Amanda Palazzo's Sahara Reflections
Sahara, while being an entertaining movie, has a decidedly palpable streak of patriotism, and could clearly be characterized as a propagandist film. Of the six guidelines for Hollywood films laid-out by the government, this film adheres mostly to “The Issues of the War,” “The Nature of the Enemy,” and “The Fighting Forces.”
In the lecture slides, there was an image of a propaganda poster that said something with regard to “dampening cynicism” and had the general purpose of keeping people optimistic (or at least, not openly critical) about the war. This similar attitude of discouraging cynicism is evident in the film when, after the tank breaks down in the desert, one of the soldiers, in frustration, refers to the tank as a “tin can.” Sergeant Joe Gunn reprimands the soldier for his remark. Joe Gunn tinkers with the tank a bit more, and it starts right up. I think this is related to guideline one, “The Issues of the War,” because the underlying message is of remaining positive, not criticizing the war effort despite the conditions, and essentially, that blind patriotism will lead one in the right direction.
There are many examples in Sahara that follow guideline two, “The Nature of the Enemy.” In the film, after they capture the German soldier, a black soldier attempts to search him and the German solider recoils, not wanting to be touched by someone of an “inferior” race. This illustrates the enemy’s ideology of hate for anyone not like themselves. An example that illustrates the enemy’s methods is, when the captured German soldier is not forthcoming about his ability to understand/speak English and uses this as a means to thwart the plans of his captors. Another example is when, after not reaching an agreement with the German soldiers, the French soldier turns away and in the process of returning to his encampment, is shot in the back. These examples show how deceitful and callous the enemy is, and are used to inspire hate for them.
Guideline six, “The Fighting Forces,” which refers to the armed services, allies, and associates, is certainly apt for this film. Much of the film involves interaction between soldiers of different countries, most prominently British and French soldiers. The film depicts these soldiers as the “followers” of the Americans. When the American troops find the British and French soldiers in the desert they relay to them their plans to head south. The “foreign” troops initially scoff at their plans, but when the Americans start to leave, they cave and ask to come with. Also, the highest ranking British soldier relinquishes his authority to Sergeant Joe Gunn, allowing him to be in charge. Both of these examples give the impression of American superiority, strength, and dominance; that we are there to “save the day” for all the other countries that could not hack it.