Sundown (1941)

My Review

“Sundown” is a World War II story set in Kenya where a remote British outpost is in danger of being attacked by Nazi German forces. Director Henry Hathaway (“Johnny Apollo” 1940) put together an exciting film with good performances, wonderful production values, and a well written screenplay by Charles G. Booth and Barre Lyndon. It was filmed in Bronson Canyon in Griffith Park and in the Mojave Desert, California, and in the Shiprock area of New Mexico.

The cast includes Gene Tierney, Bruce Cabot, George Sanders, Harry Carey, Reginald Gardner, Woody Strode, Dorothy Dandridge, Joseph Calleia, Carl Esmond, Marc Lawrence, Blue Washington, and Jeni Le Gon. This watchable black-and-white movie was a flop at the box office for Walter Wanger Productions and United Artists. It was nominated for three Academy Awards – Best Original Score (Miklos Rozsa), Best Cinematography (Charles Lang), and Best Art Direction.