Lion of the Desert
Directed by
Moustapha Akkad
Produced by
Moustapha Akkad
Starring
Anthony Quinn
Oliver Reed
Rod Steiger
Raf Vallone
Release date(s)
17 April 1981
Running time
206 minutes
Language
English
Budget
US$35 milion]
Lion of the Desert is a 1981 Libyan historical action film starring Anthony
Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar fighting the Italian army in the
years leading up to World War II. It was directed by Moustapha Akkad and funded
by Muammar al-Gaddafi's government.[1]
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
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.
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 al-Gaddafi.
NOTE: "Lion of the Desert" was directed by Mustafa Akkad, who also directed a
film highly acclaimed in the Muslim World about early Islam and the life
of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). "The Message" was approved by the scholars at
al-Azhar University in Cairo, generally considered to be the most authoritative
word on matters Islamic, and manages to show the entire life of the Prophet
without portraying him, which is prohibited in Islam. Both films are excellent
for background of their respective topics. Romi
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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