Pair of modern color proofs of advertisements for the film “Sword in the Desert” (1949)
Extent and Medium
.1: Height: 12.000 inches (30.48 cm) | Width: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm)
.2: Height: 12.000 inches (30.48 cm) | Width: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm)
Creator(s)
- Universal-International (Distributor)
- Universal-International (Production Company)
- Ken Sutak (Compiler)
Biographical History
The Cinema Judaica Collection consists of more than 1,200 objects relating to films about World War II and the Holocaust as well as Jewish, Israeli, and biblical subjects, from 1923 to 2000, from the United States, Europe, Israel, Canada, Mexico, and Argentina. The collection was amassed by film memorabilia collector Ken Sutak, to document Holocaust-and Jewish-themed movies of the World War II era and the postwar years. The collection includes posters, lobby and photo cards, scene stills, pressbooks, trade ads, programs, magazines, books, VHS tapes, DVDS, and 78 rpm records. Sutak organized these materials into two groups, “Cinema Judaica: The War Years, 1939–1949” and “Cinema Judaica: The Epic Cycle, 1950–1972” and, in conjunction with the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Museum (now the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum in New York), organized exhibitions on these two themes in 2007 and 2008. Sutak subsequently authored companion books with the same titles.
Archival History
The color proofs were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Ken Sutak and Sherri Venokur.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ken Sutak and Sherri Venokur
Scope and Content
Pair of modern printing color proofs for the film, “Sword in the Desert,” released in the United States in August 1949. Color proofs display exactly how the colors will look before the final print job is produced. The film follows an American cargo ship captain who finds himself stranded in a Jewish settlement after smuggling a group of illegal Jewish immigrants to British-controlled Palestine. Initially self-interested and unsympathetic to the refugees, the captain has a change in heart after he is captured, imprisoned, and later escapes with them. “Sword in the Desert” was the first film made in Hollywood that depicted the Jewish struggle to establish the state of Israel in May 1948. Britain was given control of Palestine following World War I, and severely restricted the immigration of Jewish refugees who wanted to establish a new Jewish State. This led many refugees to enter the country via “illegal” or “clandestine” immigration on ships. The mass immigration of refugees also led to bitter clashes between the Arab locals and the Jewish paramilitary organization, the Haganah. The film received some criticism for portraying the British as villains, and not showing any of the conflict with the Arab population. In England, the film was perceived as anti-British and sparked outrage and several violent incidents. “Sword in the Desert” also established a new archetype of a rough-and-tumble female character that can hold her own with the Haganah fighters. This object is one of more than 1,200 objects in the Cinema Judaica Collection of materials related to films about World War II and the Holocaust as well as Jewish, Israeli, and biblical themes.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Restrictions on use. Copyright status is unknown.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
.1 Color proof printed on thick, rectangular, semimatte, white paper, with a narrow white margin on three sides, and a wide margin on the left side. The central image consists of a black-and-white illustration of a woman depicted from the torso up. She has dark, curly hair, and is wearing a dark jacket with a bandolier filled with bullets wrapped across her chest. She is looking over her right shoulder and holding onto the sling strap of a rifle, which is partially visible over her right shoulder. In the distance, behind her, in the top left corner of the image are two men in jackets, holding long-barreled guns. The image is surrounded by a narrow, cream-colored border, and a thicker, olive green border that is wider along the bottom edge. Within the wide border, a caption is printed in cream and black text. Black printing information is located in the left margin, and the paper manufacturer is noted in gray watermarks across the back. Depicted: Märta Torén as Sabra, others unidentified .2 Color proof printed on thick, rectangular, semimatte, white paper, with a narrow white margin on three sides, and a wide margin on the left side. The central image consists of a black-and-white illustration of a man, depicted from the shoulder’s up, wearing a captain’s hat and jacket with a ribbed collar. In the background behind him, people are disembarking from a small boat onto a beach. In the distance, partially visible on the horizon, is a cargo ship. The image is surrounded by a narrow, cream-colored border and a thicker, olive green border that is wider along the bottom edge. Within the wide border, a caption is printed in cream and black text. Black printing information is located in the left margin, and the paper manufacturer is noted in gray watermarks across the back. Depicted: Dana Andrews as Captain Mike Dillon, others unidentified
People
- Rorke, Hayden, 1910-1987.
- Toren, Marta, 1926-1957.
- Logan, Stanley, 1885-1953.
- French, Hugh, 1910-1976.
- Redmond, Liam, 1913-1989.
- McNally, Stephen, 1913-1994.
- Gilmore, Lowell, 1907-1960.
- Andrews, Dana, 1909-1992.
- Friend, Philip, 1915-1987.
- Chandler, Jeff, 1918-1961.
Subjects
- Action and adventure films.
- Proofs (Printing)
- United States.
- Holocaust survivors in motion pictures.
- Palestine.
- Nationalism in motion pictures.
- Emigration and immigration in motion pictures.
- Captivity in motion pictures.
- Refugees in motion pictures.
- Armed Forces in motion pictures.
- Zionism in motion pictures.
Genre
- Proofs.
- Art
- Object