1938 - SUEZ, impressive production with the usual Hollywood distortions about history.

Darryl F. Zanuck's big production about the construction of the Suez Canal gets the usual Hollywood treatment.  Impressive special effects, some good looking leading performers a very contrived romance and a screenplay that has nothing to do with the actual building of the canal.  A lot of thought must have gone into putting this historically inaccurate mess of a film together.

Tryone Power is Ferdinand de Lesseps who is in love with Countess Eugenie de Montijo played by Loretta Young.  The problem is that Napoleon III is also in love with the Countess.  What's a girl to do marry the good looking but poor de Lesseps or settle down with the rich emperor of France?  Well one thing leads to another and the heartbroken de Lesseps moves to Egypt and to get over his broken heart decides what the heck I might as well build the Suez Canal.  One way of dealing with a relationship problem.

 

A lot of the film is spent on the financing of the canal build which I can assure you does not exactly make for stimulating action film making.  Everything leads up to a big and still awesome special effects scene where a sandstorm almost destroys all the work on the canal.  Even in 1938, Hollywood could whip up a spectuacular set piece like this.  

 

Well in spite of this spectular production this film is mighty turgid and was somewhat of a challenge to sit through.  Watching a film about the building of the Suez Canal isn't exactly exciting and sticking a romantic love triangle just make the whole film seem sillier.

The film was written by Phillip Dunne and Julien Josephson, the running time is 104 minutes.