Summary
In North Africa, German Field Marshal Rommel and his troops have successfully fended off British forces, and now intend to take Tobruk, an important port city. A ramshackle group of Australian reinforcements sent to combat the Germans is put under the command of British Captain MacRoberts. The unruly Aussies immediately clash with MacRoberts, a gruff, strict disciplinarian, however this unorthodox team must band together to protect Tobruk from the German forces.
Cast
Richard Burton
Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts
James Mason
Field Marshal Erwin von Rommel
Robert Newton
Tom Bartlett
Robert Douglas
General
Torin Thatcher
Col. Barney White
Chips Rafferty
Sgt. "Blue" Smith
Charles Tingwell
Lt. Harry Carstairs
Charles Davis
Pete
Ben Wright
Mick
Patrick Aherne
English Officer (uncredited)
John Alderson
Corporal (uncredited)
Frank Baker
British Officer (uncredited)
John Blackburn
Sergeant (uncredited)
Robert Boon
German Lieutenant (uncredited)
Frederic Brunn
German Gunner (uncredited)
Arthur Brunner
German Radio Man (uncredited)
Paul Busch
German Orderly (uncredited)
Paul Cavanagh
Colonel (uncredited)
Frank Chase
Commando (uncredited)
Tony Christian
German Sentry (uncredited)
Nicolas Coster
Medic (uncredited)
Noel Drayton
Captain (uncredited)
Harold Dyrenforth
Observer (uncredited)
Charles B. Fitzsimons
Fire Officer (uncredited)
John Fraser
Artillery Man (uncredited)
Arno Frey
Kramm (uncredited)
Ray Harden
Hugh (uncredited)
Charles Keane
Sgt. Donaldson (uncredited)
Lester Matthews
Foreign Secretary (uncredited)
Gavin Muir
Captain (uncredited)
James O'Hara
Communications Man (uncredited)
John O'Malley
Riley (uncredited)
Patrick O'Moore
Jim (uncredited)
Peter Ortiz
Wireman (uncredited)
Michael Pate
Capt. Currie (uncredited)
Richard Peel
Rusty (uncredited)
Guy Prescott
Maj. O'Rourke (uncredited)
Jack Raine
C.I.C. (uncredited)
Otto Reichow
Gunner (uncredited)
Michael Rennie
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Jerry Riggio
Commando (uncredited)
Per Skavlan
German Guard (uncredited)
Frederick Stevens
German Major (uncredited)
Gilchrist Stuart
Captain (uncredited)
Albert Taylor
Jensen (uncredited)
John Wengraf
German Doctor (uncredited)
Alfred Zeisler
von Helmholtz (uncredited)
Ashley Cowan
Crew
Director
Robert Wise
Writer
Richard Murphy
Reviews
John Chard
April 16, 2014
7
Come out of your holes you desert rats!
The Desert Rats is directed by Robert Wise and written by Richard Murphy. It stars Richard Burton, Robert Newton, Robert Douglas, Torin Thatcher, Chips Rafferty and James Mason. Music is by Leigh Harline and cinematography by Lucien Ballard.
The follow up to The Desert Fox (it's not a sequel) from two years earlier, was in essence an attempt to readdress the balance after The Desert Fox annoyed certain quarters with its admiration for what a great soldier Field Marshal Rommel was. So here we have the battle of Tobruk orchestrated by the astute Robert Wise, the plot is simple, but the characterisations are most certainly not, with lead men Burton and Newton terrific.
This important part of the war is given mature treatment, with the battle sequences realistically staged and the tactical nous of allied force leaders rightly given credence. Sadly Mason is barely in the picture, which is more frustrating when you witness the extended scene that is shared between Mason and Burton, a British film fan's dream right there. While elsewhere it should be noted that this is, perhaps inevitably, not an accurate history lesson, so students of Tobruk don't be basing your thesis on this telling.
Still, a good quality war pic for sure. 7/10
Media
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00
Keywords
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