If you can overlook the blatant racism of the time, it was a great film. By the way, they may have called them dervishes but this was like calling a Texan a yankee. It should be noted that Gordon was destroyed by the forces of the Madhi, the self-proclaimed promised one who like many others around the world at the time, was swept up in the spirit of the age; the spirit which fueled the industrial revolution and the massive segmentation of many of the world's religions into sects, each inspired to follow its own path. This was the same spirit which, in the hands of baser individuals, fuelled colonialism and the subjugation of millions. It is ironic that the heroes of this film were colonialists while the enemy, who were no longer in support of a false prophet, were fighting against colonialism.
Nevertheless, it was a great film. The lead, John Clements, was in many films afterwards, but went largely unrecognized. He may be remembered as the Advocate General in Gandhi. It was his last film and, as it was an 8 x Oscar winning film, this made for a fine curtain call for a great actor, despite his minor role.