Outpost in Morocco
Captain Gerard, greatest lover in the Foreign Legion, is assigned to escort an emir's daughter to her father's mountain citadel and find out what he can about the emir's activities. Gerard enjoys his work with lovely Cara, but arrives to find rebellion brewing.
Outpost in Morocco is a 1949 action adventure film directed by Robert Florey, starring George Raft and Marie Windsor. Paul Gerard (George Raft), a Moroccan Spahi officer and his French Foreign Legion garrison, holds off attacks from the native tribes of the Emir of Bel-Rashad (Eduard Franz), the father of Cara (Marie Windsor), the woman he loves. As a rarity amongst American films of the Foreign Legion genre, the Legion cooperated with the producers. A second unit led by Robert Rossen filmed scenes in Morocco. Some of the large scale action scenes of the film were reused in Fort Algiers and Legion of the Doomed.
Plot
Spahi Captain Paul Gerard (George Raft) is assigned to lead a patrol to the city of Bel-Rashad en route to a French Foreign Legion fort. Gerard is to escort the Emir’s daughter, Cara, who has been studying in France, to Bel-Rashad that is off limits to Frenchmen and investigate whether there may be anti-French activity in the city. On their ten-day journey Gerard and Cara fall in love. Leaving Cara at Bel-Rashad, Gerard reports to the Legion fort commanded by Commandant Fronval and his executive officer Lieutenant Glysko, a former Cossack.
One night at the Legion outpost, a sentry is shot by a sniper with all agreeing the bullet did not come from a usual musket. Gerard infiltrates Bel-Rashad discovering the locals are being armed with modern Mauser rifles. Detected, Gerard grabs a rifle and fights his way out being hidden by Cara in her room until he makes his escape.
At the Legion fort it is agreed that Gerard must personally inform headquarters of these new developments. Leading a strong patrol back to the fort they discover that the fort has been destroyed with one wall being obliterated and all the Legionnaires are dead. Some of the Legionnaires, including Commandant Fronval, are found bound and executed. Gerard orders a raid of Bel-Rashad in retaliation led by Lt. Glysko to capture the Emir. The Emir is out rallying the tribes but Lt. Glysko brings back Cara as a hostage.
As the Legion has no cement, the wall is repaired with mud. The Emir lays siege to the fort, and diverts the river that leads to the fort’s water supply with dynamite. Encouraged by his initial victory, the Emir hopes to unite the all the tribes against the French. However, due to feelings of loyalty, gratitude or fear, none of the other tribes wish to attack the French. Faced with no water, Gerard plans a breakout and releases Cara. After Glysko prays to God. a rainstorm comes encouraging the garrison but destroying the mud built wall.
After the rain Gerard orders the approach route to the destroyed wall planted with landmines and covered by machine guns that he figures the Emir will use as his route of attack. At dawn the Emir leads his tribe to overrun the fort through the open wall. Cara tries to stop his attack. As Gerard sees her riding into the minefield to see her father, Gerard sadly orders the detonation of the mines and the crossfire to begin that wipes out the Emir, Cara and their tribe.
The film ends with tribal leaders ordering their warriors to lay down their rifles in front of Gerard and his officers, in acknowledgement that order has been restored in Bel-Rashad.
Cast
George Raft as Capt. Paul Gerard
Marie Windsor as Cara
Akim Tamiroff as Lt. Glysko
John Litel as Col. Pascal
ErnÅ‘ Verebes as Bamboule – Gerard’s spahi orderly
Eduard Franz as Emir of Bel-Rashad
Crane Whitley as Caid Osman
Damian O’Flynn as Commandant Louis Fronval
Michael Ansara as Rifle Dispenser (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
John Doucette as Card-playing soldier (uncredited)
James Nolan as Legionnaire Colonel Pascal’s aide (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Ivan Triesault as Tribal Leader (uncredited)
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