The Desert Rats (1953)

Richard Burton was excellent as the hard-nosed Captain in the English army working along with a platoon of Australians in this 1953 film. Tobruk is the epicenter here as the English fought bravely there in an attempt to cut off the Germans from taking control of Egypt and shutting off the oil via the Suez Canal.He is equally matched by Robert Newton, a former schoolmaster taken to drink and a coward as well. The Burton character takes him under his wing and heeds his advice not to bring a fellow soldier up on charges for insubordination when the latter went on to save lives.In one raid Burton is captured by the Germans and gets to meet Field Marshal Rommel, always well played by James Mason. Was that Mason speaking German at the beginning? During Burton's capture, Mason suddenly speaks English. Burton's escape and return to his men was rushed through and the ending of successfully holding off the Germans at Tobruk was also hurried.

I had the pleasure of watching this intense, small movie the other night and what a fine depiction of war and responsibilities of command it indeed is. Burton expresses most eloquently the burden that those who must order attacks, and order death, face every day. This is a timeless message. The action is gritty and realistic, particularly given the time it was made. Not one missed beat. It can also be called cousin to THE DESERT FOX, also with James Mason as Rommel, a very similar film with a broader and longer(time element) story. Interestingly, both films carry non-credited narration by Michael Rennie. So they are a pair and quite fine together.Next I put TOBRUK into the player, the 1967 Universal film with Rock Hudson, George Peppard and many others. This epic is entirely different from RATS and the feeling is very much the BIG SCREEN Hollywood film. And yet some things are similar - blown up fuel and ammo dumps. Lotsa trucks and desert. TOBRUK in particular has always had a spectacular explosive ending, indeed one of the largest in cinema history in my opinion.Given the comparison, THE DESERT RATS is more interesting film, certainly the more realistic. It is smaller and touches upon profound subjects and has Richard Burton at his best. You cannot ask for a better evening than the company of this great actor.

This is a very tight and compelling presentation of a heroic stand off. A classic story of so few against so many. While the movie is a good narrative,what is also captivating in this movie, is the study of different characteristics of Great Leadership. The various protagonists, Captain Tammy Roberts, the General , General Rommel and even the crusty old school teacher Tom Bartlett all display some of the characteristics of outstanding leadership. It also presents several dilemmas that leaders face and their varying responses to them.. ... Fascinating stuff! So much so,that this movie can actually be used as a 'case study' in Leadership Development programs ...

The Desert Rats is a very enjoyable WWII film dealing with a portion of the war that may seem alien to those in America. Americans are accused, and sometimes rightly so, of thinking WWII began and ended with America's involvement. But it didn't. The Desert Rats is the story of the Allies last stand in Northern Africa at Tobruk. Rommel and the Nazis would have clear sailing to the important Suez if Tobruk fell. It's up to Capt. MacRoberts (Richard Burton) and his band of green Aussie replacements to stop the advance of Hitler's army.When you read comments about war movies, you always read complaints about historical accuracy. Is The Desert Rats true to history? I'm not a student of history, so I wouldn't know. Furthermore, I don't really care. To me, it's about the entertainment I get from a film and I've always found The Desert Rats entertaining. The authentic looking sets, the tremendous ground shaking explosions, the plot that focuses on a small band of men, and the action sequences are all highlights of the movie for me. Robert Wise's direction and Lucien Ballard's cinematography put the viewer in the middle of the action. You can all but feel the rocks pounding down as each Nazi shell hits. It's very well done.My only complaint about The Desert Rats is in the overall construction. I realize that it's a result of attempting to be historically accurate, but history doesn't always put events in the most exciting sequences. The film opens with its best moments. The battle scene between the dug-in Aussie's and Rommel's tanks is as exciting and well filmed as I've seen in a war movie. Unfortunately, the movie (as dictated by history) cannot keep up this pace. The ending, as the now battle-hardened Aussie hold a hill waiting for replacements, is anticlimactic.