Sirocco (1951)

A post-Casablanca attempt to be like Casablanca. Damascus in 1925 is under military government. Two blindfolded men are brought to a hideout where the leader explains why the Arabs are resisting the French. Then a group of French soldiers are ambushed. French General Everett Sloane says he will execute five Arab hostages for every Frenchman killed. Lee J. Cobb, his colonel, talks him out of it, and a messenger is sent to meet with the emir to see if progress can be made. Then Cobb meets with the local food suppliers to enforce price guidelines. One of them is Humphrey Bogart, who appears to be very cooperative, in contrast to the others. His sidekick is Nick Dennis. It develops that Bogart is a cynic who is in business smuggling people out of Damascus. At a cafe he sees Marta Toren, who is waiting for Cobb. Then a bomb explodes in the cafe. The main players all survive, but when Toren gets back to the apartment she is very upset and Cobb has to calm her down.

Bogart meets an Arab and gets paid. In this scene it is revealed that, as in Casablanca, he has few scruples other than money, and no political convictions. He buys a bracelet and sends it to Toren via Dennis, pretending that she had lost it in the explosion. She accepts it because she has few nice things in Damascus, and little prospect of procuring more. Bogart stops by later to see how she is doing. He mentions that he gets things that people cannot get in Damascus - including stockings and perfume. Smith's attentions to her are causing tension between her and Cobb.

Zero Mostel has been called on the carpet by Cobb and is seeking to find a way to square himself. He visits Bogart's warehouse, and a worker mentions that they have dried apricots, which were what smuggled guns had been stored in. Toren comes to Bogart to ask him to get her to Cairo. While she is there, Dennis comes in and tells Bogart that the apricots have been discovered. Bogart knows he has to get out of Damascus at once, and reluctantly agrees to try to take Toren with him. Just as they are about to leave, the French authorities arrive. Bogie takes off and gets away, leaving Toren behind. The Arabs will not help him because he is a fugitive from justice. Cobb's men finally arrest him, and Cobb offers to get him out of the city if he will arrange a meeting with the emir. Before Cobb leaves with Bogie, he tells his assistant, Gerald Mohr, to arrange for Toren to get out of the city. Then, as he leaves Bogart to meet the emir's man, he gives Bogie a pass out of the city, good for only twelve hours. He has to go to Sloane to get the pass signed. They sign the pass and ask him to give them help getting Cobb back. He reluctantly agrees. Sloane offers them 10,000 pounds for Cobb and they accept. However, the Syrians will no longer believe that he is a strictly neutral businessman, and he is killed with a grenade.




Sloane


Dennis