SUNDOWN (1941) Gene Tierney, Bruce Cabot & George Sanders | Drama, War | B&W

Sundown is a 1941 American war drama film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Gene Tierney, Bruce Cabot and George Sanders.[2] It was produced by Jack Moss and Walter Wanger, written by Charles G. Booth and Barré Lyndon, and released by United Artists. Set in British East Africa, the film's adventure story was well received by critics, earning three Academy Award nominations, but it was a failure at the box office.

Synopsis

An aircraft lands in Kenya near Rhino Rock, and Zia (Gene Tierney) disembarks and is met by a caravan she owns. In Manieka, British East Africa, Bill Crawford (Bruce Cabot), District Commissioner, contacts the governor at Nairobi, requesting a month-long furlough to study the Senshi, a local tribe. His colleague, Lt. Roddy Turner (Reginald Gardiner), sends a message to the governor to cancel the furlough as the Senshi are becoming hostile.

Two aircraft land at Manieka, bringing both rifles and Major Coombes (George Sanders), the Governor's agent. Coombes tells Crawford that he is taking control of the outpost. When he finds Pallini (Joseph Calleia), officially an Italian prisoner of war, but unofficially the chef, Coombes wants Pollini put into restraints. He then asks Crawford why he wants a furlough, saying that someone is smuggling rifles to the Senshi.

Dutch engineer Jan Kuypens (Carl Esmond), working with the Italian government, is making a mineral survey of the area. Coombes suggests that Kuypens instead file his report with the British; he agrees.

A local trader named Abdi Hammud (Marc Lawrence) sets up an ambush of the British troops, but Crawford and his men are able to stop the attack. Zia, daughter of the late Abu Kalli, who now runs the family network of trading posts in East Africa, arrives at the outpost.

Pallini has known Zia for many years, and on Pallini's birthday, the outpost decides to throw him a party. The men make sure they invite Zia, but when she arrives, she must sit at a segregated table because by native custom she is considered a half-breed.

The locals believe that one of the six white men will die that night. But there are only five of them at the party. When the white hunter, Dewey (Harry Carey), arrives, everyone else suddenly disappears. Two locals shoot at Crawford, but they miss, while Zia is grazed by a bullet. One of the attackers is killed and turns out to be the trader Hammud, responsible for the earlier ambush.

The suspicious Coombes orders Zia to leave the outpost, despite her slight wound. Kuypens confronts Zia in her quarters, who quickly recognizes his German accent. Kuypens is a Nazi agent who is bringing in rifles to arm the Senshi. She agrees to go with him, but passes a warning message to Pallini to give to Crawford. Before Pallini is able to deliver it, Kuypens kills him. Pallini becomes the one (of the six) fated to die that night.

The men find his body and Crawford decides to pursue Kuypens. Crawford confers with Dewey on where Kuypens will go. His rock samples, being volcanic, lead Crawford and Dewey to a geographic area they know. Their armed reinforcements follow shortly behind.

Zia is taken to a large cave complex where the rifles are being prepared. Crawford and Dewey find one of the arms stores and manage to blow up some rifles and ammunition. They also find the large cave complex; Dewey goes back to bring up their reinforcements.

Kuypens informs Zia that he knows that she is actually the daughter of Graham Fletcher, who, along with her mother, died when Zia was just two years old. Abu Kalli adopted her and raised her as an Arab.

Coombes and Dewey arrive with the British reinforcements, foiling the attack on Marieka. During the battle, Coombes is able to shoot Kuypens, but not before the Nazi agent fatally wounds him. Later in London, Zia and Crawford are married before attending a large memorial service for Major Coombes. Afterward, they make their plans to return to Africa.

Cast & Crew

Gene Tierney as Zia
Bruce Cabot as Captain William Crawford
George Sanders as Major A.L. Coombes
Harry Carey as Dewey
Joseph Calleia as Pallini
Reginald Gardiner as Lt. Roddy Turner
Carl Esmond as Jan Kuypens
Marc Lawrence as Abdi Hammud
Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Bishop Coombes
Gilbert Emery as Ashburton
Jeni Le Gon as Miriami
Emmett Smith as Kipsang
Dorothy Dandridge as Kipsang's Bride
Prince Modupe as Miriami's Sweetheart
John Pickard as Pilot
Blue Washington as Askari Veteran
William R. Dunn as Kipsang's Victim
Woody Strode as Tribal Policeman

Directed by: Henry Hathaway
Written by: Charles G. Booth, Barré Lyndon
Produced by Jack Moss, Walter Wanger
Cinematography: Charles Lang
Edited by: Dorothy Spencer
Music by: Miklós Rózsa
Color process: Black-and-white
Production company: Walter Wanger Productions
Distributed by: United Artists
Release date : October 16, 1941
Running time: 90 minutes
Country United States
Language: English
Budget: $1.2 million
Box office: $873,808