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| Lion of the Desert - 25th Anniversary Edition | 
 enlarge | Director: Moustapha Akkad
Actors: Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, Rod Steiger, Irene Papas, John Gielgud
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.97
Buy New: $12.23
You Save: $12.74 (51%)
New (28) Used (8) Collectible (1) from $12.21
Avg. Customer Rating:  77 reviews
Sales Rank: 11687
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Languages: Arabic (Original Language), English (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 93
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 013131329193
UPC: 013131329193
EAN: 0013131329193
ASIN: B000AQ6A0I
Theatrical Release Date: 1981
Release Date: November 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED
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Product Description
In the war waged by Bedouin patriots to combat Benito Mussolini's Italian colonization in Libya, Omar Mukhtar, the Bedouin resistance guerrilla leader, has committed himself to a war that cannot be won in his lifetime.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: UN
Release Date: 1-NOV-2005
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
Destined to remain a dubious footnote in books of movie trivia, this occasionally impressive epic from 1981 was financed with a budget of $35 million by Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, who previously attempted the role of movie producer with the critically roasted Mohammad: Messenger of God. This effort didn't fare much better (it grossed approximately $1 million worldwide), and although some of its wartime action sequences are intelligently filmed, it's not likely to gain much more of a reputation on home video. Under a shaggy Muslim beard, Anthony Quinn stars as Omar Mukhtar, the Arab hero and guerilla fighter who defended Libya against Benito Mussolini and Italy's attempted conquests during World War II. As straightforward biography, the movie's got an admirable epic sweep, but a cliche-ridden script and uniformly bad performances (from a cast that includes John Gielgud, Oliver Reed, and Rod Steiger) make this little more than a curiosity for those wanting to learn more about Libyan history. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 72 more reviews...
 Approach it with an open mind.... August 27, 2008
If you want to know what Jihad meant in the Arabic world, when the world still had values, this movie, by the brilliant filmmaker Akkad paints a spectacular mural of that world; approach it with an open mind.
Omar Mukhtar's story, one of several masterpieces Akkad created during his life, was a great choice by him. Mukhtar the old man, who led the resistance against the Italian occupation for 22 years, is a living legend in the Arabic world. Thanks to Gratiziani's obsession with media, all confrontations with the small number of Libyan fighters, as well as the concentration camps that Gratisiani established in Libya, were thoroughly documented.
When Akkad produced and directed this movie in 1981, there was no misunderstanding about what Jihad was, and the association of terrorism with Islam did not exist. Jihad in every nation, not necessarily Arabic nations, is about struggle in life. The movie simply portrayed documented traits of Mukhtar. Mukhtar demonstrates the true meaning of Jihad by showing wisdom, patience and honor. Mukhtar's fight was a self defense act directed against an invading army not civilians.
Mukhtar's fighters' struggled against the Italian Army, just like Native Americans struggled against invaders. Any nation's right of independence is a right that doesn't need justification.
The Libyans tying their legs when fighting until death instead of running away, is a heroic act not a suicidal one. Like Mukhtar said: "to choose death when defending your land, your freedom, is to choose life for ever".
It's about time we separate religion from people, political games from faith; pedophiliac priests are not an indictment against all of Catholicism, fascist governments are not always a true representation of a nation's people, Fanatical religious Israeli settlers do not define Judaism, radical zealots beheading unarmed civilians does not pertain to Islam. We need to understand the good vs. the bad, terrorism vs. Jihad, life vs. death, Moustapha Akkad vs. Osama bin Laden.
Moustapha Akkad, an educated, open minded Syrian man, who chose to live his life using his wealth to educate people, and enrich the entertainment industry by making movies such as Lion of the Desert. Bin Laden chose to live his life fighting civilians and teaching how to defeat armies by killing civilians (in the name of religion), which brought widespread opprobrium to Islam. Was it a coincidence, that Akkad was killed in a terrorist attack in Jordan in 2005? Akkad, the man of peace and love went there to meet his daughter for a family wedding, but they both died when the wedding hall was bombed.
What can I say about Anthony Quinn? Does a man who portrayed Zorba in "Zorba the Greek"
need any praise from Medusa? Lion of the Dessert, which Quinn blessed with his acting genius helped make the movie a complete masterpiece. Even the best story is uninspiring if not properly told.
I hope this movie will be an eye opener. It is a thought provoking movie directed by a man of peace, who worked with a large number of fabulous artists all over the world to tell the story of Libya's struggle against the Italian invasion. A struggle that was coincident with suffering of the Italian people under Mussolini's dictatorship.
Lion of desert August 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I like this movie because is about a true event happened in Morrocos in 1929 when a rebel patriot figths against a dictator Benito Mussolini and gave his life for his country.
GREAT April 6, 2008
Lion of the Desert is one of the great works of Arabic Cinema which shows how a small group of people, leaded by an old man, resisted occupation and freed there land
Timely movie even after 25 years February 28, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Lion of the Desert came out in 1981 to bad reviews and box office failure because its production was subsidized to the extent of $35 million by Libya. It was filmed mostly in eastern Libya - Cyrenaica -- and is worth viewing for the location itself. I saw it when it first came out and found it of interest at that time primarily for its portrayal of the Libyan national hero -- the indomitable Sidi 'Umar al-Mukhtar (1862-1932). I found the film, in its broad outlines, to be quite faithful to the historic record of the colonial war between Italy and the Beduin resistance (1912-1932). What is striking about the story is how closely it paralels the very difficulties of the United States in Iraq today.
Anthony Quinn, as Omar Mukhtar, is as good as he ever was. He is completely believable as "a simple man, religious, courageous, contemptuous of worldly honors and success, and with singular tenacity and powers of physical endurance," to quote the anthropologist E. E. Evans-Pritchard. The all-star cast includes Rod Stieger as Mussilini; Irene Papas as Omar's wife; John Gielgud in a walk-on role; and Oliver Reed as General Rudolfo Graziani. Oliver Reed looks right for the part, but in this DVD edition, he can not be heard or understood very well. The film is a bit longer than it needed to be, but I wouldn't cut anything out of it. Those are my only two criticisms. Oliver Reed's sound, and the length.
This is the 25th anniversary DVD 2-disk set. One disk is in English and the other is in Arabic. It is a very important film and should be seen by anyone with an interest in the relationships of the Arab World with the West.
The director,Moustapha Akkad, was Syrain-American and a very good director indeed. He and his son were killed in the terrorist bombing of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Amman, Jordan on November 11, 2005. A tragic, ironic loss.
Lionel Youst
 25th Anniversary set is a Disappointing repackaging of film epic. February 7, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
You may want to hold on to your non-anamorphic original DVD release of this film epic. While the new 2 disk set offers both the Arabic and English versions of film, along with a new commentary by director, Moustapha Akkad, it does not include the still galleries or trailers found on the original disk. Also the framining on the new disk is incorrect. The original features a correct 2:35 image, while the new is 1:77:1, thereby removing some picture information on the left and right of the frame. The image is also soft and grainey in many spots, almost like a poor VHS transfer. The new set does carry over the 38 minutes making of featurette included with the original DVD release. I would have expected this 25th anniversary DVD to be an improvement over the original, but it is not. A disappointment.
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