Comments on: Dark of the Sun

by: GLENN DAVIS

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:14:12 +0000

Dark of the Sun was probably the most violent movie of the late 60’s, except for Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch”!
Both Martin Scorcese and Quentin Tarantino show it every year at their film fest.
According to Scorcese, “It is one of his guilty pleasures!”
The movie is indeed outstanding on so many levels.
I think Rod Taylor is perfect for the role of Curry!
This movie is rough and gory for it’s time, and one gets the impression it was definately out to offend the cinema going public!
It was Jack Cardiffs third movie as director for Taylor, the previous being, Young Cassidy and The Liquidator.
This movie is available on DVD from EBay from time to time.
I have a copy on Video.
Make sure though you inquire that it is not an edited version.The full running time is around 105 minutes.

by: jackal

Mon, 26 May 2008 00:29:34 +0000

I like this film quite a bit; I’d love to see it on DVD. Always makes me think of the story Quentin Tarantino told about Rod Taylor and Jim Brown, who supposedly didn’t get along at all, getting into a fight at a party at the Playboy mansion back in the day. Apparently Taylor, an ex-boxer, won out. Probably apocryphal, but it sounds so cool you wish it was true.

by: Livius

Sat, 24 May 2008 02:02:30 +0000

Thanks for the comments.
The scene with the carraige rolling back towards the waiting horde of Simbas is an unnerving one - it gives you that sliding feeling in your gut because you just know what the result is going to be.

Tim, sorry that you got your hopes up only to have them dashed; I know the feeling too well myself. I keep hoping Warners will come to their senses and finally put this movie out with a nice transfer. It has been mentioned in a couple of Warner/HTF chats but it still remains a no show.

Since you mention it, I now remember seeing ‘Codename Wild Geese’ on a VHS rental over twenty years ago - I know it’s been a long time but I do recall thinking it was pretty poor stuff, and I had no idea that it formed part of a series.

by: Tim R-T-C

Fri, 23 May 2008 22:47:16 +0000

Nuts… I read through and get very excited only to discover that it is not available on DVD!

If you want modern mercenaries, why not check out the ultra-trashy ‘Commando Leopard’ with Lewis Collins and Klaus Kinski. ABUK have a superb DVD release with a fascinating bonus feature - 40 minutes of on-set footage including some wonderful candid shots of Kinski.

It is actually part of a small series of films, the first being the rather unoriginally titled ‘Codename WildGeese’, although the other entries are only available on DVD from Germany.

by: Deano

Fri, 23 May 2008 07:51:22 +0000

Good review.

This film has always struck me as ripe for rediscovery. One sequence, involving train carriages rolling back into the station is one of the most terrifying I’ve seen.

A brutal, cynical and tough-as-nails near masterpiece.