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The Desert Rats (film)
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Wikipedia article
'The Desert Rats' is a 1953 American black-and-white war film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Robert L. Jacks, directed by Robert Wise, that stars Richard Burton, James Mason, and Robert Newton. The film's storyline concerns the Siege of Tobruk in North Africa during World War II.
Plot
During mid-April 1941 in North Africa, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (James Mason) and his Afrika Korps have driven the British Army into headlong retreat 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 charged with holding the port for two months, at which time they are to be relieved.
The defending Allied general (Robert Douglas) chooses British Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts (Richard Burton), an experienced field officer, to take command of a company of newly arrived, untried 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). Bartlett, an alcoholic, later explains that after being dismissed from his job in Britain 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. Meanwhile, the inexperienced troops are sent directly into the front lines, where they dig foxholes and prepare for Rommel's 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. but the Germans are beaten back. As a result, MacRoberts is elevated to battalion command and made a lieutenant colonel.
It is decided to erode the Germans' confidence further by sending out small commando raids every night. MacRoberts' patrols do their part in exacting a toll on the enemy. But during a successful raid on a Nazi ammunition dump, MacRoberts is wounded and captured. While he is being treated by a German doctor, 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, MacRoberts escapes capture during an air raid on a German truck convoy, and he makes his way back to Allied lines.
The siege of Tobruk carries on for months. As a result, MacRoberts fears his men are becoming weary and will need to be relieved from action. But an order comes down from the general, asking MacRoberts to take his best company and hold a key position for three days. Nine days later, after constant attacks and shelling by the Germans, MacRoberts believes his men can take no more and orders a retreat. Surprisingly, the self-admitted coward, Bartlett, begs him to hang on. To MacRoberts' surprise, the rest of his men refuse to abandon the hill. Bartlett takes over the forward observation post, where survival is measured in hours. Eventually, the Australians hear bagpipes announcing the arrival of a relief column. After a hard-fought 242 days, the Allies have relieved Tobruk.
Cast
* Richard Burton as Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts
* James Mason as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
* Robert Newton as Tom Bartlett
* Robert Douglas as the General
* Torin Thatcher as Colonel Barney White
* Chips Rafferty as Sergeant "Blue" Smith
* Charles "Bud" Tingwell as Lieutenant Harry Carstairs (as Charles Tingwell)
* Charles Davis as Pete
* Ben Wright as Mick
* Michael Pate as Captain Currie (uncredited)
* John Alderson as Australian Corporal (uncredited)
History
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. Morshead was a distinguished Australian citizen-soldier, but is depicted in the film as the anonymous "General" and played by English actor Robert Douglas.
Production
Development
The film was a quasi-sequel to 'The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel' (1951), which had been successful critically and commercially, particularly in England. It was, reportedly, partly made to portray a less likeable General Rommel, after criticism that film had been too friendly to the Germans. Rommel is again played by James Mason, but this time he usually speaks in German and is not sympathetic. The title 'The Desert Rats' was selected to refer to the earlier title 'The Desert Fox'. Mason wore Rommel's real scarf in the film, which had been given to him by the general's widow.In October 1951 Fox announced that Robert L. Jacks would produce and Sam Fuller, who saw active duty in World War II and who had just made 'Fixed Bayonets' for Fox, would direct. The film was based on a book, 'The Siege of Tobruk' by Gregory Rogers, and filming was to start in January 1952. Zanuck said research revealed a few Americans were involved in the siege but none appeared in the final film.
Filming was delayed and Fuller dropped out to work on other films. In July 1952 Fox announced that filming would take place in September and the three leads would be played by Michael Rennie, Robert Newton and James Robertson Justice. (Rennie and Newton had just made 'Les Misrables' together).
The script was written by an American, Richard Murphy, who was familiar with Australian servicemen from his time being a liaison officer with the Ninth Division in New Guinea, after its withdrawal from the Middle East in 1942.
Filming was pushed back further. In October Fox replaced Rennie with Richard Burton, who had just appeared in 'My Cousin Rachel' for the studio and signed a contract with Fox to make one film a year for ten years. (Instead, as he had done in 'The Desert Fox' several years earlier, Rennie delivered an uncredited voiceover.) The same month Robert Wise was assigned to direct.
Several genuine Australian actors were cast, including Chips Rafferty, Charles Tingwell, Michael Pate and John O'Malley. Tingwell and Rafferty had just made 'Kangaroo' (1952) for Fox in Australia and were flown to Hollywood.
Richard Boone, who had just made 'Kangaroo' with Rafferty and Tingwell, was announced for an important role. He ended up not appearing in the film. In November, Robert Newton's casting was confirmed, as was that of James Mason, who would reprise his role as Rommel.
Filming started December 1952. Australian journalist Alan Moorehead was used as a consultant and the technical adviser was an Englishman now in the Canadian Army, Lieutenant George Aclund, who took part in the defence of Tobruk.
The battle sequences were shot near Borrego Springs, a Californian desert town. Some background scenes were taken from the documentary 'Desert Victory' (1943).
Inaccuracies
The title of the film is a misnomer: 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.
Also, Erwin Rommel is described as a field marshal at the time of the siege when he was actually a lieutenant-general; he would become a field marshal in June 1942, after the fall of Tobruk.
Chips Rafferty and Charles Tingwell had both served in the army, and said they tried to correct inaccuracies in the script, but were only partly successful. "The script was full of Cockney idiom", said Rafferty. "I was invited to look over it a week before shooting began, and managed to get some of it changed into Australian slang." "There's one scene in which the sergeant myself refuses to obey the colonel's order, while two lieutenants stand idly by", added Rafferty. "That will raise some Ninth Division eyebrows."
A key plot point involved the Australian general deliberately letting German tanks through the defences. "To my knowledge there was no such plan to let the Germans in through the outer defences", said Tingwell. "But whenever difficulties of that sort were mentioned the Hollywood experts claimed to be working on a script based on the actual battle plans of the campaign."
Other criticisms made of the film include the fact no British officer was ever placed in command of an Australian battalion in Tobruk, and there was no raid on the ammunition dump as depicted, although there was one on the Twin Pimples, held by Italy, and there is no depiction of the British, Polish or Indian troops who were there.
Prior to the film being screened, Chips Rafferty admitted it was likely the film would be criticised by ex-servicemen. "To tell the truth, I think there's going to be a bit of a howl", he said. This prediction proved to be correct. Lieutenant-General Sir Leslie Morshead said that, "The story is wholly foreign to the Tobruk I knew, and to its force which comprised almost as many gallant, purposeful British troops as those of the Ninth Division, all of whom I had the honour to command."
Reception
The film received generally good reviews from British critics, although they complained the British contribution to the campaign had been minimised. Australian critics were also positive despite the historical inaccuracies.
The film was banned in Egypt.
During production, 20th Century Fox offered Charles Tingwell, who had also appeared in Fox's 'Kangaroo', a seven-year contract, but he turned it down because he wanted to keep working in Australia.[https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/australian-biography-charles-bud-tingwell Charles Tingwell interview] at Australian Biography, National Film and Sound Archive
See also
* 'The Rats of Tobruk' (1944 film)
* Western Desert Campaign
* North African Campaign
References
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