1977), directed by Tonino Valerii, starring Franco Nero and Michel Constantin.

09/10/1977 BR Action, Crime and Thriller 1h 37m

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Synopsis

Jean Bellard and Carl Mank, two Western engineers supported by Hamid are in search of a terrorist group that murdered their colleague in the Tunisian desert.

Franco Di GiacomoCinematography
Tonino ValeriiDirector, Screenplay
Antonio SicilianoEditing
Donatella SenatoreProducer

About the film

Sahara Cross is a 1977 Italian action film directed by Tonino Valerii. It is the first Italian film to use steadicam.

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Sahara Cross is a 1977 Italian action film directed by Tonino Valerii. It is the first Italian film to use steadicam.

Plot

Cast

Franco Nero as Jean Bellard

Michel Constantin as Carl Mank

Pamela Villoresi as Nicole

Mauro Barabani as Hamid

Antonio Cantafora as Georges (as Michael Coby)

Nazzareno Zamperla as Captain Zaft

Geoffrey Copleston as Colonel Brown

Pietro Valsecchi as Arab terrorist

Production

The film was originally very different than the completed film. Valerii stated that the film was originally titled Arissa Ballerina and written by Adriano Belli. Valerii commented that "In short, everything was the opposite of what Hitchcock recommended, that is, that characters must ignore what the viewer knows. I told the producers I would make a film out of that script, because it just made no sense!" Gastaldi and Valerii re-wrote the script, but struggled as the Tunisian co-production signed on to Belli's script. Gastaldi's contribution added new motivations for characters and included a few new scenes such as the battle between two bulldozers. Valerii wasn't initially happy with casting Pamela Villoresi, stating that "Sometimes you have to make do with compromises or economical limitations, Villoresi is a very good actress, but I wouldn't cast her as a terrorist, if it weren't for a pre-signed agreement."

The film was shot in nine weeks. It was shot at Cinecitta with exteriors shot in Tunisia. Valerii used a steadicam for the desert shots. As it was a very first model, director of photography Franco Di Giacomo and cameraman Gianfranco Transunto were sent for special training in Vienna to use it.

Release

Sahara Cross was released in Italy on 7 September 1977 where it was distributed by F.A.R. The film grossed a total of 706,960,000 Italian lira on its theatrical run.

Footnotes

References

External links

Sahara Cross at IMDb

Sahara Cross at Variety Distribution

Text from Sahara Cross on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahara_Cross

Trivia

It premiered on September 10, 1977, a Saturday.
It runs 1h37 — a typical feature length.
This film's quiz has 12 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosCinevera
CountriesItaly
LanguagesItalian, French
StatusReleased

More about this film

Set in

Tunisia

Cast

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Crew

Franco Di Giacomo Cinematography
Tonino Valerii Director
Antonio Siciliano Editing
Donatella Senatore Producer
Giorgio Cardelli Producer
Riz Ortolani Original music
Adriano Belli Story
Adriano Belli Screenplay
Ernesto Gastaldi Screenplay
Tonino Valerii Screenplay

Questions about this film

What is Sahara Cross about?

Sahara Cross: Jean Bellard and Carl Mank, two Western engineers supported by Hamid are in search of a terrorist group that murdered their colleague in the Tunisian desert.

Who directed Sahara Cross?

Sahara Cross was directed by Tonino Valerii in 1977.

Who stars in Sahara Cross?

The cast of Sahara Cross includes Franco Nero, Michel Constantin, Pamela Villoresi, Antonio Cantafora and Luca Biagini.

How long is Sahara Cross?

Sahara Cross runs for 97 minutes, or 1h37.