Lion of the Desert

Braveheart in the Libyan desert with Quinn, Reed and Steiger

After twenty years of failing to remove Bedouin rebels during the Italian colonization (aka invasion) of Libya, Mussolini (Rod Steiger) sends formidable General Graziani (Oliver Reed) in 1931 to take care of the problem. Anthony Quinn plays the titular protagonist and leader of the freedom-fighting Libyans.

Did you ever wonder why Lion of the Desert (1980) is so obscure? It cost $35 million, has three big name stars, was shot on location and is epic in scope, but it only grossed $1 million worldwide and sits alongside other big money losers of the time period, like Heaven's Gate (1980) and Inchon (1981). Was it because it was supported by Gaddafi? Was it because it por...

This is a curious hybrid of a film - it brings together some elements of "Gandhi" (1982) , "Khartoum" (1966) and even "Spartacus" (1960) to illustrate a theatre of war for Fascist colonialism of which I was largely unfamiliar. Rod Steiger (Mussolini) has decided that Italy must get in on the act of colonial powers in North Africa - and deploys General Graziani (Oliver Reed) to cement their invasion of modern day Libya. His job is continually thwarted, however, by the tenacious and shrewd Omar Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn), who leads an effective resistance - and has done for some twenty years. Despite facing overwhelming technical superiority, Mukhtar continues to defy his would-be overlord and the film depicts many a scenario as his people refus...