The Desert of the Tartars

A clichê advice, but in this case this good movie could ruin the superb book, if watched before.

Yet, it deserves to be watched after reading the book, it's not a square transposition, it has it's own soul.

This film features one of the most extraordinary locations I've ever seen on film,apparently shot in Southeast Iran, these giant, snow-capped mountains loom in the distance while closer, a desert fortress rises above what appears to be the remains of abandoned, ancient ruins. In this setting, an outpost on the edge of the desert of the Tartars, overseeing rock, sand, and a perpetual mist, the extraordinary external visual world stands for the internalized world that evolves over time, soldiers at the outpost suffer from mysterious ailments that scientists can not name or cure, a metaphor for fear of the unknown, which eats at the inner core of these soldiers who live in a world abandoned by time. The men train for the inevitable attack that lurks just beyond their eyesight or understanding, there is a sort of desert fever that kicks in, so it is not really known if there is an army out there or if it's all in their mind. The stunning,visual world has been created, once again, from the brilliant mind of Valerio Zurlini.

The film reminded me of two others, Tarkovsky's `Solaris,' where men are sent to outer space only to discover that the planet surface mysteriously interacts with each man's internal memories, also a recent Hungarian film by Peter Gothar called `The Outpost,' an absurdist, Kafkaesque journey that as one engineer gets promoted and travels farther and farther away into the outer reaches of the country, bribing nearly everyone she meets just to get there, leaving the comforts of anything remotely resembling normal, and instead discovers a peculiar outpost at the end of the world where the mind plays terrible tricks.

Excellent, haunting movie, with great actors, but it falls short of the book. This I suspect often happens when reading a book before seeing the film. The book, the Desert of the Tartars by Dino Buzzati is an allegory for a man life and destiny. A man's hope to greatness, to glory, to accomplish great deeds. But as time passes, greatness is never attained, glory never achieved. Most of us us settle down in our routine. Drogo full of youth and enthusiasm set up for Fort Bastiano, the fortress protecting the border of his country. With the passing of time the precise, monotonous routine in the fortress becomes his life. He returns to the city and to his fiancé, but the city life does not please him. This part of the book is never shown in the movie. He returns to the fortress with hope of greatness if the Tartars ever attack and the star of glory to defend his country will shine upon him. Time inexorably goes by. Rumors of sights of Tartars prowling in the desert below are just rumors. Drogo is, we are getting older. His health starts to fail. But there is still hope in his hearth that the enemy may come. Then suddenly the enemy comes. The Tartars are invading, the desert under Fort Bastiano is full of them, the war has started, and while Drogo is carried away a young inexperienced officer coming from the city will have the honor and the glory of defending his country. Drogo's carriage is taking him to the city below where the greatest of all Enemies is awaiting for him.

This is the tale of a youth lieutenant named Drogo (Jacques Perrin) who is sent to a garrison located in a far post of the limits of an isolated desert and mountains surrounding . The assignment is to prevent an allegedly invasion by the dreadful Tartars . It's the story of a cavalry officer and his relationship with the remaining officers , such as lieutenant Simeón (Helmut Griem) , Commandant Mattis (Giuliano Gemma), Colonel Ortiz (Max Von Sidow ), Excellency Filmore (Vittorio Gassaman), superior officer ,(Fernando Rey) , count Amerling (Laurent Terzieff) , officer(Jean Louis Trintignant) , a General (Philippe Noiret) and a sergeant (Francisco Rabal) . All of them are suffering pains and unsettling about the possible threat coming beyond the range of high mountains , though anybody has ever seen the enemy .

Slow-moving story based on Dino Buzzzati novel requires quite thought and patience but the officers battle against time more than Tartars . Exceptional plethora of actors formed by the greatest players of the European cinema . Spectacular production design filmed in Cinecitta , Arg-e Bam , Iran , location recently destroyed by an earthquake and Tentro , Trentino (Italy) , place where director Zurlini died in 1982 . The main scenes were shot at the Bam Citadel . In 2003 it was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake, along with much of the rest of Bam and its environs . A few days after the earthquake , the Iranian President announced that the Citadel would be rebuilt . The Arg-e Bam was the largest adobe building in the world , located in Bam, a city in the southeastern Iran . It is listed by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage Site "Bam and its Cultural Landscape". The origin of this enormous citadel on the Silk Road can be traced back to the Achaemenid period . The heyday of the citadel was from the 7th to 11th centuries, being at the crossroads of important trade routes and known for the production of silk and cotton garments . The entire building was a large fortress in whose heart the citadel itself was located, but because of the impressive look of the citadel , which forms the highest point, the entire fortress is named the Bam Citadel.

Sensitive musical score including piano touches by the great Ennio Morricone . Colorful , evocative cinematography by Luciano Tovoli . The motion picture was professionally directed by Valerio Zurlini (1926-1982) and assistant direction by Christian Challonge . Zurlini was a good director with hits : 'The girl with a suitcase'(with Jacques Perrin and Claudia Cardinale), 'The professor' (Alain Delon) and flops : 'Black Jesus'(Woody Strode) and 'Violent summer' (Jean Louis Trintignant) . Rating : Acceptable and passable, however , being slow and a little boring .

if you know the novel, the film could be a correct adaptation. if you do not know the book, the film could be boring, too slow, too long, only an experiment. in fact, the truth is at the middle. the film is more than an adaptation but exposure of the point of view of director about the isolation of man in contemporary society. the purpose is served by the great cast, the desolated landscapes, the expectation as way to survive, the construction of the dramatic end. it is translation of a deep feeling and the book of Buzatti seems be, in many scenes, the perfect tool. so, it is not fair to define it using the expectations. because something does it special. maybe, the reflection in yourself. or the long expectations. or the sensation to see a Kafka works.