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The film is a Rommel biography written by Lt.Colonel Desmond Young and screenwriter Nunnally Johnson . It's based on true events and real characters . In WWII Field Marshal Erwin Rommel won reputation as Germany's most popular General but he played an important part in the invasions of central Europe and France . At the same time he was regarded by many Allied officers as a master of desert warfare and as a fair-minded professional . Erwin Rommel (James Mason) really achieved fame as the commander of the German Afrika Korps , operating against the British in North Africa and he captured Tobruk ,the key to the British defenses . Quick to see advantage and profit from it , he ran rings round the British for almost two years before being stopped at Alamein and then driven out of Africa by General Marshal Montgomery . Later on , Rommel was given command of Army in northern Italy to prevent an Italian defection and to counter an Allied invasion of Southern Europe . In 1944 he was transferred to command of an army group in northern France.On two occasions,Rommel and Von Rundstedt (Leo G.Carroll) saw Hitler and attempted to convince him that he should end the war while considerable German forces still existed.The pale and shaken Fuehrer met their frankness with angry diatribes.After the Allied invasion of Normandy (June 6,1944) , Rommel was severely injured when his automobile was strafed by a British plane,and he was sent home to Ulm to recover along with his wife Frau Lucie Marie (Jessica Tandy) , his personal assistant Capt.Hermamn (Richard Boone) and military son. By this time , he had become increasingly disillusioned not only by Hitler's unrealistic military leadership but also by the worldwide reaction to Nazi atrocities . He opposed the project assassination attempt on Hitler's life on the ground that this action would only create martyr . Rommel never took an active role in the July Plot executed by Colonel Klaus Von Stauffenberg (Edward Franz) , although the conspirators wanted him as Chief of state after the elimination of Hitler.However the plot failure ,one of the conspirators , before he died in agony on a meat hook , blurted out Rommel's name to his tormentors and his doom was sealed , offered the choice of a court-martial or reprisals against his his family or suicide.

In the film appears famous Nazi characters who are well interpreted by awesome actors , as Hitler featured by Luther Adler gives an excellent performance (but doesn't reach to Bruno Ganz in ¨The downfall¨) , Edward Franz as a magnificent Von Stauffenberg , Leo G. Carroll as Von Rundstedt , Everett Sloane (Gen. Wilhelm Burgdorf) , George Mc Ready (Gen.Fritz Bayerlein) , John Hoyt (Gen.Keitel) and of course Rommel's James Mason who displays a first-rate interpretation and he'll repeat role in ¨The Desert Rats¨ (1953) by Robert Wise . The motion picture was professionally directed by Henry Hathaway . Rating : Good , above average and well worth watching .

This is a pretty solid attempt to portray a soldier's great dilemma - balancing loyalty to the state and obedience to orders with the higher calling of loyalty to what's right and just. Erwin Rommel was one of the great German generals of World War II (a hero in Germany and respected by the Allies.) In the end, he also became involved with the conspiracy against Hitler. The movie shows us some of that development, beginning with his incredulousness at Hitler's orders that the Afrika Korps stand and fight to the last man in Africa rather than withdrawing to fight another day. According to the movie, it was this "stand and fight to the last man" attitude of Der Fuhrer that finally pushed Rommel over the edge. That makes Rommel consistent with what I know of most of the leaders of the "resistance" (such as it was) to Hitler. The opposition wasn't political; it wasn't based on a rejection of Nazi ideology or distaste for Hitler's racial policies - it tended to be based simply on the belief that Hitler was leading Germany to defeat in the war. That's the overarching sentiment portrayed here. That being the case, Rommel may not have been the sympathetic character this movie makes him out to be - maybe he just had the smarts to realize that Germany was fighting a losing war. There's also no mention of his performance during the German invasion of France in 1940, in which Rommel - as a panzer commander - received some German criticism for both his tactics and his tendency to exaggerate his achievements.

James Mason was very good as Rommel. His portrayal was believable, although I wish there had been more exploration in the story of where Rommel came from rather than simply starting us abruptly in Africa. Made only 6 years after the end of the war, the movie is also somewhat courageous in presenting a German general (even one who was unsympathetic to Hitler) in such a sympathetic light. I didn't find this to be structured particularly well. There was too much narration involved, which seemed put an end to any flow the movie might have been trying to develop. Some scenes (particularly of the Allied landings on D-Day) featured a little too much patriotic American and British and French music as the troops went ashore (frankly, listening to the Marine Fight Song or The Marseillaise in a movie about Rommel seemed a bit silly.)

It's an interesting movie, but doesn't seem to completely capture the man it portrays.

I cannot count the number of times I've seen this excellent film. It is endlessly watchable. James Mason plays a very believable Rommel (at least he looked the proper age unlike the actor who played him in PATTON). True, this is an idolized portrait of Rommel, whose reputation in history (after all he was Hitler's favorite general, an autocratic and egotistical warrior who served his Furher with skill and zeal) was salvaged because of his final opposition to Hitler, an action that caused his death on Hitler's orders. It would be interesting, as one reviewer wrote, to see a German filmmaker's take on Rommel's life.

The script is tight, giving the cast excellent opportunities to create intelligent and believable characters. To the film's credit, the historical events are generqally presented with fairly good accuracy. As a side note: the voice of British General Desmond Morris (upon whose biography the film is based and who gives a running narration throughout) was dubbed by actor Michael Rennie (THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL), but who is not credited.

Despite flaws that mark all historical movies of any age, but especially biographies, I highly recommend THE DESERT FOX, especially for it's acting.

Wonderful performances, first-rate script and direction (moving musical score in key places, as well), plus a well-structured theme about moral dilemmas of patriotic soldiers who realize they're obeying evil orders, make this a little-known gem.

Did Rommel really participate in the plot to kill Hitler? Hitler sure thought so. He had his favorite general poisoned; about that there is no question.

Did Rommel know Hitler before the war? Not sure when they became acquainted but Rommel ran AH's bodyguard unit for a while, then became one of Hitler's favorite generals when he helped sweep the British to Dunkirk in 1940.

Was Rommel aware of and morally responsible for the Holocaust? A recent award winning Rommel biography cites one scene I wish they could have included in this film: Rommel around 1941 advised Hitler that he was concerned by Allied carping on German anti-semitism. "Why don't we put some Jews into prominent leadership positions and shut them up?" Rommel suggested. Hitler told Rommel to stick to military matters and, after the general exited the room, told associates: "That fellow has absolutely no understanding of what we are trying to accomplish."

The movie does generally succeed in portraying the theme of a soldier so single-mindedly focused on the professional technique of his job that he only slowly awakens to the moral horror and self-destructiveness of the leader he serves.

The Churchill quote used at the film's ending is meant to address (and answer) the questions about whether it is morally proper to make a film that glorifies a Nazi general. If Churchill could say such magnanimous things about him...and it's an accurate quote...then so could Hollywood.

(Interesting historical note: British film audiences in the early 1950s were not in such a generous mood. The studio quickly churned out the much-inferior "Desert Rats" film, featuring Mason as a more-villainous Rommel, to mollify outraged critics.)

Where did the quote come from that is spoken in this film by von Reunstadt: "Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan"? Yes, JFK used it, famously, after the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Many newsmen of the time mistakenly credited the president with originating it, but JFK didn't claim credit for it. The line has since been traced back to some Italian count in the 1500s. His name was Ciano or something like that. But JFK was a big movie fan and, my guess is, probably learned this aphorism from "The Desert Fox" a decade before using it in his famous post-Bay of Pigs press conference!

Though The Desert Fox is good as far as it goes and James Mason is perfectly cast as Erwin Rommel, one would hope that a fuller biographical study might be done on the screen.

Erwin Rommel was one of a group of like minded military leaders in various countries who after World War I, rose to the top of their country's military establishment because they saw the value of the tank in any future war. Some of those people would be Charles DeGaulle in France, Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton in America, Marshal Tukachevksy in the Soviet Union and Rommel in Germany.

In 1942 Hitler as he was constantly doing sent Rommel in to bail out the Italians who up to that point had been running the desert campaign in North Africa. With less men and supplies, his tactical ability bedeviled the Allied command until The Second Battle of El Alamein.

The film starts with Rommel as desert warfare genius and then when he does become ill and is invalided out of North Africa, the Allies regain the initiative and beat his famed Afrika Korps. Rommel is then sent to Western Europe to supervise the defenses on the Atlantic.

There comes a point when Rommel does realize that his Fuehrer is destroying his country and becomes involved in the plot to kill him and overthrow the government. That is what most of the film deals with.

James Mason is a stalwart Rommel a perfect conception of the man they called The Desert Fox. In this mostly male film, Jessica Tandy has little to do but be loyal and supportive as Frau Rommel.

Luther Adler who among other parts he played in his long distinguished career was David Ben-Gurion. He goes the whole opposite way in his portrayal of a ranting and malevolent Adolph Hitler. How a man who took his Jewish heritage as seriously as Luther Adler did, prepare for the role of Hitler is beyond my scope. But then again, there were few actors as good as he.

Though Mason does a fine job given what limited material he had to work from, archives have been opened and we know a whole lot more about Erwin Rommel. Time for another biographical study.

This is a fine biopic of a worthy and honorable opponent serving a despicable cause. Unfortunately, there is not enough North Africa Campaign in the film to satisfy a war film buff. When I first saw it in the theater, it did whet my appetite to learn more about this horrendous and costly war. I have been interested in it since. The acting is first-rate, and, unlike Enemy at the Gate, the British and American accents don't detract from the film, the British accents at any rate. As others have noted in their reviews of this film, Rommel probably wasn't anti-semitic. He deliberately ignored Hitler's orders to round up Jews during the invasion of France. He also never forgave Hitler for abandoning the Afrika Korps to their fate in 1942, not to Hitler's less than energetic attempts to keep the DAK supplied.

It wasn't simply the way Mason captured the screen with a class that few if any actors could handle today. Sometimes, it only takes one scene to make a movie great. The scene between Rommel and Hitler (Mason and Adler) is that scene. You forget that these are actors and immerse yourself in the moment as Rommel becomes the one man who dares confront Hitler about his battle plans. He refuses to back down to the most evil man of our time and it makes this movie one of the best WWII movies ever made.

The makers of Pearl Harbor should take note: When you have the people like Rommel and Hitler (Or Roosevelt and Yamamoto) as your characters, you don't need to invent a silly story line. History is the best story teller of all. This movie is about history.

The story of the final years of the respected World War II German general, Erwin Rommel (James Mason).

I really didn't know much about Rommel going in to this film, and I don't know if I know all that much more coming out of it. Apparently he was British? And he answered to a silly Hitler that seemed liked a caricature of the real thing? I joke, but it is amusing how movies used to make no attempt whatsoever to get people's nationality correct.

Beyond that, the film is actually fairly decent because it operates more or less as a one man show for James Mason. And Mason is a joy to watch (and an even bigger joy to listen to). Not a bad story, either, although I am not sure how openly people were calling Hitler "evil" and trying to overthrow him.

As one very interested in the history of World War 2, I don't know how I missed seeing this before. I'm certainly not an authority on Rommel, but as far as I could tell (with a few exceptions, such as the DC3/C-47 made up to look like a German transport and the portrayal of von Runstedt as being more competent than is generally credited) it seemed to be historically accurate. This seemed to be one of the better docu-dramas, a type with a not-very-illustrious tradition. What I found particularly interesting was how a movie made 50 years ago could reflect what are considered to be "new" views today. I'm referring particularly to the statement that Hitler was seeking his own destruction (presented as new in the recent Ian Kearshaw biography "Nemesis") and the lack of total control by the Nazis over what Germans thought, said and where they went (also presented as a "new" view). This reflects well on Desmond Young's research and the film makers adherence to it.

Very good for its day. James Mason does an excellent job as German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel. Very little in the way of combat, action - when battle scenes are shown, they are stock film clips from WW2. This movie is basically a bio of the Field Marshall from his "Desert Fox" days of the Afrika Korps to the his death in 1944.

If you did not know anything of Rommel, I think you'd like the movie. It is a very sympathetic portrayal of one of the most capable German Generals in WW2, but it's not all that simple. He was an ardent Nazi and served as the commander of Hitlers bodyguard in the early part of the war.

It can be preachy at times, and some of the war scenes are cheesy - you can certainly tell which are clips, when painted backgrounds are used. Not big on technical effects. Historians love to debate who was a better General Patton or Rommel. Putting that aside, Patton was a better movie than this.

Even today the name Erwin Rommel conjures up visions of a superlative soldier and a complex man . In short Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was an enigma , a member of the Nazi party and an admirer of Hitler but who fought the cleanest campaign of the war in North Africa . Compare the conduct of both sides in that particular conflict then compare it to say the Eastern front or the Pacific campaign . As BAND OF BROTHERS shows it wasn't uncommon for either side to execute prisoners even if practical necessity wasn't involved

So Rommel was respected as both a soldier and a human being but THE DESERT FOX is a disappointment . It's a Hollywood movie that was made just six years after the end of the war so in some places the producers don't want to praise the subject matter too much which is understandable because an American audience wouldn't like a movie where the lead character has contemptible views of American servicemen after soundly beating them at The Kasserine Pass . But at other points in the movie Rommel is seen praising Hitler while describing other senior party members as " Murderers " ! There thankfully seems to be historical context to all this . Yes Erwin Rommel was an admirer of Hitler because Hitler solved many economic problems like hyper inflation and massive unemployment when he came to power in 1933 so for a German to admire Hitler in those days was the norm however objectionable this may seem with hindsight . Unfortunately once the war ended instantly revisionist opinions amongst the surviving Germans came to the fore where they bleated that they despised Hitler and the Nazis and their genocidal policies and we see this in umpteen movies like DAS BOOT , CROSS OF IRON and THE EAGLE HAS LANDED , so much so that you'd think that there was only a handful of Nazis in Germany from 1933-45 , so at least this movie deserves some credit for putting things into perspective

However once again bad history and factual errors creep in as Rommel is recruited into the plot to assassinate Hitler . Rommel may have been asked to take part in the plot to overthrow Hitler but this movie over states the case . Worse it also paints Gerd Von Rundstedt ( Possibly the Wehrmacht's greatest leader ) as knowing about the assassination plot against Hitler but casually refusing to take part . Despite being no fan of Hitler or his murderous stooges Von Rundstedt was as shocked and as disgusted as the most loyal party member upon hearing of the bombing of Hitler's headquarters so it's highly unlikely he'd have had prior knowledge of the assassination plot . The ending is somewhat moving as Rommel is arrested and led away on charges of treason but perhaps the most poignant thing is that in real life Rommel was as innocent as nearly every other person murdered by the Nazis since he took no part in the plot . The story goes that immediately after the plot Rommel's staff started criticising the fact that it would have been better if the plot had suceeded hence Rommel was falsely suspected being one of the ringleaders which sealed his fate

THE DESERT FOX: THE STORY OF ROMMEL is a very disappointing movie on one of the 20th Centuries most respected military leaders . It fails to show his life prior to 1941 when he ironically fought against the Italians in the first world war , of how he made his reputation as a military commander against the French in 1940 and how during the Normandy landings he and Von Rundstedt argued as to how best to use the panzer defences ( As Anzio showed naval firepower would wreak havoc on units close to the shoreline so Von Rundstedt was probably right ) but the movie shoots itself in the foot even more by including stuff that isn't correct and a film that I once enjoyed seeing as a child is now spoiled for me

While a highly rewatchable war movie, with a corker of a performance from James Mason, this motion picture does have its inaccuracies--beginning with its memorable opening. In truth, British commandos did not sneak or charge in, outfitted in nightfighting fatigues; they simply walked in, disguised in Axis uniforms with fake ids. Though the covert mission proved a fiasco, Rommel, in true chivalrous tradition, had these would-be assassins buried with full military honors. However, cinematically-speaking, it's a gripping moment, and it's considered the first true pre-credit movie sequence, a trick one would see quite often in later movies, such as the Bond films and others.

The movie focuses largely on the Field Marshall's involvement with the attempted assassination of Hitler, but just how much (or how little) Rommel was involved is still arguable. Curiously, James Mason once mentioned how he was up for the part of Rommel and was competing with another Fox contract-player, Gary Merrill (best known as Bette Davis's love interest in ALL ABOUT EVE). Mason was impressed by how well Merrill marched and strutted, doing bits of military-like physical action that didn't come easily to the urbane Mason. Even though Mason ultimately won the part over Merrill, he self-critically felt he didn't fully do the role justice (though many, including myself, wouldn't agree with him). Perhaps the studio opted for Mason to bring out a sympathetic quality, because viewers do tend to forget the numbers of Allies who died directly because of the main character! Rommel was a great general for his energetic and ingenious tactics, not for (possibly) wanting Hitler killed.

Don't get me wrong; this movie is still a joy.

I like this film despite its obvious flaws and I've always liked James Mason. I can't fault the acting as the cast were all good.

Two main points doubtlessly raised by other commentators.

a)The portrayal of Rommel as a good guy went a bit too far. True he became anti Hitler/Nazi in the end, but this seems to have been primarily due to having been abandoned in Africa and having his requests in Normandy turned down by Hitler, not due to any squeamishness about the Nazi state, who's brutality must have been self evident to him for many years or of Nazi aggression who he was all too willing to promote. Don't forget he was the mastermind Behind the Blitzkrieg in Holland France and Belgium in 1940 and saw no wrong in that campaign.

b) The use of incorrect stock footage, Such as a view of the Maginot line fortification to demonstrate the Normandy beaches. In the strafing attack we see a TMB Avenger transmute into 3 Spitfires who had gun flashes superimposed onto the incorrect section of their wings and also having the sound of whiny pre-war US fixed pitch radial engined planes dubbed over them as did the footage of the Beaufighter strafing. (something that still happens in films today - give em what they expect not what is real) and the tacky patriotic music. Probably taken from the first shelf in the effects room and couldn't be bothered to look any further.

I'm sure military vehicle/weaponry aficionados will have spotted some similar points about the MT/guns portrayed.

The scenes in the train and Rommel's house were authentic enough and seemed to have been filmed on location so its a shame they skimped on these other details.

One scene that did amuse me was when the Gestapo man followed the doctor out of the hospital and never shut the door properly behind him. Now this would have doubtless been re shot, in here the guard merely leaned over and pulled it shut.

Still a masterpiece of history when compared to 'Battle of the Bulge'

What an interesting film to watch and consider. I must admit I find it hard to credit Hollywood producing a film celebrating Hitler's greatest general a mere 6 years after the end of the war, even if the Hitler assassination plot had become widely known about in the interim. It was down to Rommell after all that a lot of Allied soldiers lost their lives but then I guess that is the controversial "Rommell Effect" in action, where a halo of greatness and decency appears to have been attached to Germany's top general. Interesting too to read that Warner Brothers, of Jewish heritage of course, refused to show the film in any of their theatres at the time. Perhaps it was made as a sop to foster good relations with post war West Germany especially as the Iron Curtain was descending over Europe and Berlin in particular at that time.

Putting all that aside it's certainly a well made film and boasts a superb performance by James Mason in the title role. He plays the part of Rommell with great confidence and pretty much carries the film on his own shoulders.

Elsewhere the editing of the film is both good and bad. There's a tense and exciting pre-title sequence as a group of British commandos attempt to assassinate Rommell, this many years before the James Bond franchise, to name but one, took it up as a trademark introduction to most of their films. However, the editing in of stock Second World War footage doesn't work very well and there are also some very obvious process shots of characters standing in front of painted backdrops.

The film certainly does its job of humanising the great general, crediting him with being one of the anti-Hitler sympathisers, although it's at least at pains to suggest he was far from being the most outspoken or active of the conspirators. Elsewhere he's shown to be an honourable soldier, loving family man and ultimately a brave man accepting suicide when forced to do so by Hitler's underlings. Although it's held back, we do also get to see Rommell meeting Hitler and even a dramatisation of the failed attempt on the Fuhrer's life.

Like I said at the start, I watched this film with mixed feelings, perhaps thinking it wasn't Hollywood's place to make such a film. What I'll remember most is Mason's excellent acting above all else, which I believe, is probably for the best.

Lieutenant-Colonel Desmond Young was captured by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (James Mason). After the war, it's assumed that Rommel was killed during action but his investigation proves otherwise. In flashback, Rommel is shocked by Hitler's orders at El Alamein. He continues to disagree with the orders. When his close friend is dismissed, he is placed in charge of the Atlantic wall. He faces off with Hitler himself. While returning to the front, he is injured. He is in the hospital when an assassination attempt occurs on Hitler's life. He is then forced to commit suicide.

It's a biopic of Rommel. The portrayal is rather sympathetic which is probably due to the involvement of Rommel's wife. I don't really buy his confrontation with Hitler but I'm not a historian. The use of real footage is good for certain times but at other times, I want a big action scene. James Mason is effective. For all of my reservations, this is more truthful than I expected.

THE DESERT FOX is a sympathetic biopic of Rommel, one of the great Nazi generals, who led his troops to victory in North Africa before becoming embroiled in one of the most notorious conspiracies of the Second World War. What's apparent from the outset is just how well made this movie is: it's an exemplary piece of story-telling, crisply shot, fast-paced, and with real heart behind it.

Much of the film's success is down to James Mason in the titular role. Mason was always a consummate professional and no more so than here; his portrayal of a conflicted figure is an entirely sympathetic one and it's hard to imagine another actor doing so well in the role. The supporting cast is fine, too, but it's Henry Hathaway's direction which really shines. He brings a freshness and vitality even to those moments which are well-known to history, and his film is utterly compelling as a result. Great stuff indeed.

Highly talkative and somewhat inaccurate movie about the life and times of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, James Mason, the commander of the legendary WWII Afrika Corps.

Completely passing over General Rommels achievements in France and North Africa we first get to see Field Marshal Rommel during the battle of El Alamein in October 1942. Where the British launched their great offensive against the German/Italian troop that within seven months, in May 1943, cleared the continent of Africa of a Nazi military presence with the surrender of some 300,000 axis soldiers.

We never get to see in "The Desert Fox" Rommels brilliant victories in the battle of France in the spring of 1940 and his successful hit and run attacks on the much larger British Army as well as his breakthrough, in the late spring of 1942, of the British lines: Rommels brilliant encirclement and capture of Tobruk, a town that held out for 242 days against the Afrika Corps the year before, taking 35,000 British troops captive at the cost of under 500 German and Italian casualties. The movie instead concentrates on Rommels involvement, or non-involvement,in the plot to kill the German Fhurer Adolf Hitler, Luther Adler.

Recovering from wounds that he suffered when his command car was strafed by the RAF Rommel is later contacted at his home by German generals Burgorf & Maisel,Everett Sloane & Do Dee Leo,and given an ultimatum to either commit suicide and die a hero or stand trial for treason.

Even though the movie tries very hard to paint Rommel as a reluctant but major player in the Generals plot to assassinate Hitler history proves otherwise showing Field Marshall Rommel as a loyal German soldier who followed the orders from his Fhurer almost without question. Rommel did have doubts about Hitler's military strategy but he let him know about it to Hitler's great displeasure. Rommells' low opinion of Hitler's ability to wage war was in no way comparable to actively trying to have him killed like what happened on July 20, 1944 in Hitler's military bunker, the Wolf's liar, in the East Prussian woods.

Very effective portrayal by James Mason as Field Marshall Erwin Rommel who was as chivalrous to his enemies in defeat as he was courageous against them in battle which may be why the film makers tried to make him out as one of the major conspirators against Hitler's leadership to the point of having him killed. The true facts about Field Marshal Erwin Rommel that's come out and surfaced since the end of WWII doesn't back up their conclusions at all, in fact Rommel considered the killing of the German leader an act of high treason.

The main reason for Rommel's death, by his own hand,had to do more with him not reporting those who wanted to recruit him into the plot to kill Hitler, which it seemed that he quite didn't fully grasp, then anything else. The fact that he didn't want to turn them over, those who approached him with the assassination plot, to the Nazi authorities and thus the dreaded Gestapo was his knowing that it would mean instant death for them and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

I'm at that point in my life where I'm so jaded and despondent to movies in general that I rarely waste my time. Not that Hollywood is slacking, because they are not, but just that a lot of the thrill is gone from watching the hero tale unfold. But this little gem was so surprising and "unkempt" from an expectations point of view that I found myself in constant admiration. The "hero" of the story is a man who completely embodies the virtues of "the right" (the dutiful soldier) and INCOMPLETELY embodies the values of "the left" (putting human decency above order) and his conflicting inner compulsions yield ambiguous, or perhaps ironic, results.

His wife plays "the wife" in a way that complicates and elevates her role in a subtle but powerful way -- much as in real life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, admired it, and hope the whole world enjoys and appreciates it. This is class, classy art.

There are two reasons why I am rating 'The Desert Fox' 7 stars. The first is James Mason, who is excellent. In fact I realised only now, when I re-visited the film after having first watched it as a child (probably in the 1970s) that it was he who shaped my image of Erwin Rommel. He did so far more than photographs of the real Rommel did: For me, the Nazi field marshal has always looked and acted like Mason, who portrayed him as a sensible and fundamentally decent person. The other reason for my rating is the fact that when this film was being produced in 1951, director Henry Hathaway made a serious effort to come to grips with a personality that to some extent is still enigmatic. The film is based on the Rommel-biography by Desmond Young, which was the result of painstaking historical research. The author had scoured archives and interviewed eye witnesses, apparently taking due care in evaluating his evidence. Today, of course, his work has been largely superseded by modern research. A comparable film based on modern historiography would, for example, stress that Rommel owed a good part of his career to the personal rapport he had established with Hitler (whom he apparently genuinely liked and admired) in the 1930s. Beginning with El Alamain would no longer be possible. Still, all in all 'The Desert Fox' is a good film; it was state of the art when it came out. Worth watching.

"The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel" is a remarkable film, although not necessarily because of the acting, directing or script. It is remarkable because it is an American biography of a senior German officer, with a predominantly British cast, which takes a sympathetic view of its subject even though it was made in 1951, only six years after the end of the war, and at a time when many Americans and Britons would still have harboured bitter feelings towards all things German, especially that country's military establishment.

Despite the title "The Desert Fox", the North Africa campaign of World War II plays a relatively minor role in the film. The battle of El Alamein in 1942 comes surprisingly early in the film and is given surprisingly little emphasis. The film is less about Rommel's career as commander of the Afrika Korps than about his part in the July 20th plot to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the Nazi regime. The Rommel we initially see is an apolitical career officer, neither a Nazi party member nor a convinced anti-Nazi, but after El Alamein and the defeat of the German forces in Africa he gradually becomes disillusioned with the course the war is taking and becomes convinced that Hitler is leading Germany to disaster. Eventually he is persuaded to join the conspiracy by an old friend, Dr. Karl Strölin.

This was the first of two films in which James Mason played Rommel; the other was "The Desert Rats" from two years later, and gives a calm and authoritative performance as an honourable commander who is prepared to sacrifice his life in an attempt to free his country from a tyrannical dictatorship. The other performance which stands out is from Luther Adler as a ranting, deranged Hitler, convinced in the face of all the evidence of his own military genius. Adler, incidentally, was Jewish, something which will doubtless cause great annoyance to Hitler should this film ever be shown at the local cinema in Hell. (Mason himself had been a conscientious objector during the war, so it is perhaps ironic that he should have portrayed one of that war's great heroes).

The film contains one historical inaccuracy in that it implies that Rommel's superior, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, was aware of the July 20th plot and wished it well, without actually participating in it. In reality von Rundstedt was outraged by the plot and even served on the "Court of Honour" which tried those plotters who were members of the Wehrmacht. The film also, perhaps, fails to ask awkward questions about whether Rommel and the German Resistance could have done more earlier in the war to oppose Hitler or whether they would have acted in 1944 had the military tide still been running in Germany's favour.

Nevertheless, "The Desert Fox" is a good film, a war film which shows that heroic acts can be performed away from the actual battlefield. It also deserves praise for its generous recognition of the facts that honour in war was not the sole prerogative of the Anglo-Americans, that not every German was a Nazi and that our late enemies were also capable of decency and humanity. 7/10

Perhaps it's just me, but this movie seemed more like sequel or follow-up than the separate project. Why? When it was filmed (just few years after the war) most of the viewers probably knew why Rommel was so famous, why his death was so important to Allied, why he was Hitler's favorite general, but now, 50 years later, it isn't so obvious anymore.

"Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel" is a decent war movie, but it's just isn't in any way explained how Rommel did get his nickname, what was he doing that Allied considered him as their best general, why their soldiers were so afraid of Afrika Korps? That's what is missing in this movie - we see his fame, his character, his way to treat soldiers and enemies, but f.e. we also see that Hitler was complaining about his achievements in Africa, calling him coward, etc. So, we're missing the big picture here - it is "The Story of Rommel", but unfortunately the "Desert Fox" part is missing.