He was a man of honor in a war without any.
Resistance leader Omar Mukhtar opposes Italian colonization before World War II. The brutal guerrilla war against Italian General Rodolfo Graziani and the Fascist forces of Benito Mussolini highlights the struggle for Libyan independence and the harsh tactics utilised by the colonisers.
Lion of the Desert (1981) is a history, war and drama film directed by Moustapha Akkad, released on April 17, 1981 with a runtime of 2h 53m. It stars Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, Irene Papas and Raf Vallone. Viewers rate it 7.3 out of 10 across 204 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Lion of the Desert before you stream it.
Anthony Quinn
as Omar al-Mukhtar
Oliver Reed
as General Rodolfo Graziani
Irene Papas
as Mabrouka
Raf Vallone
as Colonel Diodiece
Rod Steiger
as Benito Mussolini
John Gielgud
as Sharif El Gariani
Andrew Keir
as Salem
Gastone Moschin
as Major Tomelli
Stefano Patrizi
as Lieutenant Sandrini
Adolfo Lastretti
as Colonel Sarsani
Sky du Mont
as Prince Amadeo
Şahin Çelik
as Prince Amadeo (voice)
Directed by Moustapha Akkad, written by David Butler and H.A.L. Craig, produced by Moustapha Akkad and Mohammad Sanousi.
Average viewer score of 7.3/10 from 204 ratings.
***“Braveheart” in the Libyan desert with Quinn, Reed and Steiger*** After twenty years of failing to remove Bedouin rebels during the Italian colonization (aka invasion) of Libya, Mussolini (Rod Steiger) sends formidable General Graziani (Oliver Reed) in 1931 to take care of the problem. Anthony Quinn plays the titular protagonist and leader of the freedom-fighting Libyans. Did you ever wonder why “Lion of the…
Reviewed on May 25, 2019
This is a curious hybrid of a film - it brings together some elements of "Gandhi" (1982) , "Khartoum" (1966) and even "Spartacus" (1960) to illustrate a theatre of war for Fascist colonialism of which I was largely unfamiliar. Rod Steiger (Mussolini) has decided that Italy must get in on the act of colonial powers in North Africa - and deploys General Graziani (Oliver Reed) to cement their invasion of modern day…
Reviewed on June 7, 2023
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Lion of the Desert (1981) is available to stream on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel and AMC+, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Lion of the Desert (1981) includes Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, Irene Papas, Raf Vallone and Rod Steiger. The film was directed by Moustapha Akkad. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Lion of the Desert was released on April 17, 1981 and runs for 2h 53m.
Lion of the Desert (1981) holds an average rating of 7.3 out of 10 from 204 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy history, war and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Lion of the Desert trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
