American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1949)

DRAMATIC camera angles and skillful low key lighting enhance the terrific fight sequence in "Rope Of Sand." Here, director of photography Charles Lang, A.S.C. (back to camera), prepares to film a low angle shot of two men fighting atop the half-track — "prowl car" of the diamond company's private police. The "Lang Touch " scores again in ROPE OF SAND By HERB A. LICHTMAN placement, a tangible dramatic atmos¬ phere faithful to the locale, the plot, and the pace of the action. In “Rope Of Sand,” director of photography Lang has succeeded brilliantly in creating just such a dramatic mood pattern. His lighting is more eloquent for that which it con¬ ceals than that which it reveals. His camera assumes points of view which are not only pictoriallv interesting, but which suggest that dramatic action stands ready to burst forth just outside the frame line. Generally speaking, the photographic treatment is stylized to directly enhance the impact of a strenu¬ ous plot set in a most unusual locale. Appropriately enough, the film begins with a chase, although it is only a kind of sub-plot chase employed to introduce the locale and symbolize the basic con¬ flict which exists between protagonist and antagonist in the unfolding of the main plot. A sweating, terror-stricken native is seen stumbling frantically over the barren sand dunes of the desert waste. The camera flees with him before revealing that from which he flees. Then suddenly over the top of a mountain of sand, looms a clanking metallic monster, a half-track carrying the private police of the diamond preserve. In the distance, another mechanical blood-hound bounds over a ridge, and the two converge mer¬ cilessly upon the unfortunate fugitive. In this sequence, the camera faithfully captures the white-hot, sun-drenched per¬ sonality of the predatory desert. Sand and sun merge into a kind of trap set to catch those whose lust for diamonds leads them to pit mere human flesh against the quietly lethal forces of nature. From this point on, the camera moves THE ATTEMPT of an American guide to force his way into a privately controlled South African diamond pre¬ serve furnishes the dramatic and unusual story of “Rope of Sand.” Tautley directed by William Dieterle and dramatically photographed by Charles B. Lang, Jr., A.S.C., the picture traces efforts of the guide to locate a valuable cache of rough diamonds which he had previously discovered there. The film teems with intrigue. A suitably rugged hero is pitted against a suitably despicable villain, while a suitably enigmatic official throws his political weight first in favor of one, and then the other. A voluptuous “femme fatale” of none too savory past, stands on the sidelines ready to embrace whomever should be pitched unscathed from the midst of the brawling subplot. The dramatic structure of “Rope of Sand” is not especially original, since it is basically the old chase formula bedecked in diamonds; however, it manages by dint of raw action and thickly congealed photographic mood, to hold the audience perched reasonably well forward on the edges of its respective seats. The cinematographer’s responsibility in supervising the photography of such a vehicle is much more demanding than in the filming of most other subjects. It is not sufficient that he record the action in well-lighted, well-composed frames; he must in addition create with light, shadow, and camera STUDIED — Every camera angle was carefully chosen and analyzed for the dramatic emphasis it could lend the photography of "Rope Of Sand." Here, Lang (with dark hat, background) considers a camera setup for scene. 278 • American Cinematographer August, 1949