The Desert Fox

Director: Henry Hathaway

Overview

"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

Product Details

Release Date:	05/12/2009
UPC:	0024543071990
Original Release:	1951
Rating:	NR
Source:	20th Century Fox
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:28:00
Sales rank:	5,334

Special Features

Closed Caption; [None specified]

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Mason	Erwin Rommel
Cedric Hardwicke	Dr. Karl Strolin
Jessica Tandy	Frau Rommel
Luther Adler	Adolf Hitler
Everett Sloane	Gen. Burgdorf
Leo G. Carroll	Field Marshal Von Rundstedt,Maid
George Macready	Gen. Fritz Bayerlein
Richard Boone	Aldinger
Eduard Franz	Col. Von Stauffenberg
Desmond Young	Himself,German Major
William Reynolds	Manfred Rommel
Charles Evans	Gen. Schultz
Walter Kingsford	Admiral Ruge
John Hoyt	Keitel
Don De Leo	Gen. Maisel
Richard Elmore	Rommel's Driver in Africa
John Vosper	Maj. Walker
Dan O'Herlihy	Commando Captain
Scott Forbes	Commando Colonel
Victor Wood	British Medic
Lester Matthews	British Officer
Paul Cavanagh	Col. Von Hofaker
Jack Baston	Jodl
Freeman Lusk	German Surgeon
Robert Coote	British Medical Officer
Sean McClory	Jock
Lumsden Hare	Doctor
John Goldsworthy	Stulpnagel,Gen. Heinrich von Stulpnagel
Ivan Triesault	German Major
Trevor Ward	Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
Philip Van Zandt	German S.S. Man at Hospital
Michael Rennie	Desmond Young
Peter Van Eyck	German officer
Daniele Amfitheatrof	Composer

Technical Credits

Nunnally Johnson

Nunnally Johnson	Producer,Screenwriter
Ray Kellogg	Special Effects
Fred Sersen	Special Effects
Eugene Grossman	Sound/Sound Designer
Roger Heman	Sound/Sound Designer

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Credits/Night Raid
2. One Man's Quest
3. Tactical Genius
4. Victory or Death
5. Whispers of Discontent
6. Weakened Defense
7. The Conspiracy Grows
8. Tender Good-byes
9. D-Day
10. Too Old to Revolt
11. Reasoning With a Madman
12. Brush With Death
13. Two Choices
14. Final Farewell
15. A Soldier of Renown

Menu

Side #1 --
Play
Language Selection
Languages
English Mono
Spanish Mono
Subtitles
English
Spanish
None
Scene Selection
Special Features
Theatrical Trailer
Spanish Theatrical Trailer
Fox War Classics
13 Rue Madeleine
The Blue Max
The Enemy Below
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Sink the Bismarck!

Editorial Reviews

This 1951 production was among the first post-World War II motion pictures to portray a German officer sympathetically -- in this case, Erwin Rommel, dubbed "the Desert Fox" for his wily tactics as a tank commander in the sands of North Africa. To fashion its portrait of him, the film uses a variety of devices: narration that presents him, dialogue that praises him, archival battle scenes that attest to his military genius, and staged episodes that demonstrate his mystique as a seemingly invulnerable combatant both feared and revered by the enemy. The opening of the film establishes Rommel as an Ubermensch. British submarine commandos sneak ashore at night and attack Rommel's North African headquarters, stabbing and shooting their way through sentries. After the skirmish, a dying British soldier looks up at a German and says, "Did we get him?" The German replies, "Are you serious, Englishman?" In one of his most acclaimed roles, James Mason plays Rommel with conviction, demonstrating to English-speaking audiences that Germans could be heroes, too. However, the film downplays Rommel's gigantic ego and his penchant for posing for cameras. Otherwise, the film generally follows historical accounts, including the fuzzy details surrounding his tacit support of the plot to overthrow the Fuehrer. Luther Adler brilliantly portrays a demonstrative, raging Hitler who upbraids Rommel, and Everett Sloane and Leo G. Carroll ooze venom as Nazi officers. The final scene -- when Rommel must choose between a vial of instant death or a public trial jeopardizing the welfare of his wife and son -- is poignant and memorable.