
[1951]
DIRECTED BY: Henry Hathaway
RELEASE DATE: 04.07.2005
STARRING:
James Mason delivers a strong performance in the title role of this sympathetic study of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. In the early 40's, Rommel's juggernaut Afrika Korps dominated North Africa. But as the tide turned and he came to the painful realisation that his Fuhrer, to whom he had sworn allegiance, was destroying Germany, his ingrained sense of duty pushed him into a conspiracy against Hitler. Focusing on the latter part of Rommel's career, the flm portrays him as a dedicated soldier, sympathetic to his men and devoted to the art of waging war in a dignified, disciplined manner. Co-starring Jessica Tandy as Rommel's wife and Cedric Hardwicke as another anti-Hitler conspirator, The Desert Fox is an intimate look at one of the most respected tacticians of modern times, openly admitted by those who followed him into combat and those who faced him in the field of battle.
Luther Adler, who gives a very convincing portrayal of Hitler in the film, was actually Jewish.
Several film reference books credit Dan O'Herlihy with playing the officer who leads the raid in the opening pre-credits sequence, but he does not appear in the film. The mistake is understandable since the actor playing the officer does bear a resemblance to O'Herlihy.