Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

inspectors71 An infuriatingly uneven biopic, Henry Hathaway's The Desert Fox, is so poorly made that one might be tempted to ignore the topic of Erwin Rommel, a brilliant and chivalrous Wehrmacht commander who was more loyal to his men and patriotic toward Germany than a follower of Hitler.The internal conflict is classic, cut from the same basic cloth as Brutus in Caesar.You would think this film would be riveting. It's not. Even though James Mason is magnificently Prussian as Rommel, and there are several other great performances, we're left with a clunky and truncated story of the man George Patton called a "magnificent bastard."That's a great name for Rommel. Born and bred to an ethic of an earlier time, Rommel became an anachronism to the new and improved concept of warfare in World War II.Yet, if you don't know anything about Erwin Rommel--and you're willing to accept that he has been romanticized by history and Hollywood-- this film is something of a good start.

SimonJack "The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel" is an excellent film about Erwin Johannes Rommel during World War II. He was Germany's most famous military leader and one of the greatest military leaders of the war and of the 20th century. The movie is based on a book by a British brigadier, Desmond Young, "Rommel: The Desert Fox." Young was a British officer in North Africa who was captured by Rommel's forces and who saw Rommel just once. Young was so impressed with the man, especially his adherence to proper war protocol regarding treatment of POWs, that at war's end, he decided to write about him. For the next five years he researched the man, interviewed hundreds of people, and visited with Rommel's widow and son.To this day, there still is controversy over Rommel's possible role in the July 1944 plot to kill Hitler. This movie skirts the issue and shows Rommel's hesitancy to be involved in the plot. He knew several of the people who were directly involved, and some had approached him about taking a leadership role after Hitler had been overthrown. But an article in the Encyclopedia Britannica asserts that the plotters "never revealed to Rommel that they planned to assassinate Hitler." Rommel "did not accept the idea of murder for political ends." He had disregarded orders for executions that he received from Hitler. He was a favorite commander of Hitler, and on several occasions, he urged Hitler to end the war and seek peace. But he never became a member of the Nazi party.The movie shows the last three years of Rommel's life. It opens when he is in command of the German Afrika Corps. And it ends when he left his home on Oct. 14, 1944, with two generals sent by Hitler. To ensure his family's safety and provision after he was gone, Rommel agreed to take poison. Hitler's had him buried as a national hero who died from the injuries he received in the strafing pictured in the film.Rommel's last command was preparing the German coastal forces for the Allied invasion that was to come. But, it's interesting to note that contrary to most war films, Rommel did not think the invasion would be in Normandy. He agreed with the German high command and Hitler and thought that the real invasion would be at Calais. So, when the Allies landed at Normandy on June 6, 1944, he too thought it was a diversion meant to draw defenses away from Calais.James Mason does a superb job as Rommel, and all the rest of the cast are very good. This is an interesting biopic and war film.

SnoopyStyle Lieutenant-Colonel Desmond Young was captured by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (James Mason). After the war, it's assumed that Rommel was killed during action but his investigation proves otherwise. In flashback, Rommel is shocked by Hitler's orders at El Alamein. He continues to disagree with the orders. When his close friend is dismissed, he is placed in charge of the Atlantic wall. He faces off with Hitler himself. While returning to the front, he is injured. He is in the hospital when an assassination attempt occurs on Hitler's life. He is then forced to commit suicide.It's a biopic of Rommel. The portrayal is rather sympathetic which is probably due to the involvement of Rommel's wife. I don't really buy his confrontation with Hitler but I'm not a historian. The use of real footage is good for certain times but at other times, I want a big action scene. James Mason is effective. For all of my reservations, this is more truthful than I expected.

GManfred For meritorious service above and beyond the call of duty to his country, Rommel was advised in the end to 'off' himself. No trial necessary, as he was guilty until proved innocent, and why waste everyone's time. But, of course, he was working for the original 'wild and crazy guy'."The Desert Fox" is an excellent biopic and is an idealized version of Rommel's military career, particularly as it pertains to Germany's WW II Afrika Corps. It is one of James Mason's best pictures, right behind "Odd Man Out" and slightly ahead of "A Star Is Born". It is a sympathetic portrayal of a man torn between loyalty and love of country, and perhaps a man a little slow on the uptake regarding current internal military affairs. Supporting acting was in very capable hands and there was chemistry evident between Mason and his wife, played by Jessica Tandy. Good script, good direction - hard to find a flaw in this one, which played on FMC the other morning.