The Desert of the Tartars (1976)

Original title

Il deserto dei Tartari

Directed by

Valerio Zurlini

Genre

drama film

Country

Germany, France, Italy

Runtime

2h 20m

Rated

U

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 95 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young officer is assigned to a remote fortress on the edge of a desert, waiting for an enemy invasion that may never come. The film follows his long years of service and the toll it takes on his hopes and character.

contemplativemelancholicslow-burnatmosphericlonelyvisually lushbroodingsuspenseful

What happens

The Desert of the Tartars (Italian: Il deserto dei Tartari) is a 1976 Italian film by director Valerio Zurlini with an international cast including Jacques Perrin, Vittorio Gassman, Max von Sydow, Francisco Rabal, Philippe Noiret, Fernando Rey, and Jean-Louis Trintignant. The cast also included veteran Iranian film actor Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz. Based on Dino Buzzati's novel The Tartar Steppe and set in about 1900, it tells the story of a young officer in an unnamed army who is sent to an ancient fortress that guards the desert frontier with the Tartars. Filmed in Arg-e Bam, Iran and released on 29 October 1976 in Italy, it was later shown as part of the Cannes Classics section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. The film's striking visual style, noted for its scenery, lighting, and cinematography, was influenced by the work of Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico. The score was by Ennio Morricone. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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