When I switched on the TV just up from my nap, this noon, I found some unusual movie being screened in one of the tamil channels....it was the movie "Lion of the desert"(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081059/)....
Since I have affinity towards offbeat movies and documentaries, I sat on the couch staring at the TV screen....trying to figure out what the movie was all about....!!
To my surprise, the movie started with the disclaimer
"All the characters in this film are based on REAL characters. The movie is based on historical facts"!.....yes...this was the disclaimer(?!!) that caught me by surprise...and hence i decided to watch this movie...The movie was set in the 1930's and started with Mussolini posting orders to one of his colonels "Graziani"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodolfo_Graziani) to suppress the rebel leaders in LIBYA (which was under the Rome's iron-fisted rule).....in particular to arrest or even kill OMAR MUKHTAR, leader of one of the rebel unuions, which has been successfully fighting the Italian forces for close to 20 long years!!!
The following reels of the movie bring out the struggle of Omar mukhtar and his band of men to prevent the Italian army from taking over Libya.....and also show us the fight between these two forces...it is really hard to believe that a teacher-turned-rebel(Omar) forced 5-6 Rome appointed governors to go back with shame.....! As you watch this film, you develop a sense of admiration for Omar Mukhtar for his confidence, determination, tactical prowess, dignity and intelligence. You would also sympathize for the lacs and lacs of native libyans who were denied rights in their own land and killed just to scare others...
The movie has been sculpted.....the sheer devotion of the director can been seen in the way the barbarian acts of the Italian forces are depicted! People killed in masses.....women kidnapped in front of their fathers and brothers to work as slaves, all the grocery burnt because the local people helping Omar Mukhtar......everything has a sense of naturality attached to it.....be it locations,people or costume....though the movie was dubbed in Tamil, the emotions displayed by Anthony Quinn (as Omar Mukhtar) and Oliver Reed(as Graziani) are more powerful than the dialogues....
I wished that Omar Mukhtar won the battle of rights.....but predictably...he is hanged in full public view..!!
A must watch....I loved it..!! A great movie after a long time....
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