The Desert Rats
They crawled their way across the blazing sands of Africa... to turn disaster into victory!
Overview
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.
- Production
- 20th Century Fox
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Cast
Richard Burton
Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts
James Mason
Field Marshal Erwin von Rommel
Robert Newton
Tom Bartlett
Robert Douglas
General
Torin Thatcher
Col. Barney White
Chips Rafferty
Sgt. "Blue" Smith
Charles Tingwell
Lt. Harry Carstairs
Charles Davis
Pete
Ben Wright
Mick
Patrick Aherne
English Officer (uncredited)
John Alderson
Corporal (uncredited)
Frank Baker
British Officer (uncredited)
Paul Cavanagh
Colonel (uncredited)
Frank Chase
Commando (uncredited)
Nicolas Coster
Medic (uncredited)
Noel Drayton
Captain (uncredited)
Charles B. Fitzsimons
Fire Officer (uncredited)
John Fraser
Artillery Man (uncredited)
Lester Matthews
Foreign Secretary (uncredited)
Gavin Muir
Captain (uncredited)
Crew
- Director
- Robert Wise
- Writers
- Richard Murphy
- Producers
- Robert L. Jacks
- Cinematography
- Lucien Ballard
- Composer
- Leigh Harline
Where to Watch
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User Reviews from TMDB
John Chard
April 16, 2014
Come out of your holes you desert rats! The Desert Rats is directed by Robert Wise and written by Richard Murphy. It stars Richard Burton, Robert Newton, Robert Douglas, Torin Thatcher, Chips Rafferty and James Mason. Music is by Leigh Harline and cinematography by Lucien Ballard. The follow up to The Desert Fox (it's not a sequel) from two years earlier, was in essence an attempt to readdress the balance after The Desert Fox annoyed certain quarters with its admiration for what a great so…
CinemaSerf
August 3, 2024
With Rommel (James Mason) bearing down heavily on the beleaguered allied garrison of Tobruk, it falls to "Capt. MacRoberts" (Richard Burton) to try and galvanise some war weary ANZAC troops for one last defence against the wily Desert Fox. He's not exactly puritanical, but he doesn's suffer disobedience and that sets him, initially, against his new troop when he over-reacts to behaviour from their "Lt. Carstairs" (Charles Tingwell). As luck would have it, though, the regimental dipso - "Bartlett…
Henry | The Reel Verdict
January 2, 2025
Movie Review: The Desert Rats (1953) The Desert Rats (1953), directed by Robert Wise, is a war film that brings to life the courage and perseverance of soldiers during the defense of Tobruk in World War II. While the film offers a Hollywood take on this significant chapter of history, it balances its historical inaccuracies with strong performances, especially from Richard Burton and James Mason, making it an engaging watch. The film focuses on British and Australian forces during the North Afri…