Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

JohnHowardReid Director: GEORGE WAGGNER. Screenplay: Dorothy Reid and Joseph West. Based on a story by John T. Neville. Photography: Fred Jackman Jr. Film editor: Jack Ogilvie. Art director: Charles Clague. Set decorator: Dave Milton. Music director: Edward J. Kay. Assistant director: Charles Townsend. Sound recording: William Fox. Producer: Paul Malvern. Copyright 7 October 1940 by Monogram Pictures Corporation. No New York opening. US. release: 7 October 1940. Australian release through Associated-British Empire Films: 2 January 1941. 7 reels. 5,948 feet. 66 minutes. (Available on an Alpha DVD).COMMENT: Not a western but a Foreign Legion outing. Waggner's direction with its extended takes and elaborate tracking shots delivers a considerable clout above the average Monogram effort. And he's also commendably lessened the corniness inherent in the screenplay by having his players rattle off their lines twice as fast as normal. It's also a pleasant surprise by Hollywood standards to find a real Frenchman playing the Foreign Legion commandant. And it's doubly enjoyable to find such a heartening performance as that put across by Albert Morin as a villainous sand diviner. "Technical director" Charles Clague has turned in a very competent job in making over existing sets, whilst Fred Jackman's photography also rates as more than passably pleasing.

MartinHafer "Drums of the Desert" is an incredibly outdated and bad movie from Monogram Pictures--an ultra-low budget film studio that prided itself in cranking out cheap B-movies very quickly. In the case of this film, however, it's much poorer than average for the tiny studio. How poor? Well, the film is supposed to be about the French Legion in North Africa--yet not a single one of the French people in the film speak with ANY accent other than a 100% American one. No, this isn't because they're supposed to be foreign legionnaires--the film clearly says that many of them are French. But they look and sound about as French as Hattie McDaniel or Keye Luke!! Heck, even Dick Van Dyke's notoriously awful accent in "Mary Poppins" has him TRYING to sound English! Here, Ralph Byrd and the rest don't even bother.The film begins with a French(?) officer (Byrd) meeting a young lady on the ship to North Africa. They soon fall in love. However, when the ship arrives at port, he discovers that she is the fiancé of his best friend--a fellow legion officer!!! Talk about a clichéd situation!! And, you know since this is a crappy film, by the end the fiancé will be worm food and the pair will be able to marry!! All that was left was to figure out what would be in the middle. It wasn't all terrible--but it also is 100% predictable...and a bit racist in how they handle all the Black soldiers from Harlem (or is it Senegal?!). All I know is that on top of being very outdated in how it handled race issues, I also wonder why so many Hollywood films seemed to STRONGLY promote British and French imperialism. It seems that American films should have supported freedom and self-determination...or would that only be for folks that look and sound like us? Unfortunately, at the time this was the case.So is there anything to like about the movie? Not much. While a bit racist in showing them as all very ignorant, the Black soldiers were competent and honorable fighting men. And, some of their dialog was funny. Otherwise, no...there really isn't anything to like about this poorly written and equally poorly acted film.

mark.waltz There's little to be said in favor of this Z-Grade Boots & Bullets flick that depends on degrading stereotypes for its buffoonish black characters and heroic results for its romantic white characters. If this film is an example of how far movies have come in presenting non-whites, then it is of historical value. Mantan Moreland, one of the top black character actors of the 30's and 40's, is presented in a demeaning light while "Dick Tracy's" Ralph Byrd gets to be the superman who saves the day. Monogram films aren't always this bad; In fact, some of them are now classics. The romantic triangle between Byrd, George Lynn and Lorna Gray is never really developed, and the conflict they face in the desert seems forced. The dialog is mainly filler to help reach the movie's 60 minute running time.

dbborroughs I'm going to make a stab at simply explaining the story of this film. Because there are a good many characters and a great many plot threads its going to sound much blander than it is since I'm compressing so much into so few lines (trust me its much better than this): Ralph Byrd plays a member of the French army stationed in Morocco. Taking a ship from France to Africa he meets and woos a young lady who suddenly disappears when the ship docks. Picking a contingent of Senegalese troops he heads off to his fort where he's to teach them to be paratroopers. Upon arriving at the fort he again meets the woman who has stolen his heart and who is the fiancé of one of the officers stationed there. While out on training maneuvers Byrd and his men are attacked by Arabs who want them out of the country. They manage to capture one of the attackers who is the brother of a sheik that Byrd had met on the ship from France. The brother denies his involvement to the sheik, who then plots revenge when the brother is executed.This is a very breezy very complicated little movie moves like the wind. Byrd and the rest of the cast are excellent in this tale of conflicting loyalties, romance and action. I must single out Mantan Moreland as the New York native now in charge of the paratroopers. Moreland, best known as Charlie Chan's butler Birmingham Brown gets to be an action star showing little of his trademark fear and anxiety as he charges in with his men on more than one occasion (his method of getting information will be positively frightening to Chan fans). Moreland also is allowed to be more than just comic relief in a role that is more than just jokes and reaction (The scene where he asks Byrd if they can bury one of his men with a parachute is especially touching). This film is more proof that Moreland was an under used actor.I really liked this movie a great deal. Clearly a low budget programmer, this film somehow rises above its humble origins to become an excellent little adventure film. Regrettably its not better known. This is one to keep an eye out for.