73%

IMDb TMDb

📅 1981 ⏱ 2h 53min PG Released FHD / 4K

Lion of the Desert

"He was a man of honor in a war without any."

HistoryWarDrama

This movie tells the story of Omar Mukhtar, an Arab Muslim rebel who fought against the Italian conquest of Libya during the second Italo-Senussi War. It gives western viewers a glimpse into this little-known region and chapter of history, and exposes the savage means by which the conquering army attempted to subdue the natives.

🎬 DirectorMoustapha Akkad

📅 Release1981-04-17

🌍 CountryLibyan Arab Jamahiriya, United States of America

🗣 LanguageEnglish, Arabic, Italian

🏢 StudioFalcon International Productions, Filmco International Productions

🗳 Votes193

🔥 Popularity1

💰 Budget$35,000,000

💵 Revenue$1,502,136

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🎭 Cast

Anthony Quinn

Omar Mukhtar

Rod Steiger

Benito Mussolini

Oliver Reed

Gen. Rodolfo Graziani

Irene Papas

Mabrouka

Raf Vallone

Colonel Diodiece

John Gielgud

Sharif El Gariani

Andrew Keir

Salem

Gastone Moschin

Major Tomelli

Stefano Patrizi

Lt. Sandrini

Adolfo Lastretti

Colonel Sarsani

Sky du Mont

Prince Amadeo

Takis Emmanuel

Bu-Matari

Rodolfo Bigotti

Ismail

Robert Brown

Al Fadeel

Eleonora Stathopoulou

Ali's mother

🎥 Crew

DirectorMoustapha Akkad

WriterDavid Butler

WriterH.A.L. Craig

Sound RecordistNorman Bolland

Sound RecordistJim Willis

Sound EditorChris Greenham

Original Music ComposerMaurice Jarre

Special EffectsKit West

ProducerMoustapha Akkad

Associate ProducerJune Bordcosh

🖼 Gallery

🏷 Keywords

guerrilla warfarelibyaafricaresistanceworld war iibased on true storybenito mussolinianti-colonialismmaghrebomar al-mokhtar

💬 Reviews

Wuchak⭐ 5/10

***“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…

CinemaSerf⭐ 7/10

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 invasio…