He storms his way through the dialogue, delivering blistering diatribes against the middleclasses and the world in general. Action packed war epic about a group of british commandos who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines after the german afrika korps smash through the allied defenses in north africa. Jacks, directed by robert wise, that stars richard burton, james mason, and robert newton. Captain foster divide these british men so that some of them feign to be german and the others are the sick ones.
Captain foster divide these british men so that some of them feign to. The film costarred ewa aulin, marlon brando, walter matthau, ringo starr, james coburn, john astin, charles aznavour and john huston. Tobruk was important because if the germans, led by general rommel, can capture it, they can get the suez and control that part of the world. All that stands between him and the suez canal is the fortress of tobruk, manned by a small army of australian troops who are ordered to hold this vital position at any cost. The main theme is somewhat bland, and sounds like it would be better suited to a movie about roman legions on the march. Put in charge of an australian unit, burton rides his men ruthlessly, with laudatory.
It lauds the 9th australian divisions role in the defense of the port. Richard burton stars this film in which he is the british captain foster, who rescues some british doctors and some few soldiers from e convoy in which the germans carried them to tobruk. And in the trivia section on the movie, burton himself says that. The desert rats is a 1953 american war film about the second world war siege of tobruk. Alex foster richard burton, a captain in the british navy, heads to the libyan seaport of tobruk during world war ii. A comparison of the war movies tobruk and raid on rommel. The desert rats is a 1953 american blackandwhite war film from 20th century fox, produced by robert l.
Perhaps its the highest praise a movie like this can get. The year is 1941, and rommel has the british in full retreat. The desert rats ist ein usamerikanischer film aus dem jahr 1953. As an aside entire action sequences from tobruk were reused for 1971s raid on rommel starring richard burton which make that movie unwatchable for fans of tobruk very surprising from a seasoned director like henry hathaway. It was directed by robert wise who later won oscars for the sound of music and west side story. Richard burton, claire bloom, mary ure, edith evans. An armed forces major is assigned to take a special unit of ninety men across the desert of libya to destroy military supplies in tobruk during the second world war. Admittedly a big reason i chose to watch this move was the inclusion of richard burton.
Harker explains that since craig is an expert on the desert, he has been recruited to mount a suicidal raid upon the fuel bunkers at rommels key source of supplies at tobruk. This verbal abuse is fuelled by an excessive consumption of alcohol. Part of a rehab spin that would not have been permitted in 1944. In order to get to tobruk, a band of palestinian jews, commanded by captain kurt bergman george peppard, will pose as german soldiers escorting a group of british.
The actual battle of tobruk plays no part in this story. His task is to pretend to be dying of heat exhaustion and intercept a german convoy heading for tobruk. A ramshackle group of australian reinforcements sent to combat the germans is put under the command of british captain macroberts richard burton. Captain foster plans on raiding germanoccupied tobruk with hand picked commandos, but a mixup leaves him with a medical unit led by a quaker conscientious objector.
Richard burton plays a scottish army officer put in charge of a disparate band of anzac troops on the perimeter of tobruk with the german army doing their best to dislodge them. Burton is the archetypal angry young man in the film version of john osbournes groundbreaking play. The films storyline concerns the siege of tobruk in north africa during world. Based on a controversial novel by william bradford huie, the 1974 movie the klansman stars richard burton. Richard burton rises from pommy brass captain to lt.
Macroberts resents the assignment of having to babysit green horns. The highlight of the movie is a commando raid led by capt. The 1971 war film raid on rommel, directed by henry hathaway and starring richard burton, made extensive use of combat footage from tobruk and also featured a very similar storyline about a british commando force infiltrating enemy lines and raiding the afrika korps supply bases. Luckily for us, we have richard burton, those australians, and some captured italian guns to hold off the nazi war machine. Desert rats, the internet movie firearms database guns. Marvelous, realistic movie, filmed only 12 years after the actual event in the. Burton first became known as a movie actor with his role in my cousin rachel. Its not even entirely a complete movie since substantial portions of it are actually reused action scenes from an earlier movie called tobruk. Breakthrough 1979 richard burton, robert mitchum full movie. Plot summary alex foster richard burton, a captain in the british navy, heads to the libyan seaport of tobruk during world war ii. The desert rats was a quickly assembled followup to 20th centuryfoxs successful war film the desert fox. Based on a true incident, this exciting drama follows a convoy of british and germanjewish commandos as they cross 800 miles on libyan desert to blow up a key nazi fortress at tobruk guarded by general rommels best troops. The movie the desert rats with burton, is actually quite good. The story line goes that a green australian infantry company arrives in the port of tobruk and seeing that its commander had no battle experience, they decide to place burton an english officer as a battle captain to provide them with much needed battle experience.
Richard burton is a famous welsh actor, but he is also known for is multiple marriages including twice to elizabeth taylor. Portions of the film were edited into the 1971 richard burton film. He is briefly captured by the nazis and questioned by general rommel himself, but burton escapes to lead his surviving troops to safety. Raid on rommel is a film directed by henry hathaway with richard burton, john colicos, clinton greyn, wolfgang preiss, year. Together they serve in north africa, fighting against the forces of rommel in what has now become one of australias greatest wartime legendsthe rats of tobruk. The films storyline concerns the siege of tobruk in north africa during world war ii. The unruly aussies immediately clash with macroberts, a gruff, strict disciplinarian, however this unorthodox team must band together to protect tobruk from the german forces. Richard burton plays an officer in the british eighth army, battling rommels forces in. After the fall of tobruk in 1942, during the allied retreat in the libyan desert, an american tank picksup a motley group of survivors but they face advancing germans and a lack of water. Sep 15, 2009 neither arthur hillers tobruk 1967, starring rock hudson and george peppard, nor henry hathaways raid on rommel 1971, with richard burton, qualify as classic hollywood war movies. On the way they pick up and drug the mistress of an italian general, blow up the entire fuel supply for the afrika korps, and swap philatelic gossip with. Richard burton stars in this exciting story of the stubborn, courageous men who held rommel at bay in north africa despite hopelessly outnumbered. Some have said this is a cheaper version of tobruk.
Raid on rommel is a wwii movie about some recently excaped pows who are rallied by a special service guy to carry out an attack on a german base. Put in charge of an australian unit, burton rides his men ruthlessly, with laudatory results. Many of the men are green recruits, and it falls to capt. The desert rats 1953 rotten tomatoes movie trailers.
The action scenes were used again in the richard burton action adventure raid on rommel, in which you can easily identify many of the actors from tobruk. The entire siege of tobruk, which was a fight between german troops, mainly. Richard burton full list of movies and tv shows in theaters, in production and upcoming films. Richard burton timeline featuring movies and other. Universal pictures brazenly reused much of tobruks footage in the richard burton b movie raid. The rest of the film is a gritty classic in bw with burton playing off of a former schoolteacher who is now part of the australian army, and a battalion that burton ends up commanding. Universal pictures brazenly reused much of tobruk s footage in the richard burton b movie raid. Neither arthur hiller s tobruk 1967, starring rock hudson and george peppard, nor henry hathaway s raid on rommel 1971, with richard burton, qualify as. The desert rats 1953 war movie depicts rats of tobruk siege richard burton stars in this exciting story of the stubborn, courageous men who held rommel at bay in tobruk north africa despite hopelessly outnumbered. The narrator informs us that we are about to witness the story of tobruk and the desert rats who defended it.
The lrdg, while being distinct from the even better known sas, sometimes joined in combined operations with them at times during the desert campaign. Dec 26, 2018 action packed war epic about a group of british commandos who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines after the german afrika korps smash through the allied defenses in north africa. Its about a complicated commando mission by the famous long range desert group. With richard burton, john colicos, clinton greyn, wolfgang preiss. Tells the story of three menbluey, a tough two fisted drover taylor, milo, a laconic dingo trapper rafferty, and pete, an intellectual english new chum finch. Tammy macroberts richard burton, who is from scotland and thus has understandable challenges exercising his command upon an australian army unit.
To supervise them and give them the benefit of more battle experience, english captain macroberts richard burton is called upon to command them. Much of the action footage was reused from the 1967 film tobruk, and the storyline is also largely the same. The 1971 war movie raid on rommel, directed by henry hathaway and starring richard burton, made extensive use of combat footage from tobruk and also featured a very similar storyline about a british commando force infiltrating enemy lines and raiding the afrika korps supply bases. Raid on rommel dvd, 1998 a very average wwii movie starring richard burton as an allied commando posing as a nazi officer. Richard burton was cast in a minor role as the eccentric poet macphisto, an overthetop parody of dylan thomas, which richard burton portrayed with relish. Such is the case with arthur hillers tobruk, a war film helmed by a director best known for his cinematic adaptations of the works of paddy chayefsky and neil simon. The main theme is somewhat bland, and sounds like it would be better suited to a movie. Join sign up keep track of your favorite shows and movies, across all your devices. In 1971, universal pictures brazenly reused much of tobruks footage in the richard burton bmovie raid on rommel.
It stars richard burton as a british commando attempting to destroy german gun emplacements in tobruk. Richard burton, james mason, robert newton, robert douglas. The unruly aussies immediately clash with macroberts, a gruff, strict disciplinarian, however this unorthodox team must band together to protect tobruk. The great richard burton also stars, giving the film a commanding feel and finally, having viewed and enjoyed tobruk, i am delighted to view the great action sequences on dvd, as only raid on rommel is available on this format. Hathaways other movies about the second world war were all for studio. A world war ii drama starring richard burton academy awardr nomination for best actor, equus, 1977and whos afraid of virginia wolf. The city, which offers access to important trade routes, has been taken over. Richard burton plays an officer in the british eighth army, battling rommels forces in defense of tobruk. The british fleet is enroute to north africa to engage the germans, and the best port for them to use is tobruk. The final confrontation between the protagonists and the enemies on the nazi desert fortress is stimulating, its the highlight of the movie.
George richard burton and martha dame elizabeth taylor are a middleaged married couple, whose charged relationship is defined by vitriolic verbal battles, which underlies what seems like an emotional dependence upon each other. Richard burton plays a scottish army officer put in charge of a disparate band of. Rick west, a german veteran of rommel s africa korps who. Rommel arrives at headquarters and plots the conquest of the suez canal, but the port of tobruk must be taken first. Alex foster richard burton, a captain in the british navy, heads to the libyan seaport of tobruk during. Tobruk lifts a miniature effects shot of british bombers from mgms earlier operation crossbow which also starred george peppard.
The movie deals with the hardships endured during the siege by the unit of capt. Raid on rommel is an american b movie in technicolor from 1971, directed by henry hathaway and set in north africa during the second world war. Richard burton list of movies and tv shows tv guide. It stars richard burton, james mason and robert newton and was directed by robert wise. With richard burton, james mason, robert newton, robert douglas. Richard burton film library the richard burton online museum. Tobruk 1967 allmovie movies and films database movie. Overview of the desert rats, 1953, directed by robert wise, with richard burton, robert newton, robert douglas, at turner classic movies.
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