I'd like to disagree with the previous reviews because the first hour isn't so dull after all.First of all it is of course needed to establish the love relations and interests of the four major characters Seargent Victor,Cigarette,Major Doyle and Lady Venetia.Furthermore it offers some really excellent acted scenes,e.g. the comic tavern scene with its knife-throwing and lady chasing or the scene when Lady Venetia is visiting the legion's dorm and Victor fears she might know and recognize him-great how he manages to convey this only by mimic.Even the lesser scenes when Lady Venetia and Victor are watching a snake-charmer or when they meet at the oasis serve to give a deeper insight into the characters,especially Victor and his self-reflective charming ways.Finally there is twice sex in the desert implied.So this first hour is a romantic and comic relief for what is to follow. The last half an hour is a tour de force where all the story lines, that have been knitted in the first hour, come together to erupt in the confrontation with the Arabs in the desert and Major Doyle's plan to get rid of his rival Victor by sending him on fatal errands.There are some terrifically staged battle scenes,but in the end it's not the action that is predominant but Victor's and Cigarette's courage to sacrifice themselves.Cigarette is willing to forsake her love for Victor to propose an for her unhappy relationship with Doyle in order to save Victor from Doyle's vengeance.And Victor on his behalf is exceeding this even, by his plan to buy time for reinforcements to arrive.Knowing the Arab leader Sidi Ben Youssiff from Oxford he plans to delay the Arab attack by giving them some deceptive information-just have a look at Colman's faint smile when Youssiff falls for it- and by this risking his own life and facing a horrible death.This is also where Colman's underacting is at its best because it's all acted with a total lack of pathos-even when Cigarette is eventually dying in his arms after having saved his life the emotions seem genuine-it's the only time I have seen Colman cry on screen so far. So this leaves us with the happy(?) ending.I believe one may argue if it's happy after all because at Cigarette's burial Doyle seems defeated and Victor though restored to his former honour and life and of course Lady Venetia gives a rather estranged impression.He gazes down at the coffin and Venetia's grasp of his hand does not seem to distract him from his brooding. What can I add? Apparently from the fan letters it seemed that especially women liked this movie and I guess I'm certainly one of them although at first its subject almost kept me from watching it.
Review of Under Two Flags
