Lion of the Desert (1980)

Directed by

Moustapha Akkad

Genre

war film, biographical film

Country

United States

Runtime

3h 26m

Rated

PG

Rating

7.3 of 10 from 200 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This is an epic historical war film about the Second Italo-Senussi War. It follows Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar as he leads Bedouin fighters against the Italian army and General Rodolfo Graziani.

epichistoricalgravestirringvisually largebattle-focusedsombertriumphant

What happens

Lion of the Desert (alternative titles: Omar Mukhtar and Omar Mukhtar: Lion of the Desert) is a 1981 epic historical war film about the Second Italo-Senussi War, starring Anthony Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar, a Bedouin leader fighting the Regio Esercito (Royal Italian Army), and Oliver Reed as Italian General Rodolfo Graziani, who defeated Mukhtar. It was directed by Syrian-American director Moustapha Akkad, and financed by the Libyan government under Muammar Gaddafi. Released in May 1981, the film has received positive reviews from critics, but performed poorly at the box office, gaining revenues of US$1.5 million worldwide despite having a $35 million budget. The film was banned in Italy in 1982 and was only shown on pay TV in 2009. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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