Episode 802: Dark of the Sun (1968)

About this episode

Mike and guests discuss the film Dark of the Sun, exploring its historical context and cinematic elements.

Mike welcomes Andrew Nette and Jedidiah Ayres back to dissect Dark of the Sun (1968), a brutal, kinetic men‑on‑a‑mission film whose pulp thrills sit atop a surprisingly rich political and historical foundation. The trio digs into the movie’s Cold War backdrop, its depiction of the Congo Crisis, and the real mercenaries who inspired characters like Curry and the sadistic Henlein — from “Mad” Mike Hoare to Siegfried “Congo” Müller, whose Iron Cross‑wearing exploits echo through the film. They explore Jack Cardiff’s muscular direction, the film’s obsession with logistics, its uneasy colonial gaze, and how Rod Taylor and Jim Brown anchor a story that veers from heist film to war movie to moral reckoning. Chainsaws, trains, diamonds, and geopolitics collide in one of the wildest action films of the 1960s. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbooth

People in this episode

Host: Mike

Guests: Andrew Nette, Jedidiah Ayres

Topics covered

• Cold War
• Congo Crisis
• mercenaries
• action films
• political history
• film analysis

Keywords

• Dark of the Sun
• 1968 film
• men-on-a-mission
• Cold War
• Congo Crisis
• mercenaries
• action
• politics
• film review

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Dark of the Sun

Places: Congo

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