The Desert Fox
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Movie Reviews of The Desert Fox
Movie Review: James Mason is Excellent In This Tightly Controlled Film
Summary: 3 Stars
The Desert Fox is a loose biography of one of Germany's most admired strategist by Allies and Axis alike, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, convincingly portrayed by James Mason, and done in a narrator format by a British officer, who after the war decides to follow up on the exploits of Rommel and find out what really happened in his life.
The film was made in 1951, not that many years after WWII, and I was afraid that this might be a propaganda film or some kind of finger-pointing at the Germans, but it was not. In fact, the whole film, though very heavy-handed with the original battle footage, did a fair job of portraying Rommel, what went through his mind during his frustrating struggle with Hitler countermanding and watching his every move, and Rommel's eventual contribution to a conspiracy to overthrow Hitler and create a separate peace with Eisenhower.
The film attempts to take us through the War, beginning in November 1941, only a month before Pearl Harbor. British commandos come on shore from a sub, (not told where, exactly) and kill several jerries in a non-descript house. They easily overpower the Germans there, but take on wounded themselves. Finally one Brit lies on the ground about to die, and asks "Did we get him?" and a German officer says, "Are you serious, Englishman?"
Rommel ran the Afrika Corps and was as sly and conniving as ever in his fight against British commander Montgomery. The problem is, the film barely showed ANY desert fighting and did little to show any kind of real strategy. Rather, the film pointed out, in various places throughout, that Rommel was angry with having his orders countermanded by Berlin, and at one point rants about the pencil-pushing generals in Berlin and wishes Hitler would slaughter them all.
However, through the machinations of Dr. Strolin (played like an English teacher rather than a conspirator by Cecil Hardwick) Rommel becomes convinced that getting rid of Hitler is the way to go.
Rommel confides in von Rundstedt, a field commander who is helping to defend against a planned Allied invasion (which as you may know the Germans were not planning on the Allies storming Normandy but knew there was going to be an invasion) that Hitler really doesn't know what he's talking about.
Rommel even meets Hitler in one scene. The actor who played Hitler was very unconvincing. In fact, it's a real shame that such a superb character actor like Mason had to play it straight with a hammy, over-loud Hitler. Yuk.
Even with all this, Rommel feels there's a way to not assassinate the guy but to take over the government and offer peace to Eisenhower. Rommel is later strafed by the bullets of an Allied plane and is hospitalized.
A replay of the attempt on Hitler's life with von Stofenberg placing the bomb. Well, this aspect was interesting though I found the actor who played von Stofenberg kinda walked on and walked off -- no personality, and he is sure no Tom Cruise (ala' Valkerie) [Valkyrie (Single-Disc Edition)].
Overall, though Mason's acting was superb, Leo G. Carroll was not totally convincing as a German field marshal (von Rundstedt). In fact, I could not help but see Leo as "Topper" or the TV series Man from UNCLE. A bit of miscasting there!
Way too much battle footage, almost like they didn't have enough story to tell. More on the Afrika Corps. battles and strategy would have been more enjoyable and entertaining. So despite the somewhat disjointed script, Mason was excellent and convincing.
The movie would have been better if it were lighter on the original war footage and heavier on what was going on in Rommel's mind and more strategies and tactics on his battles which was not touched on enough. Some tender moments with his family but a romance story this ain't.
Why no German accents or language? Well, the film was made in 1951, the war a bit too fresh to get that realistic.
I may watch Mason in The Desert Rats (see below). There he reprises his role as Rommel and fights against Richard Burton. Uh-oh!
My DVD did not have any special features except for some 20th Century Fox war trailers.
Others that I recommend:
The Desert Rats
Raid on Rommel (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: A Mildly Flawed Character Study
Summary: 3 Stars
It must have taken considerable courage for Hollywood to present the war years of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel just six years after cessation of hostilities. What is of surprise is the type of war picture it was. Rather than unfold another of the wildly popular shoot-em-ups then current, director Henry Hathaway chose a more daring tack: to film a character study of an officer who was widely considered to be one of the best tank generals of all time, even if he fought for Germany. James Mason is Rommel, a man whose strong sense of duty shines clearly in every scene. Mason speaks in his normal resonant English accent, with no one speaking German. Mason's Rommel is a general staff officer who begins the war with a few reservations about the competency of Hitler. He keeps these to himself until a rapidly deteriorating and collapsing front forces him to make a choice that afflicted many others in the Wehrmacht. Should he obey the orders of his Fuhrer without question and risk the annihilation of Germany or should he act to remove Hitler in a coup. The recent film VALKYRIE has Tom Cruise as Colonel Klaus Von Stauffenberg face the same brutal choice, with both officers in each film reaching the same conclusion: namely that Hitler had to go.
Part of the problem I had with THE DESERT FOX lies in director Hathaway's desire to have it both ways--a film that is an actioner and one that explores the inner thoughts of one man at a critical juncture in a world war. The movie begins with a British raid on a chalet in Nazi-occupied Europe for the sole purpose of assassinating Rommel. There is considerable gunfire and explosions, but after that the audience views the late career of Rommel through the lens of stock footage of war scenes and vignettes that lead Rommel inexorably to conclude that the only way to salvage Germany was to arrest Hitler and the entire leadership of the Nazi party. Rommel is briefly shown as the commander of the Afrika Corps in 1942, but his appearance is limited mostly to scenes in which he grouses about the idiocy of obeying Hitler's orders to fight to the last man and the last bullet. Fast forward two years to D-Day. Mason shares some revelatory scenes with Leo G. Carroll as Field Marshal von Rundshtet as both similarly realize that the fate of their country lies in the incompetent hands of a corporal with no concept of tactics and leadership. The ending is no surprise to any student of military history. What Mason adds to factual history is his portrayal of a man who must battle his conscience with the same ferocity that he does with the Americans and English. The scenes with Jessica Tandy as his wife are deeply touching as both face a crunching reality of Hitler's vengeance that reaches out to ensnare even a decorated Field Marshal. THE DESERT FOX is a war film that focuses less on the fox and more on the common sense decency of a general who swore allegiance to one who had none at all.
Movie Review: Not enough action
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie is misleadingly named. Although Rommel was indeed the commander of Germany's Afrika Corp in World War II, and there earned a reputation as a master tactician, that is not what this movie is about. Two-thirds of this movie's 88 minute length focuses on Rommel's minor role in a conspiracy to kill Hitler. The conspiracy failed, and Rommel eventually paid with his life for his involvement. (In truth, Rommel was lucky. The other conspirators were hanged on piano wire and died a painful death. Because he had been built up into a national hero, Rommel was given the opportunity to take poison, and the public was told he died of war wounds.I'm afraid most viewers, jaded by modern F/X and action laden efforts like Saving Private Ryan, will be disappointed with this rather inexpensively made effort from 1951. There is very little action other than a commando raid during the first five minutes of the movie. The little remaining action is actual stock footage of the war, skillfully cut into the film. The movie is very talky, focusing on Rommel's relationship with his wife and son, Field Marshal Von Rundstedt, and Adolph Hitler.
I have to admit that when I watched an early scene that showed Rommel in North Africa, wearing a long black leather overcoat consulting with his officers, I said to myself "pure Hollywood! there is no way he would have been wearing that in the hot desert." Then I went to my library and consulted a book on Rommel, lavishly illustrated with photographs. Not only was Rommel wearing the black leather overcoat, he was dressed precisely as depicted in the movie. There is also a remarkable resemblance between Rommel and James Mason, who does an outstanding job portraying Rommel in the movie. The moviemakers got it right, and I was wrong.
Movie Review: Small scale, barely adequate biography of the famous General
Summary: 3 Stars
The Desert Fox is a piecemeal biography of the famed WWII German General Erwin Rommel.
Understandably, so soon after the end of WWII, it focuses more on the his questioning of the leadership of Hitler than on this battlefield exploits.
Unfortunately the Desert Fox cannot hide its miniscule budget, with lots of stock footage and talk, talk, talk...it provides no sense of grandeur or sweep whatsoever. If you are looking for some big battle scenes you will be sorely disappointed.
The best thing about this film is James Mason but even he struggles to give Rommel three dimensions - hampered by a lightweight script that is barely adequate.
The only interesting aspect of this film is that is provides a very sympathetic portrayal of a "good" German soldier only 6 years after the end of the second world war.
If you want to see a good film about a famous general watch Patton.
Movie Review: Rommel - the good German
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie is ok, but it's not fantastic. It tries to protray Erwin Rommel in a good light, as a good German who fought for his country, but was not a Nazi. I wonder wether this movie made in the 1950's, was made as a bit of Cold War properganda, to win over the German's and to protray the German's in a good light to people in the West. I also wonder if Rommel had surivived the war, would he have gone into politic's, like Eisenhower and De Gaulle??