Lion of the Desert

Lion of the Desert
Lion of the Desert
	Theatrical poster
Directed by	Moustapha Akkad
Written by	H.A.L. Craig
Produced by	Moustapha Akkad
Starring	Anthony Quinn; Oliver Reed; Rod Steiger; Raf Vallone
Cinematography	Jack Hildyard
Edited by	John Shirley
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Production; company	Falcon International Productions
Distributed by	United Film Distribution Company
Release date	17 April 1981;
Running time	173 minutes
Countries	Libya; United States
Languages	English; Arabic; Italian
Budget	US$35 million
Box office	$1 million (U.S.)

Lion of the Desert is a 1981 epic historical war film about the Second Italo-Senussi War, starring Anthony Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar, a Bedouin leader fighting the Regio Esercito (Royal Italian Army), and Oliver Reed as Italian General Rodolfo Graziani, who defeated Mukhtar. It was directed by Moustapha Akkad and funded by the Libyan government under Muammar Gaddafi.^[2]

Released in May 1981, the film has received positive reviews from critics, but performed poorly at the box office, gaining revenues of US$1.5 million worldwide despite having a $35 million budget.^[3]^[4] The film was banned in Italy in 1982 and was only shown on pay TV in 2009.

^ ^a ^b Hindle, John (24 July 1986). "Films - Money can't buy quality". The Age. Nine Entertainment. p. 52. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
^ Omar Mukhtar - Lion of the Desert imdb.com
^ "Lion of the Desert". Rotten Tomatoes.
^ "Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists".

[TheAge-1] Hindle, John (24 July 1986). "Films - Money can't buy quality". The Age. Nine Entertainment. p. 52. Retrieved 25 February 2024.

[2] Omar Mukhtar - Lion of the Desert imdb.com

[3] "Lion of the Desert". Rotten Tomatoes.

[4] "Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists".

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