The Desert Rats

"They crawled their way across the blazing sands of Africa... to turn disaster into victory!"

May 20 1953 Approved 1h 28m
Action, Adventure, Drama

In North Africa, German Field Marshal Rommel and his troops have successfully fended off British forces, and now intend to take Tobruk, an important port city. A ramshackle group of Australian reinforcements sent to combat the Germans is put under the command of British Captain MacRoberts. The unruly Aussies immediately clash with MacRoberts, a gruff, strict disciplinarian, however this unorthodox team must band together to protect Tobruk from the German forces.

Plot

Rommel has the British in retreat on his way to the Suez Canal. All that stands in his way is Tobruk, held by a vastly out numbered force of Australian troops. Richard Burton leads these troops on daring raids against Rommel, keeping him off balance as they earn the nickname 'The Desert Rats'.

Written by

Richard Murphy

Directed by

Robert Wise

Cast

Richard Burton, James Mason, Robert Newton

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

20th Century Fox

Languages

Deutsch, English

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 win & 1 nomination total

Trailers
THE DESERT RATS(1953) Original Theatrical Trailer
Scores
# of Votes
5,525
Average Rating
6.7 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA