Film File - Black Gold

The magnificent deserts of Arabia in the 1930s provide the setting for this action adventure about oil, revenge and ambition. It's no 'Lawrence of Arabia', for sure, but does manage to hold the attention, if not for the acting' then definitely for the stunning scenery and cinematography. Filmed in Tunisia and Qatar by director Jean-Jacques Annaud, an army of craftsmen constructed the world of the Arabian Peninsula in the early 20th Century with 7,000 costumes, 3,000 horses, 20,000 extras and 10,000 camels. The first feature film ever made in Qatar and one of the biggest cinematic projects ever undertaken in the Arab world, key scenes in 'Black Gold' were shot at the spectacular dunes of Mesaieed where, as the holiday brochures put it, 'the sand meet the sea.' Concerning the uneasy political conflicts of two tribes, the film begins when the victorious Nesib (Antonio Banderas), Emir of Hobeika, lays down his peace terms to his rival, Amar (Mark Strong), Sultan of Salmaah. Both leaders agree a truce that neither can lay claim to the area of no man's land between them called The Yellow Belt. In return, Nesib will adopt Amar's two boys, Saleeh (Akin Gazi) and Auda (Tahar Rahim), as a guarantee that neither man can invade the other. Twelve years later, the boys have grown into two very different young men. Saleeh has become a warrior, concerned only to return to his homeland and to fight for his tribe. Auda, on the other hand, appears to care nothing for bloodshed and wishes only for books and the pursuit of knowledge. Everything changes, however, when their guardian, Nesib, entertains a visiting Texas oilman who promises the Emir riches beyond his imagination for the black gold - oil - that lies underneath the sand. A man of progress, Nesib sees a future kingdom with roads, schools, hospitals and commerce. There's just one problem - the black gold is right in the middle of the forbidden Yellow Belt. And so the stage is set for a major confrontation: a clash between the past and the future where only one leader will emerge alive. Director Annaud, famous for 'The Name Of The Rose', 'The Lover' and 'Enemy At The Gates', was clearly energised to deliver an epic-style film - a fact helped in no small way by the €40 million budget. Themes of loyalty, honour and tradition permeate the film, and much of the story's weight falls on the shoulders of Rahim as the bookish prince trying to mediate between two headstrong rulers in a conflict where war and diplomacy are constant bedfellows. But while the actor was powerful in 2009's 'The Prophet', he falls flat here in a role better suited to another actor. Banderas, though, is excellent as the villain, needing only to twirl his moustache to become a perfect caricature. Frieda Pinto stars as the broodingly beautiful Princess Leyla, promised in marriage to Auda and providing a welcome female distraction in an otherwise all-male ensemble bristling with testosterone. Head and shoulders over all others in the cast is Mark Strong as Amar, an Englishman who so inhabits his flowing robes, it's hard to see any western aspect to him. While he's on screen, the story fairly trips along - when he's off-screen, it fades. 'Black Gold' is a sweeping photographic journey that never fails to use its majestic landscape to stunning effect - it's just a pity the script by Menno Meyjes didn't rise to similar heights.