IMDb > The Desert Rats (1953)
The Desert Rats
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The Desert Rats (1953) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   1,114 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Richard Murphy (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Desert Rats on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 May 1953 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
They crawled their way across the blazing sands of Africa... to turn disaster into victory!
Plot:
Richard Burton plays a Scottish Army officer put in charge of a disparate band of ANZAC troops on the perimeter of Tobruk with the German Army doing their best to dislodge them. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win more
NewsDesk:
Desert Rats Star Tingwell Dies
 (From WENN. 21 May 2009, 2:55 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
One of my favorites! more (21 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Richard Burton ... Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts

James Mason ... Field Marshal Erwin von Rommel
Robert Newton ... Tom Bartlett
Robert Douglas ... General
Torin Thatcher ... Colonel Barney White
Chips Rafferty ... Sgt. 'Blue' Smith
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell ... Lt. Harry Carstairs (as Charles Tingwell)
Charles Davis ... Pete
Ben Wright ... Mick
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
88 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Factual errors: During the last commando raid by Australian soldiers on a German base, the defenders are using Vickers machine guns when in reality they should be using MG34s. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Modern Problems (1981) more
Soundtrack:
Waltzing Matilda more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
One of my favorites!, 29 January 2005
10/10
Author: from United States

This was the first movies I was ever allowed to stay up and watch on the old Saturday Night At The Movies show on NBC so it has always had a fond place in my heart. Although some might dismiss it as clichéd, it is a tight, well told story that some of today's films might do well to emulate. The realism, ambivalence, and irony of today's war films is definitely missing but one should remember that this was the "good" war. While the other reviewers may criticize its historical accuracy, as someone who grew up hearing war stories from American and Canadian WWI and WWII veterans, it does capture the feeling of a period without going overboard on heroics or far-fetched plot twists.

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