The Desert Fox (1951)
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71% of critics liked it
(7 reviews) -
62% of users liked it
(1,854 ratings)
The Desert Fox is a superb filmed biography of German general Erwin Rommel, concentrating on the period between his retreat from North Africa and his government-decreed death. A brilliant tactician, Rommel earns the respect not only of his own men but of the enemy. Unfortunately, Adolph Hitler… More The Desert Fox is a superb filmed biography of German general Erwin Rommel, concentrating on the period between his retreat from North Africa and his government-decreed death. A brilliant tactician, Rommel earns the respect not only of his own men but of the enemy. Unfortunately, Adolph Hitler (Luther Adler), laboring under the delusion that he too is a military genius, demands more of Rommel than he's able to provide. Ordered to stand his ground in Africa to the last man, Rommel realizes that it's more intelligent in the long run to retreat; this incurs Hitler's wrath, but Rommel is a war hero, and as such is virtually "untouchable". Increasingly disgusted by Hitler's behavior, Rommel joins in a plot to assassinate the Fuhrer. The attempt fails, and Rommel's complicity is discovered. He is given a choice: either face a horrible death by torture, or commit suicide, thereby saving his family and his reputation. Rommel opts for the latter; the official story given to the press is that Rommel died heroically of his war wounds. Also appearing in The Desert Fox are Jessica Tandy as Rommel's wife and Leo G. Carroll as an insufferably aristocratic Von Ruhnstedt. The film caused a critical stir in 1951 by providing a tense ten-minute dramatic sequence before the opening credits--a technique that is all but de rigueur today. The Desert Fox was based on the book by Brigadier Desmond Young, who narrates the film and appears as himself in the early scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Henry Hathaway
- Written By
- Nunnally Johnson
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 17, 1951 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Christopher Lloyd, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The purpose of the book and movie is not to tell the complete story of Rommel's life, but to set the historical record straight about his death.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's sympathetic of the legendary Nazi general to the point it makes him an heroic figure.
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Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Mason is great as the Nazi tank commander.
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Cast
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James Mason
as Erwin Rommel
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Cedric Hardwicke
as Dr. Karl Strolin
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Jessica Tandy
as Frau Rommel
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Luther Adler
as Adolf Hitler
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Everett Sloane
as Gen. Wilhelm Burgdorf
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Leo G Carroll
as Field Marshal Von Rundstedt
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George Macready
as Gen. Fritz Bayerlein
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Richard Boone
as Capt. Hermann Aldinger
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Eduard Franz
as Col. Klaus Von Stauffenberg
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Desmond Young
as Himself
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Charles Evans
as Gen. Schultz
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Walter Kingsford
as Admiral Friedrich Ruge
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John Hoyt
as Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel
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Don de Leo
as Gen. Ernst Maisel
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Richard Elmore
as Rommel's Driver in Africa
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John Vosper
as Maj. Walker
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Dan O'Herlihy
as Commando Captain
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Scott Forbes
as Commando Colonel
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Victor Wood
as British medic
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Lester Matthews
as British officer
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Mary Carroll
as Maid
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Paul Cavanagh
as Col. Caesar von Hofacker
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Jack Baston
as Gen. Alfred Jodl
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Carleton Young
as German Major
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Freeman Lusk
as German surgeon
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Robert Coote
as British Medical Officer
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Lumsden Hare
as Doctor
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Sean McClory
as Jock
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Michael Rennie
as Desmond Young
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Ivan Triesault
as German Major
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Peter van Eyck
as German officer
- Philip Van Zandt
- Trevor Ward
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William Reynolds
as Manfred Rommel
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John W. Goldsworthy
as Gen. Heinrich von Stulpnagel
