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In his second Hollywood role (between Oscar-nominated turns in My Cousin Rachel and The Robe), Richard Burton stars as a Scottish commando put in charge of a battalion of the 9th Australian Division defending Tobruk. The Aussies don't like him, and with a year of grim North African duty already under his belt, he's not too crazy about his new responsibilities either. The outfit is charged with staving off the battering assaults of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel for two months, to give the British Army time to regroup in Cairo and prepare for a counterattack. In the end, the "desert rats" play hell with the Desert Fox for 242 days, during which they and their commander develop some mutual respect.
This is a solid, workmanlike World War II picture that, having been made in 1953 rather than 1943, can acknowledge a degree of eccentric humanity and soldierly professionalism in the enemy. Featured guest star James Mason reprises his Rommel from The Desert Fox (1951)--playing all his scenes in German except for a scene of ironical repartee with Burton. Another distinguished Brit, Robert Newton, gets costar billing as a boozy, self-confessed coward who used to be Burton's schoolmaster once upon a time. However, a goodly number of Australians--including Chips Rafferty and Charles "Bud" Tingwell (still going strong nearly 50 years later in Paul Cox's wonderful Innocence)--rate at least as much screen time. Robert Wise directed, with a trimness that reminds us he started out as an editor, and the pungent black-and-white cinematography is by Lucien Ballard. --Richard T. Jameson
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a good WWII Movie,
By
This review is from: Desert Rats (Full Screen) (DVD)
This is a very good WWII movie set in North Africa. Richard Burton is very good in his role. It seems that he put a lot more depth into his characters in his earlier pictures as you can see here. As for Mason, he is one of a handful of actors that are always good no matter what role they play. Robert Wise also demonstrates why he is such a gifted director turning in a film with both a good story and character development. This is a notch above many other war movies.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Poor production values,
By
This review is from: Desert Rats (Full Screen) (DVD)
Richard Burton turns in a very strong performance, as usual, but the low-budget production values in this picture take it down a couple of notches. There is nothing even approaching original German equipment. In fact, the uniforms and equipment would have been unacceptable poor in a TV episode of the "Rat Patrol" made 15 years later. The whole point of Afrika Korps desert warfare is that the uniforms and equipment have to be cool looking.Frankly, this is not a film you'd ever need to see twice, much less own on DVD.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Widescreen or Full Format?,
By A Customer
This review is from: Desert Rats (Full Screen) (DVD)
It's a fine film and certainly a good one for those of us who like exciting war films. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Mason's Rommel is every bit as good as his Rommel in the earlier superb Desert Fox. But, you should know the information on the back of the case has conflicting information about the film's DVD format. In the orange box listing features it clearly notes it's Full Frame at 1.33:1. But in the small white print at the bottom it says Widescreen Version. The 1.33:1 (full screen) is the same as The Desert Fox and many other BW films of the same general time. Considering the action and character exchanges fit nicely into the full screen format, my guess is that the film was filmed in this format and the widescreen note is a typo on the case.
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