

Lion of the Desert
He was a man of honor in a war without any.
Resistance leader Omar Mukhtar opposes Italian colonization before World War II. The brutal guerrilla war against Italian General Rodolfo Graziani and the Fascist forces of Benito Mussolini highlights the struggle for Libyan independence and the harsh tactics utilised by the colonisers.
TMDB
7.3/10
208 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $35M
- Box office
- $1.5M
- Language
- Arabic
- guerrilla warfare
- libya
- africa
- resistance
- world war ii
- independence movement
- based on true story
- benito mussolini
- historical drama
- 1920s
- 1930s
- anti-colonialism
Top billed cast

















Behind the camera
Director
Writers
Music
Produced in
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, United States of America, United Kingdom
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- PremiereUSA Film Festival27 Mar 1981
- Theatrical (limited)PGNew York City, New York17 Apr 1981
- PhysicalBlu-ray2 Jul 2012
United KingdomGB
- Theatrical27 Aug 1981
United Arab EmiratesAE
- PhysicalBlu-ray2 Jul 2012
AustraliaAU
- Theatrical16 Oct 1981
ColombiaCO
- Theatrical18 Nov 1981
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical26 Dec 1981
EgyptEG
- PhysicalDVD21 Apr 2021
FinlandFI
- Theatrical25 Sept 1981
FranceFR
- TheatricalTP28 Jul 1982
- PhysicalDVD1 Nov 2005
- Digital / OTT16Netflix1 Jan 2022
GermanyDE
- Theatrical16West Germany29 Oct 1981
IrelandIE
- Theatrical9 Oct 1981
ItalyIT
- TVSky11 Jun 2009
- Theatrical (limited)16 Sept 2024
Frequently asked questions
Lion of the Desert was released on 17 April 1981.
Audience reviews
2- W5/10
Wuchak
5/25/2019
***“Braveheart” in the Libyan desert with Quinn, Reed and Steiger*** After twenty years of failing to remove Bedouin rebels during the Italian colonization (aka invasion) of Libya, Mussolini (Rod Steiger) sends formidable General Graziani (Oliver Reed) in 1931 to take care of the problem. Anthony Quinn plays the titular protagonist and leader of the freedom-fighting Libyans. Did you ever wonder why “Lion of the…
- C7/10
CinemaSerf
6/7/2023
This is a curious hybrid of a film - it brings together some elements of "Gandhi" (1982) , "Khartoum" (1966) and even "Spartacus" (1960) to illustrate a theatre of war for Fascist colonialism of which I was largely unfamiliar. Rod Steiger (Mussolini) has decided that Italy must get in on the act of colonial powers in North Africa - and deploys General Graziani (Oliver Reed) to cement their invasion of modern day Liby…
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