Mysterious desert film

[HarvesterOfEyes]

 Hi!

This is a film from my childhood that I had lost hope of ever rediscovering, but this site might bring me the solution.

My memories are very dim, but I remember being struck by its epic scope and its energy.

- set in what seemed to be Arabian deserts

- the hero went from one palace to another, through dunes and sand clouds.

- the most striking scene was at the end: ruins, and ragged people in them behaving like lunatics

At any rate, any suggestions of films with palaces and the desert are hugely welcome.

Many thanks for any help,

The Harvester Of Eyes

[Rayo Casablanca]

Gonna be tough. My first instinct would be DUST DEVIL (92).
Here's a trailer, much of the film happens in the Nambian desert. Check out the final seconds of this trailer for some of the dunes and the "protagonist": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrPSuTEISpg

[Rayo Casablanca]

Two other possibilites without more information:

1. CIRCLE OF IRON http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078975/
2. EL TOPO http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067866/

[HarvesterOfEyes]

We're getting closer! I can add that I saw the film ca. 1987/1988, so your first suggestion wouldn't work. "Circle Of Iron" is very close to the cinematography and atmosphere I remember, but it's not it. Same for "El Topo", but to a lesser extent, even though the surreal quality resembles the concluding scene of the lunatics among the ruins (trailers to both films can be found on Youtube).

My film was most definitely set in some kind of Arab world, if not necessarily a historically convincing one. I remember sophisticated courts in luxurious palaces.

I saw it in France, so this might be a French or European film.

How did you find the three films you suggested? Did you know them beforehand or did you come across them through some research?

Anyway, as I hoped, this can make us discover some movies to watch.

Many thanks!

[Rictras Shard]

My memories of this movie are vague, but could it be Gymkata?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mkl9rtttog

[HarvesterOfEyes]

No, no martial arts in mine, but a strong sense of adventure.

[Rayo Casablanca]

I've just seen way too many films and I'm lucky (maybe) to have an encyclopedic memory.

1987, then BORN OF FIRE springs to mind: http://www.mondomacabrodvd.com/mod145.html It's got some amazing desert scenery and was filmed in Turkey by a Pakistani filmmaker.

If it's not an "art" film then there were a few Arabian-styled adventures filmed by French/Italian filmmakers in the 80s. I'll look them up and get back to you.

[Trevor]

I unfortunately can't help with what it is, but it's definitely not Dust Devil.

[HarvesterOfEyes]

"Dust Devil" it is not...

Yes, it should be one of those French/Italian/Spanish productions from the 70s/80s. Now that I got myself thinking, it was probably a historical movie, though perhaps not a very accurate one. Or a somewhat fantasy-like one.