The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel 1951

     This film is based on the book Rommel: The Desert Fox by Brigadier Desmond Young published in 1950.  Young served in the British Indian Army in North Africa and he was taken prisoner by the Germans.  The setting of this film is the later stages of WWII.  The beginning scenes are of a raid that depicts Operation Flipper.  British commandos raided a house thought to be occupied by Rommel but the operation failed.  While he was a prisoner, Desmond Young met Rommel and he determined to learn what happened to Rommel in the final years of his life.  Originally, it was thought that Rommel died as a result of wounds he suffered when an Allied fighter strafed his staff car causing it to overturn.  This turned out not to be true and Rommel survived his wounds.

     On July 20, 1944, there was an attempt to assassinate Hitler.  Participants in the attack plot were Ludwig Beck, Erwin von Witzleben, Carl Freidrich Goerdeler, Henning von Treskow, Friedrich Olbricht, Claus von Strauffenberg, Werner von Haeften.  Rommel joined the conspiracy planing the attack after June 6, 1944.  Urgent reinforcements were not sent to stop the American beachhead in France.  Rommel met personally with Hitler to persuade him to see reason about the war.  Hitler screams that ‘wonder weapons’ will turn the tide.  Shortly after the meeting, Rommel is wounded by the strafing incident.  After the assassination attempt, General Wilhelm Burgdorf is sent by Hitler to offer difficult choices to Rommel about his life.  I thought everything about the details in this film was very interesting!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

88 min, Bio directed by Henry Hathaway with James Mason, Cedric Hardwicke, Jessica Tandy, Luther Adler, Everett Sloane, Leo G. Carroll, George Macready, Richard Boone, Eduard Franz, Desmond Young.

Note:  Imdb 7.0 out of 10, 71% critic 63% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, TCM Leonard Maltin 3* out of 4*, 3.71* out of 5* user ratings, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 211 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Yuma and Mojave Desert, Arizona; Imperial County, Borrego Springs in San Diego and Los Angeles, California; France, England and Germany.  Rommel’s widow, Lucie Marie Rommel acted as a technical consultant and adviser to this film.  Jessica Tandy was 42 years old and she plays Luci.  Some of Rommel’s personal artifacts were loaned to the production.  James Mason was in another role as Rommel two years later in The Desert Rats of 1953.  Kirk Douglas and Richard Widmark were also considered for the role of Rommel.