Watch a Movie on Fancast: Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier in “Khartoum”

Back in the late 1800s, Egypt was occupied by Britain, although it was not formally annexed. The Sudan was theoretically a region subject to Egypt, and Khartoum was the capital of the Sudan. Muhammad Ahmed fomented a religious movement and declared himself the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam. A holy war was declared, and his Mahdists laid siege to the city of Khartoum to end the occupation of the Sudan. British General Charles George Gordon stood in defense while his country had decided to abandon the region, making only surface gestures in the direction of honor.

In Basil Dearden’s 1966 film Khartoum, Charlton Heston plays the maverick General Gordon as a man deeply in love with the Sudan above all else, which he had freed from the slave trade years earlier. He finds the notion of casting Khartoum to the wolves led by Sir Laurence Olivier’s Mahdi, who are determined to slaughter its people, unconscionable. He remains to fight this battle until the bitter end, despite the ever-increasing bleakness of their situation.

Two great actors honing their craft in a Robert Ardrey screenplay nominated for an Academy Award. Definitely worth the watch.

Watch Heston and Olivier in Khartoum, for free in its entirety right here on Fancast.