Lion of the Desert

Lion of the Desert
Theatrical poster
Directed byMoustapha Akkad
Written byH.A.L. Craig
Produced byMoustapha Akkad
StarringAnthony Quinn
Oliver Reed
Rod Steiger
Raf Vallone
CinematographyJack Hildyard
Edited byJohn Shirley
Music byMaurice Jarre
Production
company
Falcon International Productions
Distributed byUnited Film Distribution Company
Release date
  • 17 April 1981 (1981-04-17)
Running time
173 minutes
CountriesLibya
United States
LanguagesEnglish
Arabic
Italian
BudgetUS$35 million[1]
Box office$1 million (U.S.)[1]

Lion of the Desert is a 1981 epic historical war film about the Second Italo-Senussi War, starring Anthony Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar, a Bedouin leader fighting the Regio Esercito (Royal Italian Army), and Oliver Reed as Italian General Rodolfo Graziani, who defeated Mukhtar. It was directed by Syrian-American director Moustapha Akkad and funded by the Libyan government under Muammar Gaddafi.[2]

Released in May 1981, the film has received positive reviews from critics, but performed poorly at the box office, gaining revenues of US$1.5 million worldwide despite having a $35 million budget.[3][4] The film was banned in Italy in 1982 and was only shown on pay TV in 2009.

  1. ^ a b Hindle, John (24 July 1986). "Films - Money can't buy quality". The Age. Nine Entertainment. p. 52. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  2. ^ Omar Mukhtar - Lion of the Desert imdb.com
  3. ^ "Lion of the Desert". Rotten Tomatoes.
  4. ^ "Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists".