IMDb > Lion of the Desert (1981)
Lion of the Desert
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Lion of the Desert (1981) More at IMDbPro »

Videos
Lion of the Desert (1981) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   2,309 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 14% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Moustapha Akkad

Writer:

H.A.L. Craig (writer)

Contact:

View company contact information for Lion of the Desert on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

25 September 1981 (Finland) more

Genre:

Biography | Drama | War more

Tagline:

A giant of a man against a general seeking glory...a spectacular adventure of arch enemies in battle.

Plot:

This movie is about Omar Mukhtar, a Muslim and Arabian rebellion who fought against the Italian conquering of Libya in WWI... more | full synopsis

NewsDesk:

'Halloween' Producer Buried in Syria
 (From WENN. 14 November 2005)

User Comments:

One man lead resistance against the imperialist designs of the Italian dictator. more (44 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Anthony Quinn ... Omar Mukhtar

Oliver Reed ... Gen. Rodolfo Graziani
Irene Papas ... Mabrouka
Raf Vallone ... Colonel Diodiece

Rod Steiger ... Benito Mussolini

John Gielgud ... Sharif El Gariani
Andrew Keir ... Salem
Gastone Moschin ... Major Tomelli
Stefano Patrizi ... Lt. Sandrini
Adolfo Lastretti ... Colonel Sarsani
Sky Dumont ... Prince Amadeo
Takis Emmanuel ... Bu-Matari
Rodolfo Bigotti ... Ismail
Robert Brown ... Al Fadeel
Eleonora Stathopoulou ... Ali's Mother
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:

Omar Mukhtar (UK) (closing credits title (pre-release title))
Omar Mukhtar: Lion of the Desert
more

Runtime:

173 min

Country:

Libya | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Filming Locations:

Libya


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

The film cost approximately $35 million but only managed to gross about $1 million worldwide, making it one of the largest financial disasters in film history. more

Goofs:

Factual errors: Mussolini was talking to Graziani in the opening when he looked to the map of Libya, and he said that all these green land is for Italy. In fact he was looking at a topographical map that shows land greener as it become lower by sea level. For Libya is 90% of the area is desert. more

Quotes:

[Omar Mukhtar protects two surviving Italian soldiers]
Omar Mukhtar: We do not kill *prisoners*!
Arab Warrior: *They* do it to *us*!
Omar Mukhtar: "They" are not our *teachers!*
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Halloween': A Cut Above the Rest (2003) (TV) more

Soundtrack:

Giovinezza more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
19 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
One man lead resistance against the imperialist designs of the Italian dictator., 4 March 2005
9/10
Author: Bikram Singh from New Delhi, India

7.1 is a ridiculous rating. This movies deserves much higher and I can assure those who have not seen it that they will agree with me once they have seen it.

Almost all aspects of movie making are amazingly rendered. It will easily compare with any movie about war and politics. The savagery, otherwise recorded only in books, is depicted marvelously. I want to praise a couple of actors but it would not be correct to leave anyone out so I am just saying that they were all tailor made for their roles. There is some real reel footage in the movie and that drives home the points raised in this movie.

On a tangent – it is interesting that the so called civilized countries continuously plumbed new depths of uncivilized actions only for land and riches…. It is an amazing display of imperialistic debauchery.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (44 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Lion of the Desert (1981)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Best Line? nenue
Finally released in Italy bluemonday
director´s cut dvd info please stefan-andersson72
Should have a higher rating! martin_humble
Is this the film where... fast_fierce_and_funny
Tactics most relevant today cqcav600
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Novecento The Big Red One Sunshine Le rose del deserto Lawrence of Arabia
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Biography section IMDb Libya section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.