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Film Description
The true story of guerilla leader Omar Mukhtar, the Lion of the Desert, played here by Anthony Quinn.
The year is 1929 and dictator Mussolini, infuriated by the 20-year war waged by Bedouin patriots to combat Italian colonisation, orders his new military Governor (Oliver Reed) to crush the Bedouins and capture their leader, Omar Mukhtar, played by Anthony Quinn. But Mukhtar has other plans and leads his men on a fearless battle to rid Africa of an Italian empire forever.
"Interesting epic, strongly acted by its leads and impressive in scale but hurt by occasional imperfections." -
Jonathon Dabell on 9th September 2010
Despite being one of the most financially disastrous films ever made (it cost a lot to make, and made very little back), Lion Of The Desert is a surprisingly good epic... more >
Despite being one of the most financially disastrous films ever made (it cost a lot to make, and made very little back), Lion Of The Desert is a surprisingly good epic film based on the Italian occupation of Libya in 1929. The film focuses on two of the key players on each side the Italian forces are marshaled with ruthless iron-like discipline by their notorious Colonel Graziani, while the Libyans defend themselves under the guidance of spiritual guerrilla freedom fighter Omar Mukhtar (a.k.a the Lion of the Desert). It's an interesting clash of ideals and personalities which makes for a worthwhile if never truly outstanding historical epic.
In 1929, the Italians grow desperate as their occupation of Libya reaches crisis point. The Libyans simply refuse to accept that another country has any rights to their homeland and reject all attempts by the Italians to justify their presence there. Mussolini (Rod Steiger) sends one of his most promising and fearsome soldiers to resolve the tension Colonel Rodolfo Graziani (Oliver Reed). Graziani's approach is one of ruthless and merciless force he has Libyans executed in front of their families for working with guerrillas; he sets up concentration camps in the desert where Libyans are frequently hanged or starved to death; he orders his tanks to wipe out villages and towns with the aim of total annihilation. Yet somehow, against this modern army armed with their tanks and machine guns, the Libyans manage to fight back under the guidance of an elderly freedom fighter named Omar Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn). Mukhtar continually embarrasses his mighty opponent by leading cunning Arab attacks against them. They come from the desert like lightning, strike at the Italian soldiers and communication lines, then fade back into the landscape before they can be caught or killed. It is nearly two years before Graziani finally captures and hangs Mukhtar in front of his people, hoping to finally crush the spirit of the Libyan resistance.
Lion Of The Desert has plenty to admire. Quinn's performance as Mukhtar is certainly very convincing, and Reed belies the fact that he was making one terrible film after another at this point in his career by turning in a very menacing portrayal of Graziani. Both of them almost have the film stolen from under their noses by Rod Steiger's immense cameo as Mussolini exuberant acting by an exuberant actor. The film is also strong during the battle sequences the size of the forces involved is impressively captured in some genuinely epic-scale clashes, and we are spared nothing of the unpleasant reality of combat. People are shot to pieces, tanks roll over legs and bodies crushing the lifeblood from them, and none of it is hidden or glamorised for the viewers. We certainly get to glimpse the full horrors of a battlefield. There are still flaws with Lion Of The Desert, one being the unfathomable decision to use several well-known British actors to play Libyan freedom fighters. With their too-proper Queens' English accents, blue eyes, and fake-tanned skin they look foolish rather than convincing. Poor John Gielgud suffers most of all in this manner. Also the film's narrative is not always as clear as one might hope, with some characters and events that don't feel as if they've been developed properly and come across as rather hard to follow. Generally-speaking Lion Of The Desert is a good film though, certainly worth a look.
