Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Sudan Blu-ray Movie Review

Sudan is a thrilling adventure-romance and an underrated classic. Produced by Paul Malvern (The Mystery Man, Flying Cadets), Sudan is a great thrill ride for fans of classic Hollywood spectacles. The adventure is spectacular and the journey of the film is enormously entertaining. Starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall.

Queen Naila (Maria Montez) reigns supreme as the leader of the Egyptian city of Khemis. Following her father’s death, Queen Naila decides to take on a disguise as an ordinary peasant and search across the desert to find the men responsible for her father’s untimely death. Revenge is the one thing on her mind.

With heightened drama, featuring plenty of daring escapes, Naila eventually finds herself aided on her dangerous cross-desert mission by the pickpocket thief Merab (Jon Hall) and his accomplice Nebka (Andy Devine). The danger quotient is high and the stakes aren’t insignificant. Can vengeance be wrought? Romance also unfolds when Queen Naila least expects it.

The adventure films of Maria Montez and Jon Hall are wonderful and there is something enormously satisfying about the performances. Maria Montez, in particular, is exceptional. Montez delivers an excellent performance in Sudan. Her performance is one with enormous confidence. Hall is also entertaining (albeit in a smaller supporting role) with Montez stealing the show in this film. An outstanding showcase.

The production of Sudan is one of the most impressive achievements across the Maria Montez and Jon Hall collaborations. The stunning art direction by John B. Goodman (Shadow of a Doubt, Phantom of the Opera) and Richard H. Riedel (Pillow Talk, Portrait in Black) is outstanding and provides Sudan with an exceptional artistic design through-and-through. The production is certainly compelling for a classic Hollywood adventure film – with vibrant set designs and detailed production elements. The film showcases a great sense of scale.

The costumes by Vera West (The Cat Creeps, Song of the Sarong) are another worthwhile highlight of the feature- film. West was such a talented costumer. One of the best costumers working within the classic Hollywood system, West made some of the most compelling, artistic, and beautiful looking costumes. Everything about the costuming in Sudan impresses in spades.

Edited by Milton Carruth (Dracula, The Mummy), Sudan is a perfectly paced effort. The editing is terrific. The effort from Carruth is not to be understated on the film. It is no wonder the edit was so impressive on this work – given Carruth’s mastery of classic Universal monster movies.

The cinematography by George Robinson (Slave Girl, Madame Spy) is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the production. The Technicolor cinematography is vibrant and beautiful. There is simply something remarkably enjoyable about these classic Technicolor productions and Sudan is no exception. A great example of classic cinematography at its finest.

The score composed by Milton Rosen (Drums of the Congo, Slave Girl) adds a sense of excitement to the production. The music doesn’t disappoint. Plenty of action-packed adventure themes and the music is a joy to listen to during the film.

The screenplay by Edmund L. Hartmann (The Paleface, In Society) is surprisingly charming and witty with a lot of good comedic elements tossed in to the adventure-romance. The comedic elements were quite surprising at times and highly enjoyable. Perhaps this should come as no surprise for a writer who was involved with the works of Bob Hope.

Directed by John Rawlins (Arabian Nights, Torpedo Boat), Sudan is thrilling fun from beginning to end. The adventurous thrill-ride that is Sudan is one that audiences will enjoy taking. Rawlins has so much energy as a filmmaker. The filmmaking is great and Sudan proves to be a blast from start to finish. An example of a classic spectacle – not to be missed.  

Sudan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Sudan is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 full frame. The release is sourced from a new film restoration. The new 2K remaster is exceptional looking. The print quality is excellent and the vibrant Technicolor cinematography looks amazing on the release. The encode quality is great, too. A strong release from Kino.

Sudan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. The lossless audio sound quality is excellent on the release. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear during the presentation. The dynamics of the presentation are excellent. This is a worthwhile audio presentation and one that is a good quality match to the video presentation.

Sudan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary for Sudan by Film Historian Phillipa Berry

Sudan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sudan is an enormously entertaining spectacle. The action-adventure romance has great performances by stars Maria Montez and Jon Hall. Director John Rawlins (Arabian Nights) has enormous fun bringing this epic production to life. There is great vitality in the filmmaking and the production looks fantastic. The Blu-ray release features a new 2K master and the presentation looks exceptional. Don't overlook this classic gem. Highly recommended.