The Desert Fox / The Desert Rats (2 Disc Box Set) [DVD]

Very enjoyable. Just as I ordered and arrived as promised.

Good to see a ww2 film in which the Americans were not involved saving the day!Remember seeing these films at the cinema in my youth.Bought the DVD for my grandsons who are mad about tanks!Original newsreel film used.Black and white film makes for authenticity.Nuff said!

Well what can you say? two superb actors of their times in a pair of gritty war films(at least for their time!).James Mason as the soldiers soldier General Rommel(DERERT FOX)seems to suit the part perfectly.Whilst action is fairly thin on the ground the political backstabbing and clambouring for favour of their all powerfull Fuhrer is neatly handled.The state hero soldier who realises too late he has been fighting for a madman.Ultimately destined to fall foul of the very war machine he fought so well for Rommel struggles to justify his actions as he learns more of the truth.Only Mason could pull off the stereo typical German-English accent we all love to use when telling jokes and make it watchable. Great stuff. Rommels thorn in the side and opposing army the 'DESERT RATS' (8th army) is represented in the second film by another legend of the big screen Richard Burton.Burton is a Captain of a band of determined Australian soldiers who by day defend against Rommels tanks and troops and by night raid into the enemies rear lines and cause havok.Great British stiff upper lip stuff all around. Mason co-stars as Rommel in this film and brings us the best moment of the film when he and Burton by a wierd coincidence meet and exchange words.Great actors in a great scene.Well worth a watch.The quality of the film is good and clear so the transfer to DVD was done well.The theatrical trailers for both films are included and thats about it, but what do you want for less than twenty quid? buy it!

James Mason stars in both The Desert Fox and The Desert Rats playing Rommel. The former is a solid biopic more concerned with his involvement in the plot to assassinate Hitler than his exploits in Africa, painting him as an honorable man unable to believe just how insane Hitler is until it is too late, while the latter is a standard war movie set against the siege of Tobruk slightly elevated by Robert Wise's direction but which still manages to feel overlong at an hour and a half. Richard Burton and Robert Newton are the top-liners, but Mason turns up for an extended cameo as a dastardly Nazi swine of the "Die, Englander pigdog" comic strip variety

Bit of a game of two halves here in my opinion. I'd ideally give it 3.5 stars if I could - 3 for The Desert Fox and 4 for the Desert Rats. The only thing they have in common really is James Mason playing Rommel in each film - but he plays him differently in each. In TDR he (in common with most of the German officers in the film it seems) has a cut-glass British accent. In TDF he gives Rommel an almost guttural German accent.TDF is, in truth, a pretty slight affair. By no means the detailed biopic you might wish for. We see Rommel in the desert (albeit briefly, despite the film's title) and we see him inspecting the so-called Atlantic wall. Interspersed are, frankly unnecessary, segments of real footage from the Desert War and the Normandy Landings, which are just padding the film out really. The bulk of the film is about Rommel's possible involvement in the July plot as he comes to realise that his Fuhrer is no military genius and is leading Germany to disaster. There are some good scenes with von Runstedt discussing the military and political situation that they found themselves in, and Mason is always excellent.TDR is a really good solid action/combat film in praise of the Australian defenders of Tobruk as it was laid siege by Rommel's Afrika Korps. Richard Burton is their British senior officer (brought in initially because the Aussie troops were considered too 'green'). There is some examination of the loneliness of leadership, and the fear inevitably felt by soldiers in war, but this is mainly a series of battle sequences, including a daring commando raid. When captured Burton has chance to lock swords with Mason's Rommel in one particularly enjoyable scene. But ultimately it's about the bravery of the Aussie troops - the desert rats - who held out against the onslaught.

The Desert Fox / The desert Rats (2 Disc Box. The Desert Fox is about James Mason plays Field Marshal Erwin Rommel Illustrating his way of life and his attitude toward his own forces and how he regarded the enemy. His many tussles with Adolf Hitler and his crew.Part 2 The Desert Rats starring Richard Burton, Robert Newton and James Mason. Richard Burton played the English Officer in charge of an Australian gunners. A perfect foil to Rommel's company.. .