Station Six Sahara (1963) User Reviews

Lust in the dust

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 4 September 2017]

Five men of disparate nationalities work an oil station in the sweaty Sahara; just as tempers begin to boil over within the group, a sexy girl and her ex-husband invade their territory (or rather, crash it--seems this reckless dame harbors a death wish for herself and her former spouse). Brian Clemens and Bryan Forbes, adapting Jean Martet's play "Men Without a Past", invest the dialogue exchanges with interesting give-and-take, but their scenario isn't inventive or enlightening or even titillating (despite the ads). Certainly the basic thrust of the material--when will the men take advantage of their new arrival--is salacious, however the writers are more interested in probing the human condition and all its faults (although there is some sex involved). Director Seth Holt ably delineates the disintegration of morality and decency among the men, but this woman is something else: a willing pawn in their company, she's both tease and temptress. Actors Studio alum Carroll Baker seemed to get stuck in a revolving door of sexually-uninhibited characters after "Baby Doll", yet this role does call for an actual dramatic performance and she delivers. ** from ****

Captures the Loneliness of Men Cutoff from Society

[Uriah43 · 7/10 · 24 January 2021]

This film begins with a young man named "Martin" (Hansjörg Felmy) being driven to a remote oil pumping station in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Upon arriving he is then gradually introduced to the other members of the small team with which he will spend his time every day and night. As one might expect this small group of men have their own personalities with two of them, "Fletcher" (Ian Bannen) and "Macey" (Denholm Elliott) constantly at odds with one another. But it isn't until a beautiful young woman by the name of "Catherine" (Carroll Baker) accidentally arrives that these personalities come out in the worst way possible. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a very good film which captures the loneliness of men cutoff from society and forced to endure each other's company in a remarkable manner. Likewise, having such an attractive actress like Carroll Baker certainly didn't hurt this film in anyway either. In short, although not a great film necessarily, it was still quite interesting and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

Peculiar little movie offers unpleasant entertainment

[mlraymond · 5/10 · 13 November 2006]

This film is almost forgotten today. I have only seen it twice, and don't know anyone else who has seen it, or even heard of it. The setting and characters are reminiscent of Flight of the Phoenix, with an international group of oil riggers getting on each others' nerves in the Arabian desert. SPOILERS AHEAD: The only part of this movie that's actually interesting is the strange cat and mouse game played between two Englishmen, over a letter. One complains that he never receives any mail, and the other guy gets lots of mail, so he offers to buy a random letter. The condition is that the original recipient will not be allowed to see it, or know anything about who sent it. Having agreed and sold one of his letters, the first guy spends the rest of the movie trying to find out what's in the letter, offering to buy it back, nearly going crazy when the purchaser gloats over " his" letter, hinting that it's from a woman. At the end, the purchaser reveals what the letter is about. That subplot is the only thing remotely interesting in the movie. It might be worth seeing, if you get the chance, just out of sheer curiosity. It's an odd little cult item with no likable or admirable characters at all, which may be why it's not better known.

An obscure, but interesting film

[pjc7992 · 9 September 2011]

As you look at the evolution of film through the 50's and 60's, one trend readily observed is that of increasing use of sex and nudity - as earlier boundaries began to expand. This film, coming in 1965, appears on the cusp of a change from more veiled hints of sex to more explicit scenes as the 60's closed and we moved into the 70's and beyond.

A few themes run through this film, one being that of the overbearing boss many of us have been saddled with in our careers - one who knows that the men have signed on for an extended stay under his "command" and plays his hand to the hilt. A boss who has little or no regard for his men and motivates through intimidation.

Clearly, the director reaches out to the farthest boundaries of the times (and mores) to inject the sexual tension of Ms. Baker arriving on the scene. She is beautiful and sexual and is never out of control of the situation. There is nothing explicit here (but oh so close); nevertheless, the suggestive nature of visits from members of the crew works just as well. In the end, she stands up to the crew commander in a way none of the men (save one) ever had.

I think the film is a well-acted little gem.

Intriguing character study

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 28 March 2020]

STATION SIX-SAHARA is an intriguing little drama that shares a similar kind of tension to THE THING, albeit set at an oil station in the Sahara rather than in the icy wastes of Antarctica. Oh, and there's no alien presence either, just a sultry blonde in the form of American actress and future giallo stalwart Carroll Baker. Baker plays a visitor to said station who shakes things up with the already-frustrated menfolk there, and the fine cast includes Peter van Eyck, Denholm Elliott, Ian Bannen and Mario Adorf. It's a slow-burning character study for the most part, but the climax is quite unforgettable and the material certainly keeps you interested.

Baker doesn't break into a sweat

[malcolmgsw · 6/10 · 15 February 2020]

A rather strange film made by Artur Brauner,whom I briefly knew and who died aged 100 last year.As usual this is a combination of UK and continental stars.All ending up at this lonely pumping station.Everyone is covered in sweat except Baker.Ian Bannen chews the scenery with relish whilst Denholm Elliott underplays

Men Without a Past

[jromanbaker · 6/10 · 2 August 2021]

Jean Martet's title for his play ' Men Without a Past ' is much better than the film's title, as we know next to nothing about the five men trapped in a contract to be in a Sahara outpost. Isolated in the wilderness of sand they tease and torment themselves playing games for money, and one of them a speciality in mental cruelty ' buys ' a letter from one of them giving a month's pay for it, then teases its impulsive seller with its possibly incriminating ( sexual ? ) content, not revealing who sent it. These scenes were the highlight of the film, and the visible and often spoken about need for female company. This does arrive in a bus of three prostitutes to satisfy them, and clearly these women go from outpost to outpost. Most of this happens in the first 50 minutes in the film, and the breakdown tension between the men in their own particular interior cells of isolation is finely acted and the film excellently directed by Seth Holt. Sadly I thought the arrival of Carroll Baker, superb though she is as an actor, fell into the usual female among too many men scenario and the poor ending played out as a variation of Fritz Lang's version of Zola's ' La Bete Humaine ' called ' Human Desire ' ( an underrated film, better in my opinion than the Jean Renoir version. ) The cast were uniformly excellent with Peter Van Eyck standing out as the so-called tough commander of the rest, using his power over the others so as to perversely conceal his inner pain. Carroll Baker fell into too many stereotypes of heterosexual fantasy for my taste, playing the morally ' loose ' woman who deserves punishment and consequently the last half of the film, after her literally accidental arrival, drifts into melodrama. The pure drama of the first brilliant half dissipated because of this, and so did my interest.

Good watch

[bombersflyup · 9/10 · 6 March 2018]

Station Six-Sahara is a hidden gem, about nothing.

Comedy should be listed in it's genre, as I was amused throughout the film. Mostly due to Fletcher getting under Macey's skin, by buying one of his letters. Martin was also a standout, going toe to toe with the boss at the poker table and being amused like me at Fletcher's antics. The description of the film isn't all that accurate, as Carroll Baker only really enters the film halfway through and many of the best moments have already taken place. A pleasantly surprising film.

A forgotten potboiler

[JasparLamarCrabb · 4/10 · 18 February 2014]

A virtually forgotten potboiler directed by Seth Holt. A disparate group of men working an oil refinery in the Sahara get company in the form of foxy car crash victim Carroll Baker. Sexual tension ensues as Baker leads on at least two of the men, including group leader Peter van Eyck, who's desperate to get out of his miserable existence. Adding to the mix is Baker's possessive husband (Biff McGuire), who, though bedridden, refuses to let Baker go. Extremely well acted but perhaps a bit too melodramatic to really be taken seriously, there is nonetheless plenty to recommend...Baker is in peak form and Van Eyck is great. Ian Bannen steals the show as a crass bully and Denholm Elliott is his uptight foil. There's a great music score by Ron Grainer. The script was worked on by Bryan Forbes.

6 horny guys and Carol Baker alone in the desert--what could be better?

[hollywoodshack · 10/10 · 1 August 2019]

So tensions build at a lonely oil pump station in the middle of the Sahara where the men steal or buy dirty postcards and love letters while the more handsome among them fight over poker when a car wreck brings in Catherine Starr and her injured husband, Jimmy, who she's trying to split up with. Kramer and Martin become rivals for her love in some steamy scenes. Jimmy's revenge is a spectacle to behold. But really, what do 5 men have to work on living by an oil pump? Mostly any broads they can talk into meeting them there, I guess. Bryan Forbes directed one of his best early works and one less re-edited with a more coherent plot. Baker is at her dramatic best also. It's interesting that the ex-husband who crashes the car is named Jimmy and Catherine Starr is played by Baker, who made a lot of films in Europe during the sixties where her car crashes. James Dean, her co-star in Giant, died in a car crash, too. The trauma of losing him haunted many people long after his death.

A turgid little potboiler

[Kirasjeri · 3/10 · 28 July 1999]

Sexual and other tensions at a Sahara pumping station heat up when a female is added to the mix. A turgid little B&W potboiler of no meaning notable only as it ran as the 'B' feature in theaters in 1963 for the wonderful "Topkapi".

It was hot in the Sahara!

[mmunier · 6 March 2018]

I see 6 reviews here, let's not forget we're now in 2018! I can't imagine too many of younger generations bothering about such a film. But I am from that generation and in the 60's was a young man. It was just my lunch "course" served on a small TV screen with low sound quality. it was an ordinary day but as soon as the film started I found the story interesting and intriguing...Then the lady turned up and we had to believe things would change in this devilish remote desert station. Until then and we the arrival of a new worker there were five men all having very different characters, so living in close quarters you would expect some friction. Beside Peter Van...I did not know any of the other actors but I felt they all did a reasonable job. Yes a little over dramatic but we have to keep in mind the period. It pleasantly filled the duration of the feature.

fascinates from the very start and explodes when Carroll Baker bursts upon the scene

[christopher-underwood · 9/10 · 25 March 2021]

A quite wonderful discovery. Intelligent and involving with well drawn characters and everybody performing well with precise direction, brilliant editing and exciting musical score from Ron Grainger. This fascinates from the very start and explodes when Carroll Baker bursts upon the scene. Based upon a play by Frenchman Jean Maret with a screenplay by Bryan Forbes and Brian Clemens this smoulders like crazy and contains one of Baker's finest performances.

A gritty melodrama, a bit slow in places

[vampire_hounddog · 5/10 · 4 August 2020]

On a remote Sahara oil pipeline station, contractors live and work together and soon have something to argue and fight over when a tease of a femme-fatale (Carroll Baker) ends up stranded there following a car crash.

A very adult and sometimes gritty drama with plenty of melodrama, but is a bit of a dirge in places despite its sense of atmosphere. Written by Brian Clemens and Bryan Forbes.

Deep character study and well worth multiple viewings.

[alanrandall-37292 · 8/10 · 3 August 2022]

My first viewing of ''Station Six Sahara'' was many years ago and have always rated it it quite highly ever since, as can be expected Carroll Baker looks quite stunning in this movie also great performances from all the cast, interesting male characters playing off against each other, especially the amusing interactions between Ian Bannen and Denholm Elliott.

If you like deep character study ''Station Six Sahara'' is well worth multiple viewings.

Seen on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater only in 1970

[kevinolzak · 4/10 · 3 June 2020]

1962's "Station Six Sahara" ("Endstation 13 Sahara") a German-British coproduction with a cast to reflect both nations, plus top billed sex symbol Carroll Baker from the 1956 "Baby Doll" in the erotically charged central role. Peter Van Eyck is the imperious supervisor of an oil station located 200 miles from civilization deep in the Sahara (filming on location in Libya), the male workers signing on for a claustrophobic 5 year term, played by Ian Bannen, Denholm Elliott, Mario Adorf, and newly arrived Hansjorg Felmy. Petty animosity about coffee, letters, or poker come to a halt when a car speeds out of the darkness to crash on their property, the unscathed passenger a blonde bombshell (Baker), the injured driver her jealous ex-husband (Biff McGuire). Her arrival comes at the midway point, yet the predictable nature of events doesn't change, right up to the anticlimactic ending, the love starved men a fairly unlikable bunch all clamoring to earn some down time alone with Carroll, a strong willed temptress never even breaking a sweat. Most surprising are the considerable screenwriting credentials of Bryan Forbes and Brian Clemens, the director Seth Holt a promising talent coming off Hammer's Hitchcock-inspired Christopher Lee classic "Taste of Fear." Martin Scorsese is a longtime admirer of this title, but minus the promised nude scenes it must have seemed even longer than 99 minutes.