First topic on EFZ -- why?
Not surprised this is the first posting on this film, which hasn't been shown on TV in years and of course never made it to home video. Why not? Paramount's put out scores of titles far less exciting, well-acted and entertaining than ESCAPE FROM ZAHRAIN. Maybe because the setting is a fictional Arab state in the Middle East, and Arabs and Muslims aren't exactly popular in the US these days. Still, why block the release of a good action/adventure saga that also has something to say about instilling freedom and human rights in that area of the world -- from within, not forced by clumsy, self-interested outsiders?
In the 50s and 60s the West thought that secular Arab nationalists like Nasser were huge threats to the stability of the world, but today they seem like oases of stability and reason compared with the fanatics, suicide bombers, and other radicals from the region who spread terror on a global basis.
In addition to its entertainment value, maybe a film like ESCAPE FROM ZAHRAIN can show that notions of justice and equality can coexist with deep religious convictions in a modern, tolerant Middle Eastern nation. That was part of the point of this movie, and it's much more relevant today than it was in 1962.
How about it, Paramount? Risk a DVD!