Sahara (1943)- Liz Eisler
Based on the notion that many American-made war movies created during World War II were heavily influenced by the government, it was no shock to see the variety of war clichés throughout the film. Sahara touched on many important themes, particularly “The Issues of War,� “The Fighting Forces, and The Home Front� bombarding its audiences with patriotic and propagandistic messages in order to shed positive light upon the war and those who were fighting. I found the theme of “The Fighting Forces� in the film to be rather important, considering that it promoted a message of heroes being both culturally and ethnically diverse. The characters throughout the movie ranged from a wide variety of ethnics, including British, French, Italian, German, and most surprisingly, a black Sudanese man who held a rather important position within the military. Although the black man may not have played as important of a role as the other characters, the fact that the film showed a black man on the font line instead of behind the scenes as a cook or nurse encouraged black men back in the United States to sign up for the military. The other two themes, “The Issues of War� and “The Home Front� promoted an idea of civilized allies fighting together through hardships up until the end. The mere fact that the soldiers decided to set camp at the well and continue fighting off the Germans sent a clear message to those back home that the troops were committed and willing to fight until the very end, even if it meant sacrificing their own lives.