Sirocco (1951)

Pale imitation of Casablanca, 24 April 2006

I was going to begin with a detailed plot description of Sirocco, but what's the point? Sirocco has essentially the same plot as Casablanca. Change settings to Syria from Morocco, put Marta Toren in the role of Ingrid Bergman (Toren was actually billed as "The Next Ingrid Bergman"), exchange Lee J. Cobb's Col. Feroud for Conrad Veidt's Maj. Strasser, and throw in a few other similar characters and almost identical plot points and you've got two very similar movies. The problem with the comparison, though, comes at the end of the film. Although Casablanca is the far superior film in most every way, the final scenes really drive home just how inferior Sirocco really is. In both films, Bogart must decide between being selfish or doing "what's right". The difference, however, is that in Casablanca there is a good, justifiable reason for his actions. As heartbreaking as his final act is, I can understand why he made that decision. In Sirocco, on the other hand, the decision to do "what's right" seems totally out of character with everything leading up to that point. There is no valid, justifiable reason for Bogart's actions. There is no sound reasoning given for his sudden change of heart and it therefore feels forced to make Bogart look like a good guy before the end of the film. It just doesn't work.

The highlight of Sirocco for me is Marta Toren. She made even the most mundane of scenes seem elegant and worth watching. While she may have been "The Next Ingrid Bergman", personally I saw a lot of Audrey Hepburn in her. It's a shame that Toren's career was cut short by her untimely death in 1957. I, for one, would have liked to see what she would have done with a more complete filmography.

6/10