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Rating:  -
I like this movie because is about a true event happened in Morrocos in 1929 when a rebel patriot figths against a dictator Benito Mussolini and gave his life for his country.
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Lion of the Desert is one of the great works of Arabic Cinema which shows how a small group of people, leaded by an old man, resisted occupation and freed there land
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Lion of the Desert came out in 1981 to bad reviews and box office failure because its production was subsidized to the extent of $35 million by Libya. It was filmed mostly in eastern Libya - Cyrenaica -- and is worth viewing for the location itself. I saw it when it first came out and found it of interest at that time primarily for its portrayal of the Libyan national hero -- the indomitable Sidi 'Umar al-Mukhtar (1862-1932). I found the film, in its broad outlines, to be quite faithful to the historic record of the colonial war between Italy and the Beduin resistance (1912-1932). What is striking about the story is how closely it paralels the very difficulties of the United States in Iraq today.
Anthony Quinn, as Omar Mukhtar, is as good as he ever was. He is completely believable as "a simple man, religious, courageous, contemptuous of worldly honors and success, and with singular tenacity and powers of physical endurance," to quote the anthropologist E. E. Evans-Pritchard. The all-star cast includes Rod Stieger as Mussilini; Irene Papas as Omar's wife; John Gielgud in a walk-on role; and Oliver Reed as General Rudolfo Graziani. Oliver Reed looks right for the part, but in this DVD edition, he can not be heard or understood very well. The film is a bit longer than it needed to be, but I wouldn't cut anything out of it. Those are my only two criticisms. Oliver Reed's sound, and the length.
This is the 25th anniversary DVD 2-disk set. One disk is in English and the other is in Arabic. It is a very important film and should be seen by anyone with an interest in the relationships of the Arab World with the West.
The director,Moustapha Akkad, was Syrain-American and a very good director indeed. He and his son were killed in the terrorist bombing of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Amman, Jordan on November 11, 2005. A tragic, ironic loss.
Lionel Youst
Rating:  -
You may want to hold on to your non-anamorphic original DVD release of this film epic. While the new 2 disk set offers both the Arabic and English versions of film, along with a new commentary by director, Moustapha Akkad, it does not include the still galleries or trailers found on the original disk. Also the framining on the new disk is incorrect. The original features a correct 2:35 image, while the new is 1:77:1, thereby removing some picture information on the left and right of the frame. The image is also soft and grainey in many spots, almost like a poor VHS transfer. The new set does carry over the 38 minutes making of featurette included with the original DVD release. I would have expected this 25th anniversary DVD to be an improvement over the original, but it is not. A disappointment.
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Italy was among the first to use armored vehicles in the desert which is depicted excitingly in this telling of Omar Mukhtar's Arab revolt against them in Libya. Set in the latter stages of the revolt that lasted form Italy's invasion in 1911 to oust the Turks until Mukhtar's defeat in 1931.
Great action scenes with some well done performances by the late Oliver Reed.
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