A 1981 epic historical war drama film, produced and directed by Moustapha Akkad and funded by Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
1929: after a decade of guerrilla warfare, the Italian Fascist government is still struggling to control the North African colony of Libya, so Benito Mussolini (Rod Steiger) appoints his most talented and feared general, Rodolfo Graziani (Oliver Reed), to trample the resistance and bring to heel its leader Omar al-Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn).
The film also stars Irene Papas, Raf Vallone, John Gielgud, Andrew Keir, Gastone Moschin, Sky Du Mont, and Robert Brown.
Tropes for the film:
- The Butcher: General Rodolfo Graziani has this reputation even before he comes to Libya.
- Evil Colonialist: The sadistic and genocidal Italian fascist occupiers of 1920s-30s Libya.
- Evil Overlooker: The Poster of the film, about the life of Libyan anti-colonial rebel Omar Mukhtar, depicts Benito Mussolini glowering over his troops and tanks as they clash with the rebels, with the central villain General Rodolfo Graziani in the foreground.
- Historical Domain Character:
- Omar al-Mukhtar, resistance leader against fascist Italy.
- Rodolfo Graziani, Italian military leader.
- Mussolini, dictator of Italy.
- Propaganda Hero: A subplot involves a junior Italian officer being promoted as a "war hero" for surviving a disastrous defeat by Mukhtar's forces. The officer is actually opposed to the war, and after making his opinions known he is ultimately shot by a Blackshirt in the middle of battle.
- Rock Beats Laser: Downplayed; Graziani brings the latest modern weaponry into desert warfare—tanks and aircraft. It's not enough to beat the Bedouin, but they don't have the means to win either.
- Spare a Messenger: At the start of the movie, the Bedouin rebels wipe out an Italian convoy, but their leader Mukhtar spares the life of an officer and even gives him their flag to take back, with a message that the Italians are not wanted in Libya. On returning Marshal Graziani insists on awarding the officer a medal for 'saving' the flag, despite his protests.
- Suicide Attack: Some of the rebels tie their legs together so they can't run away.
- Tagline: "A giant of a man against a general seeking glory... a spectacular adventure of arch enemies in battle".
- Token Good Teammate: Several Italian characters. The strongest is Colonel Diodiece, whose good faith efforts to negotiate peace with Omar Mukhtar's Libyan rebels are undermined by his own government. Later, he's openly ashamed of the government's cruelty towards Mukhtar in captivity and disobeys orders to ensure him better treatment. Other characters like Mukhtar's defense attorney also qualify. This didn't stop the movie from being
banned in Italy. - Underestimating Badassery: When Graziani says that Omar al-Mukhtar used to be a teacher before he became a Rebel Leader, Mussolini points out that he also used to be a teacher and warns him against this trope.
