Lion of the Desert

Moustapha Akkad (1930-2005) is a name that you might not recognize in Hollywood, even though he produced the successful “Halloween” movie series. But this Syrian film director, who was sadly not totally accepted in Hollywood, left two great movies of historical significance: “Lion of the Desert” and “The Message” (1977). Now available on a handsome Blu-ray edition, “Lion of the Desert” passionately and absorbingly tells the story of one of Libya’s most important, historical icons. This is a story that was unknown to me, and answers many questions about current events.

Originally called “Moustapha Akkad, Lion of the Desert,” the feature begins with a brief history of Italy’s invasion of Tripoli and Benghazi in 1911, when Italy was “hunting for new territories,” like other imperial powers, and how Benito Mussolini’s fascist era began in 1922. We are then taken to 1929, when a frustrated and impatient Mussolini (Rod Steiger) summons General Rodolfo Graziani (Oliver Reed) to instruct him to go to Libya to quell the revolution led by Moustapha Akkad (Anthony Quinn), ordering Graziani to “bribe him or break his neck.” Akkad has been fighting the Italians for almost 20 years. Graziani is a respected strategist, who also happens to believe in force and bloodshed. However, Akkad, who is a school teacher, also happens to be a smart commander and he fights the Italians and their sophisticated war machines with intelligence, making one Italian diplomat say, “Poor fools, they think that they can rise against a modern army.” Graziani tries everything, including destroying the insurgents’ crops, poisoning their wells, and creating concentration camps where the prisoners were surrounded by barbwires. But Akkad never gives up, asking, “What is the will of wire, against the will of God?” So we are taken to the very end of this glorious, yet tragic part of Libya’s tortured history.

We, in the American continent, need to learn a lot about the Middle East, so that we can understand the roots of the conflicts that involve the United States in one way or another. “Lion of the Desert” is as good as it gets in terms to that, and it is also visually engaging, with gorgeous cinematography by Jack Hildyard. The movie also stars John Gielgud (in a small part), Irene Papas, and Raf Vallone. (Libya, USA; 1981; color and B&W; 156 min)

Reviewed on November 13, 2013.  Anchor Bay Blu-ray