The Desert Rats (film)
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| The Desert Rats | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert Wise |
| Produced by | Robert L. Jacks |
| Written by | Richard Murphy |
| Starring | Richard Burton Robert Newton Robert Douglas Torin Thatcher Chips Rafferty Charles 'Bud' Tingwell |
| Music by | Leigh Harline |
| Cinematography | Lucien Ballard |
| Editing by | Barbara McLean |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | May 8, 1953 |
| Running time | 88 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English/German |
| Preceded by | The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel |
| IMDb profile | |
The Desert Rats is a 1953 war film starring Richard Burton and Robert Douglas directed by Robert Wise. It features a cameo appearance by James Mason as General Erwin Rommel.
[edit] Plot
Rommel has Allied forces in retreat as he attempts to make his way to the Suez Canal.
A company of newly arrived and very undisciplined Australian troops are part of the defence of Tobruk, and a tough artillery officer, Captain Tammy MacRoberts (Richard Burton) is put in command of them.
Gradually gaining the confidence of the soldiers, he leads his troops on daring commando-style raids against Rommel's base, losing many soldiers in the process, but keeping the Germans off-balance. Eventually, they are relieved by fresh Allied troops. The bravery of the soldiers earns them the nickname 'The Desert Rats'.
A sub-plot involves MacRobert's relationship with a former school teacher of his, Tom Bartlett (Robert Newton), now an infantry soldier under his command and an alcoholic. He attempts to have Bartlett transferred to a safer posting, but Bartlett insists on staying out of loyalty to his mates.
Because it was a prequel to the 1951 motion picture The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel, this is actually the second film in which James Mason plays the German general. In contrast to the earlier film, Rommel is portrayed sarcastically and somewhat unsympathetically in The Desert Rats. And perhaps because of this, he is also played with a thick German accent, as opposed to the way he was played in The Desert Fox.
[edit] History
The film is based on the Australian 9th infantry division, who were charged with the defence of Tobruk under the command of General Leslie Morsehead. Hoping to survive against overwhelming odds for two months, the garrison held off the best of Rommel's Afrika Korps for over eight months, earning the nickname 'the Desert Rats'.
