The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel

"At last! The sensational best-seller comes to the screen!"

1951 1h 28m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🍅

83%

FRESH

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 119🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes★6.9IMDB · 6,821

ActionDramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The life and career of Erwin Rommel and his involvement in the plot to assassinate Hitler.

“At last! The sensational best-seller comes to the screen!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

James Mason
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Cedric Hardwicke
Dr. Karl Strolin
Jessica Tandy
Frau Lucie Marie Rommel
Luther Adler
Adolf Hitler
Everett Sloane
Gen. Wilhelm Burgdorf
Leo G. Carroll
Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt
George Macready
Gen. Fritz Bayerlein
Richard Boone
Capt. Hermann Aldinger

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Henry Hathaway
Writers: Nunnally Johnson
Languages: German, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Henry Hathaway, shot by Norbert Brodine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor James B. Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Mason and Cedric Hardwicke and Jessica Tandy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "At last! The sensational best-seller comes to the screen!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0043461 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Henry Hathaway directs. Norbert Brodine behind the camera. James B. Clark cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
275 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
4Directed by Henry Hathaway, shot by Norbert Brodine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor James B. Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6James Mason and Cedric Hardwicke and Jessica Tandy carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "At last! The sensational best-seller comes to the screen!".
8IMDB entry: tt0043461 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 16 themes, including "world war ii", "biography", "historical figure", "nazi officer".

The technical file

Cinematography: Norbert Brodine
Editing: James B. Clark
Costume design: Edward Stevenson
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 6,821 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

Henry Hathaway

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-07-28
★ 8/10
In the past few years, I truly felt that I couldn't really consider myself a true-blooded cinephile after giving such short shrift to the cinema of the 1920s-60's, particularly in the genres of war films, westerns and musicals. In trying to right that, this was one of those films I stockpiled for a rainy day. It was greatly enjoyable, and one of my favourite actors from that era, James Mason, was so good at playing this kind of heinous yet brilliant villain. Heartily recommended.

Production companies