Main Cast: Richard Burton, Robert Newton, Robert Douglas, James Mason, Torin Thatcher, Chips Rafferty
Release Year: 1953
Country: US
Run Time: 88 minutes
Plot
The Desert Rats was a quickly assembled follow-up to 20th Century-Fox's successful war film The Desert Fox. Richard Burton plays an officer in the British Eighth Army, battling Rommel's forces in defense of Tobruk. Put in charge of an Australian unit, Burton rides his men ruthlessly, with laudatory results. He is briefly captured by the Nazis and questioned by General Rommel himself, but Burton escapes to lead his surviving troops to safety. James Mason, who portrayed Rommel in The Desert Fox, makes a guest appearance in the same role in The Desert Rats. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Desert Rats has never had much of a reputation as a movie, mostly because it has always stood in the shadow of the preceding Fox film The Desert Fox. Additionally, it comes from a period in director Robert Wise's career in which, apart from unusual scripts such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, he is perceived as having been locked into conventional film subjects. However, without considering the preceding movie, The Desert Rats turns out to be a very respectable film -- Burton was fresh and unmannered in his acting in those early days, and he responded sympathetically to the well-written part of MacRoberts. Equally important to the film's success -- though overlooked by the critics -- Robert Newton turns in one of his last really solid lead performances, dominating the screen in most of his scenes despite the fact that he hardly ever uses his trademark booming voice; instead, he gives one of the more understated performances of his later career, and one of the most memorable as well. And then there's James Mason, reprising the role of Rommel from The Desert Fox. There are many well-acted scenes throughout the movie; most critics felt that the best scene is 61 minutes in when Burton and Mason's characters confront each other; however, critics ignored a quartet of brilliant scenes between Burton and Newton elsewhere in the movie, which are just as good and every bit as satisfying, particularly their final scene together 78 minutes in, which is also the dramatic pay-off of the picture. There are some structural problems with the movie, to be sure, including an over-reliance on a narrator to bridge extended passages of time, one or two scenes are too studio-bound, and some dramatic moments are inserted too abruptly into the action. But generally this is a satisfying film that even finds room for several exciting action sequences, including the initial German tank attack out of a sand storm on the British position, the British commando raid of a German ammo dump, and a shot of a British plane pursuing and strafing a German truck, seen from the point of view of the back of the truck. Chips Rafferty and several other supporting players also add an authentic Australian presence to the mix. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Charles "Bud" Tingwell - Lt. Carstairs; Charles Davis - Pete; Ben Wright - Mick; James Lilburn - Communications; John O'Malley - Riley; Ray Harden - Hugh; John Alderson - Corporal; Richard Peel - Rusty; Michael Pate - Captain Currie; Frank Pulaski - Maj. O'Rourke; Charles R. Keane - Sgt. Donaldson; Pat O'Moore - Jim; John Wengraf - German Doctor; Arno Frey - Kramm; Charles Fitzsimmons - Fire Officer; Alfred Zeisler - Von Helmholtz; Albert Taylor - Jensen
In mid-April 1941, during World War II, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (James Mason) and his Afrika Korps have driven the British Army into headlong retreat across North Africa toward Egypt and the vital Suez Canal. Standing in Rommel's way is Tobruk, a constant threat to his supply lines. The 9th Australian Division are asked to hold the port for two months, at which time they are to be relieved.
The defending Allied general (Robert Douglas) chooses English Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts (Richard Burton), an experienced field officer, to take command of a company of newly-arrived, green Australian troops. The no-nonsense MacRoberts is disliked by the undisciplined Australians. He is surprised to see in their ranks his former schoolmaster, Tom Bartlett (Robert Newton). Barlett, an alcoholic, later explains that after being dismissed from his job in England due to his drinking, he went to Australia and joined the army while intoxicated. MacRoberts offers to transfer him to a safer billet, but Bartlett turns him down.
Because of the desperate situation, the inexperienced troops are sent directly into the front line. The men dig foxholes and prepare for Rommel's certain attack. The Allied general masses his artillery where he guesses the Germans will strike. His gamble pays off. Under cover of a sandstorm, they attack exactly where the general predicted and head directly at MacRoberts' men. In the fierce battle, Captain Currie is wounded. Lieutenant Harry Carstairs (Charles Tingwell) abandons his vital post to go to his aid, in vain. After the Germans are beaten back, an infuriated MacRoberts vows to have Carstairs court-martialed for disobeying orders and leaving a dangerous hole in the line, but Bartlett persuades MacRoberts to retract his request.
MacRoberts receives a field promotion to major, then a temporary one to lieutenant colonel after the general gives him command of a full battalion of Australians. The general then decides to erode the besiegers' confidence by sending out small commando raids every night. MacRoberts' patrols do their part in exacting a toll on the enemy.
One day, the general worries about reports of German heavy artillery being moved up, indicating an attack is imminent. The suspected location of the artillery's ammunition dump is too far away to be attacked by the usual nighttime raid, so MacRoberts proposes using trucks abandoned by the Italians to drive there in disguise and blow it up. MacRoberts leads 54 picked men in three trucks. The attack is a success, but Carstairs is killed and MacRoberts is wounded and captured. While he is being attended to, he meets Rommel, who has been shot by a strafing Spitfire. Although he is respectful to the field marshal, MacRoberts defiantly points out that Tobruk is a thorn in his side. Rommel is bemused by his brashness and orders that he be treated well.
Later, as the prisoners are being transported, their trucks are attacked by British fighter aircraft. In the confusion, MacRoberts and Sergeant "Blue" Smith (Chips Rafferty) get away. After an exhausting walk through the desert, they reach friendly lines. The Australians have now held on for eight months.
In November, the general tells his officers that a relief column led by General Claude Auchinleck is headed for Tobruk. However, they need to take control of a key hill that overlooks the road that Auchinleck must use. The general asks MacRoberts to take his best company and hold the position for three days. On the morning of the ninth day, fearing that the men can take no more, MacRoberts orders a retreat, though Bartlett begs him to ask the men to hang on. To MacRoberts' surprise, the men refuse to leave. Bartlett overcomes his self-professed cowardice by manning the forward observation post, where survival is measured in hours. Just after the Germans bombard the hill, the Australians hear bagpipes announcing the arrival of Auchinleck's troops. After a hard-fought 242 days, the Allies have relieved Tobruk.
The film is based on the Australian 9th Division, who were charged with the defence of Tobruk under the command of General Leslie Morshead. Hoping to survive against overwhelming odds for two months, the garrison held off the best of Rommel's Afrika Korps for over eight months. The real General Morshead was a distinguished Australian citizen-soldier, but is depicted in the film as the eponymous British "General" played by English actor Robert Douglas.
Misleading title
The title of the film is quite misleading. The 'Desert Rats' were actually the British 7th Armoured Division, the name coming from their Jerboa shoulder flash. The Australian 9th Division besieged at Tobruk were denigrated as being "caught like rats in a trap" by German propaganda, the Australians calling themselves the 'Rats of Tobruk' with pride as a result.
