WWII: Sahara commentary by Jenna Johnson
In relation to Hollywood and the control of wartime propaganda, I believe that the premise of “Sahara” fit well within the government’s six basic themes of war effort contributions. The themes that shone through best were the issues of war, the nature of the enemy and its contrast to our forces, allies working together as one, and the fighting forces in general. Humphrey Bogart’s character made some valuable remarks contributing to these themes, particularly about the purpose to fight for what is good at any cost. Also, the group of men fighting against the Germans was a conglomeration of those from different countries and backgrounds, which illustrated allies coming together to fight for a single purpose. The least represented themes concerned civilians at home contributing to the production front and home front, as the setting of the entire movie was on the fighting territory.
The nature to fight for a larger cause must be well correlated to the “implicit rationale” defining the moral consequences of fighting and dying, which is why we have a sufficient number of young men and women willing to enter the armed forces today. In “Sahara,” this idea is well-represented, specifically from character Joe Gunn’s point of view, as he expressed there are potential negative effects of battle to the individual, but an advantage to the fighting force from individuals working together. This was demonstrated when he convinced his crew of men to stay and hold the fort in anticipation of fighting the Germans upon their arrival. Even if it meant giving their own lives, they were fighting for something bigger, and any way to contribute to the common cause was their motivation.
“Sahara” did its best to reflect the reality of different roles/expectations from people of different racial or ethnic backgrounds, but it was done on almost too small a scale to be realized. The characters all had more of an equal role in fighting, compared to the possible reality of segregated roles. As for the lack of women characters, it is probably due to the fact that women were not allowed in the armed forces at the time, but I don’t believe that this detracted from the film’s messages.