From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lion of the Desert
Lion of the Desert
Lion of the Desert Plot
In 1929, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (Rod Steiger) is
still faced with the 20-year long war waged by patriots
in Libya to combat Italian colonization and the estab-
lishment of ’The Fourth Shore’ - the rebirth of a Roman
Empire in Africa. Mussolini appoints General Rodolfo
Graziani (Oliver Reed) as his sixth governor to Libya, con-
fident that the eminently accredited soldier can crush
the rebellion and restore the dissipated glories of Impe-
rial Rome. Omar Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn) leads the re-
sistance to the fascists. A teacher by profession, guerrilla
by obligation, Mukhtar had committed himself to a war
that cannot be won in his own lifetime. Graziani controls
Libya with the might of the Italian Army. Tanks and air-
craft are used in the desert for the first time. The Ital-
ians also committed atrocities: killing of prisoners of war,
destruction of crops, and hamletting populations behind
barbed wire.
Despite their bravery, the Libyan Arabs and Berbers
Lion of the Desert DVD Cover suffered heavy losses, their relatively primitive weapon-
Directed by Moustapha Akkad ry was no match for mechanised warfare; despite all this,
they continued to fight, and managed to keep the Italians
Produced by Moustapha Akkad from achieving complete victory for 20 years. Graziani
Written by H.A.L. Craig was only able to achieve victory through deceit, decep-
tion, violation of the laws of war and human rights, and
Starring Anthony Quinn
Oliver Reed
by the use of tanks and aircraft.
Rod Steiger Despite their lack of modern weaponry, Graziani
Raf Vallone recognised the skill of his adversary in waging guerrilla
warfare. In one scene, Mukhtar refuses to kill a defense-
Distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment
less young officer, instead giving him the Italian flag to
Release date(s) 17 April 1981 (1981-04-17) return with. Mukhtar says that Islam forbids him to kill
Running time 206 minutes
captured soldiers and demands that he only fight for his
homeland, and that Muslims are taught to hate war itself.
Language English In the end, Mukhtar is captured and tried as a rebel.
Budget US$35 million[citation needed] His lawyer states that since Mukhtar had never accepted
Italian rule, he cannot be tried as a rebel, and instead
Lion of the Desert is a 1981 Libyan historical action film must be treated as a prisoner of war (which would save
starring Anthony Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar him from being hanged). The judge rejects this, and the
Mukhtar, a Bedouin leader fighting the Italian army in film ends with Mukthar being executed by hanging.
the years leading up to World War II and Oliver Reed as
Italian General Rodolfo Graziani, who attempted to de- Censorship in Italy
feat Mukhtar. It was directed by Moustapha Akkad and
funded by the government under Muammar al- The Italian authorities had banned the film in 1982 be-
Gaddafi.[1] Released in May 1981, the film was liked by cause, in the words of Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, it
critics and audiences but performed poorly in making was "damaging to the honor of the army".[2] The last act
money, bringing in just $1 million dollars net worldwide, of the government’s intervention against the film was on
a financial disaster. April 7, 1987, in Trento; afterward, MPs from Democrazia
Proletaria asked Parliament to show the movie at the
Chamber of Deputies.[2]
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lion of the Desert
The movie was finally broadcast on television in Italy • Robert Brown as Al Fadeel
by Sky Italy on June 11, 2009 during the official visit to • Eleonora Stathopoulou as Ali’s Mother
Italy of Libya’s leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. • Luciano Bartoli as Captain Lontano
• Claudio Gora as Court President
Cast •
•
Giordano Falzoni as Judge at Camp
Franco Fantasia as Graziani’s Aide
• Anthony Quinn as Omar Mukhtar • Ihab Werfaly as Ali
• Oliver Reed as General Graziani
• Irene Papas as Mabrouka
• Raf Vallone as Diodiece
References
• Rod Steiger as Mussolini [1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081059/
• John Gielgud as El Gariani [2] ^ ScriptaManent.net, Culture and Books Review,
• Andrew Keir as Salem third year, twenty-fourth issue (Sept-Oct 2005)
• Gastone Moschin as Tomelli (retrieved January 4, 2007)
• Lino Capolicchio as Captain Bedendo
•
•
Stefano Patrizi as Sandrini
Adolfo Lastretti as Sarsani
External links
• Sky Dumont as Amedeo • Lion of the Desert at the Internet Movie Database
• Takis Emmanuel as Bu-Matari • Lion of the Desert is available for free download at the
• Rodolfo Bigotti as Ismail Internet Archive [more] (part 2)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lion_of_the_Desert&oldid=462769398"
Categories:
• 1981 films
• English-language films
• 1980s drama films
• Biographical films
• Cinema of Libya
• Films directed by Moustapha Akkad
• War drama films
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