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The Desert Rats (1953)

APPROVED 88 min  -  Action | Adventure | Drama  -   20 May 1953 (USA)
6.7
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Ratings: 6.7/10 from 1,862 users  
Reviews: 23 user | 9 critic

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.

Director:

Robert Wise

Writer:

Richard Murphy

Stars:

Richard Burton, James Mason and Robert Newton
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14 photos | 1 video | 2 news articles | full cast and crew »

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Related News

Irish Actor Davis Dies
21 December 2009 4:01 AM, PST | WENN
Desert Rats Star Tingwell Dies
21 May 2009 2:55 PM, PDT | WENN
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Burton ...
Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts
James Mason ...
Robert Newton ...
Tom Bartlett
Robert Douglas Robert Douglas ...
General
Torin Thatcher Torin Thatcher ...
Col. Barney White
Chips Rafferty Chips Rafferty ...
Sgt. 'Blue' Smith
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell Charles 'Bud' Tingwell ...
Lt. Harry Carstairs (as Charles Tingwell)
Charles Davis Charles Davis ...
Pete
Ben Wright Ben Wright ...
Mick
Full cast and crew »
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Storyline

Rommel has the British in retreat on his way to the Suez Canal. All that stands in his way is Tobruk, held by a vastly out numbered force of Australian troops. Richard Burton leads these troops on daring raids against Rommel, keeping him off balance as they earn the nickname 'The Desert Rats'. Written by Derek Picken <dpicken@email.msn.com>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Tobruk | Rommel | Desert Rats | British | German  | See more »

Taglines:

They crawled their way across the blazing sands of Africa... to turn disaster into victory!

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Les rats du désert See more »

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs, California, USA See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's title actually refers to the British 7th Armoured Division who were "The Desert Rats" in North Africa and not the Australian 9th Division who were part of the siege at Tobruk and were known as "The Rats of Tobruk", not the Desert Rats. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: When MacRoberts' wound is being treated, it appears high up on the left arm, near the shoulder. Two scenes later, the bandage is lower down on the bicep and the wound that would have been exposed is nowhere to be seen. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Modern Problems (1981) See more »

Soundtracks

"The Campbells Are Coming"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Played on the bagpipes See more »