Lion of the Desert
| Lion of the Desert | |
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 Lion of the Desert DVD Cover |
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| Directed by | Moustapha Akkad |
| Produced by | Moustapha Akkad |
| Written by | H.A.L. Craig |
| Starring | Anthony Quinn Oliver Reed Rod Steiger Raf Vallone |
| Distributed by | Anchor Bay Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | 17 April 1981 |
| Running time | 206 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$35 million[citation needed] |
Lion of the Desert is a 1981 Libyan historical action film starring Anthony Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar, a Bedouin leader fighting the Italian army in the years leading up to World War II and Oliver Reed as Italian General Rodolfo Graziani, who attempted to defeat Mukhtar. It was directed by Moustapha Akkad and funded by the government under Muammar Gaddafi.[1] Released in May 1981, the film was liked by critics and audiences but performed poorly in making money, bringing in just $1 million dollars net worldwide, a financial disaster.
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[edit] 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 establishment 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, confident that the eminently accredited soldier can crush the rebellion and restore the dissipated glories of Imperial Rome. Omar Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn) leads the resistance 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 aircraft are used in the desert for the first time. The Italians 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 suffered heavy losses, their relatively primitive weaponry was no match for mechanised warfare; despite all this, they continued to fight, and managed to keep the Italians from achieving complete victory for 20 years. Graziani was only able to achieve victory through deceit, deception, violation of the laws of war and human rights, and by the use of tanks and aircraft.
Despite their lack of modern weaponry, Graziani recognised the skill of his adversary in waging guerrilla warfare. In one scene, Mukhtar refuses to kill a defenseless young officer, instead giving him the Italian flag to return with. Mukhtar says that Islam forbids him to kill captured soldiers and demands that he only fight for his homeland, and that Muslims are taught to hate war itself.
In the end, Mukhtar is captured and tried as a rebel. His lawyer states that since Mukhtar had never accepted Italian rule, he cannot be tried as a rebel, and instead must be treated as a prisoner of war (which would save him from being hanged). The judge rejects this, and the film ends with Mukthar being executed by hanging.
[edit] Censorship in Italy
The Italian authorities had banned the film in 1982 because, in the words of Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, it was "damaging to the honor of the army".[2] The last act of the government's intervention against the film was on April 7, 1987, in Trento; afterward, MPs from Democrazia Proletaria asked Parliament to show the movie at the Chamber of Deputies.[2]
The movie was finally broadcast on television in Italy by Sky Italy on June 11, 2009 during the official visit to Italy of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi.
[edit] Cast
- Anthony Quinn as Omar Mukhtar
- Oliver Reed as General Graziani
- Irene Papas as Mabrouka
- Raf Vallone as Diodiece
- Rod Steiger as Mussolini
- John Gielgud as El Gariani
- Andrew Keir as Salem
- Gastone Moschin as Tomelli
- Lino Capolicchio as Captain Bedendo
- Stefano Patrizi as Sandrini
- Adolfo Lastretti as Sarsani
- Sky Dumont as Amedeo
- Takis Emmanuel as Bu-Matari
- Rodolfo Bigotti as Ismail
- Robert Brown as Al Fadeel
- Eleonora Stathopoulou as Ali's Mother
- Luciano Bartoli as Captain Lontano
- Claudio Gora as Court President
- Giordano Falzoni as Judge at Camp
- Franco Fantasia as Graziani's Aide
- Ihab Werfaly as Ali
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081059/
- ^ a b ScriptaManent.net, Culture and Books Review, third year, twenty-fourth issue (Sept-Oct 2005) (retrieved January 4, 2007)
[edit] External links
- Lion of the Desert at the Internet Movie Database
- Lion of the Desert is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more] (part 2)
