Station Six-Sahara Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Station Six-Sahara Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 2, 2020

Seth Holt's "Station Six-Sahara" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film and archival promotional materials. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Hot in the desert

Before it was released theatrically in 1962, Seth Holt’s Station Six-Sahara was submitted to the BBFC for classification, and someone there quickly concluded that the film was too risky for younger viewers. So, the BBFC promptly issued an X certificate -- which at the time meant that anyone under 16 would not be allowed to see it -- and then the film was welcomed in the distribution system. What is more interesting, however, is that the theatrical version of the film also had some cuts. They were probably minor, but the film quite simply does not have any ‘provocative’ material that would have justified them. Even if one tries really, really hard to read between the lines, there is nothing there that could have corrupted a young person’s mind.

The film is set in a remote area somewhere in the Sahara Desert where a small crew of international specialists are operating an important oil station. The man in charge is Kramer (Peter van Eyck, The Wages of Fear), an introverted professional with a military background who rarely takes no for an answer. Santos (Mario Adorf, Lola) is the main operator and the one that does most of the heavy work around the station. Macey (Denholm Elliot, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) is the most diplomatic of the bunch and the one that always gets the most mail. Fletcher (Ian Bannen, The Flight of the Phoenix) is the loudest and most unpredictable one, a natural troublemaker who routinely tests the patience of his colleagues to entertain himself. Martin (Hansjorg Felmy, Torn Curtain) is the newest addition to the crew, a former military man who has lost plenty and is now trying to revamp his life. They are all middle-aged men who have signed contracts that allow them to leave the station only if they get injured or become seriously ill.

Martin’s arrival at the station prompts the crew to immediately alter some of its daily activities and later on even Kramer’s favorite poker game. During the game, and much to everyone’s surprise, Martin then openly questions Kramer’s authority and permanently transforms him into a rival. But sparks really begin to fly when in the middle of the night a car crashes in front of the station and a stunningly beautiful blonde (Carroll Baker, Paranoia) emerges from it with a badly injured driver. While the driver recovers, the blonde turns the men’s lonely world upside down and they begin competing for her attention.

Holt worked with a script by Bryan Forbes (The League of Gentlemen) and Brian Clemens (TV's The Professionals) who had teamed up and adapted Jean Martet’s play “Men Without a Past”, which is probably quite elaborate because the cinematic characterizations are done really well. Indeed, even though the terrific actors -- and the international stars that were brought on board are truly outstanding -- add plenty of their personalities to the characters they play, the evolution of these characters is actually shaped up by a series of very carefully staged events. For example, the clash of egos with the verbal exchanges between the men that occur in them are actually a lot more interesting than the action that takes place in and around the station. Also, the script continuously repositions Baker’s character in ways that elevate the men and their struggle to cope with her presence, even though after her arrival she spends most of the time before the camera.

The film’s adult attitude is just as impressive. (And it becomes even more impressive when you consider the fact that it was made in the early ‘60s). The power plays are crystal clear and so are the intimate desires of the players, and yet there isn’t even a whiff of indecency. It is great to watch because everything is obviously very well measured and executed but still looks entirely spontaneous.

Virtually the entire film was shot on location at Shepperton Studios, but Gerald Gibbs’ lensing is still quite nice and manages to produce a pretty decent desert ambience. Ron Grainer’s soundtrack, however, is quite underwhelming. It is basically a minor ornament that isn’t right for the film.

Station Six-Sahara Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Station Six-Sahara arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing.

The release is sourced from a recent remaster that was reportedly struck from a 35mm fine-grain master. I like it quite a lot. I can see some extremely mild traces of grain management, but this was very careful work that does not affect negatively detail and the film's dynamic range. On the opposite, I think that in a couple of areas it actually helps to rebalance some rougher spots. I still would have preferred not to have any of the work done, but I can assure you that the current presentation has very strong organic qualities. In fact, if you can upscale this release to 4K, I urge you to do so because you will be quite pleased with the overall tightness and solid quality of the visuals. The grading is convincing, though there are a couple of darker areas where it is rather easy to tell that there is room for improvement. Also, some minor scratches, dark spots, and even a few damage marks remain, but I think that it was the right decision to leave them in as they are, rather than try to remove them with digital tools that could have destabilized the film's appearance. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Station Six-Sahara Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the overall quality of the lossless track was very solid. Perhaps in the upper register there is room for some minor optimizations that could improve clarity, but as it is the lossless track serves the film very well. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

Station Six-Sahara Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for the Station Six-Sahara. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of promotional materials for the film.

• Leaflet - with vintage promotional materials for the film.

Station Six-Sahara Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I find it almost impossible to dislike 'desert films', and even though Seth Holt's Station Six-Sahara does not offer the same visual treats as, say, The Flight of the Phoenix, I still think that it is very attractive. But the real magnet here is the impressive group of actors and the great work they do before the camera, which may sound like a cliche but is entirely true. This is just an all-around very solid film. Network Releasing's release is sourced from a good recent remaster, but it is a bit disappointing that it does not have any good bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.