The Desert Rats (film)

thumb The Desert Rats is a 1953 film about a Scottish Army officer put in charge of a disparate band of ANZAC troops during the Siege of Tobruk in 1941 North Africa during World War II. Directed by Robert Wise. Written by Richard Murphy. They crawled their way across the blazing sands of Africa... to turn disaster into victory!  taglines Narrator This is the story of Tobruk and the men who made up its garrison, of the fight they made against the pick of Hitler's troops, and of the nickname they won with blood and bore with pride: The Desert Rats. Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts He's tight as a tick. Look at him! Tom Bartlett You don't know much about real fear, Tammy. Maybe it comes with age or the bottle. You don't know what it is to be a coward... really a coward. To know it, yet to hope one day something will happen to prove that you're not, yet half the time not really believing that either. Other Col. Barney White: Never mind thinking. You're a foot slogger! Now, get movin'. General: If your men are as cocksure as you are, MacRoberts, they might just get through. General: You gentlemen will have the honor of being the first to expose the blitzkrieg for what it is: a highly limited tactical maneuver. Dialogue Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: How did you get into this? Tom Bartlett: I suppose the way I get into everything. A School Master with the nickname of 'Blind Tom' doesn't last long. I got an idea I might find greener pastures in one of the dominions. Unfortunately, I picked Australia - where it appears everyone volunteers. I made my usual mistake of being in a pub the day war was declared and on a wave of beer suds... Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: If you were going to make the gesture, you might at least have got yourself a commission. Tom Bartlett: A commission? I'm the perfect Private soldier. No worries. No responsibilities. I can't even be demoted. Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: Don't believe that for a minute. Being an infantry man is the toughest job in the army. Tom Bartlett: But all wars come to an end sometime. This one will too. Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: If I have anything to do with it, it will. Tom Bartlett: [after a battle where Capt. MacRoberts was wounded] How's your hand, Tammy? Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: Oh, burning like brimstone. But, how are you, sir? Tom Bartlett: I found a very deep hole. If you can dig deep enough, only your pride gets hurt. Tom Bartlett: He's just a boy, he... Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: We've got no use for boys here - particularly not as officers. Tom Bartlett: You can't be much older than he is. Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: I don't know whether I am or not. I do know that I've been here for a year and one of the first things I learned was that this isn't a game for children. Men get killed and stay killed. Tom Bartlett: It's a pretty cold estimate, Tammy. Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: Perhaps it is. But, it's the truth. Field Marshal Erwin von Rommel: Now, MacRoberts, I respect your pride in this little rat hole you call Tobruk, but don't insult my intelligence by telling me that if it stood in my way, I couldn't crush it like that! Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: Sir, normally I would defer to your rank and the fact that I'm your prisoner. If you can crush Tobruk, crush it. But don't tell me it isn't a constant threat to your supply line, that it isn't an open sore in your side, or that you can take Egypt without first smashing it! Field Marshal Erwin von Rommel: This is what keeps you in those flea-ridden caves? Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: It's part of it. Field Marshal Erwin von Rommel: And the rest? Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts: Well, the rest is that if by holding Tobruk we prevent you from taking the Suez. And if you don't take the Suez, I suggest you start planning for the next war. Cognac for the Field Marshall. German Major: You British pig! [slaps Capt. MacRoberts] Taglines They crawled their way across the blazing sands of Africa... to turn disaster into victory! The Desert Demons Who Stopped Rommel, The Desert Fox! Cast Richard Burton - Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts James Mason - Field Marshal Erwin Rommel Robert Newton - Tom Bartlett Robert Douglas - the General Torin Thatcher - Colonel Barney White Chips Rafferty - Sergeant "Blue" Smith Charles "Bud" Tingwell - Lieutenant Harry Carstairs Charles Davis - Pete Ben Wright - Mick Michael Pate - Captain Currie (uncredited) John Alderson - Australian Corporal (uncredited) External links 0045679 Category:1953 American films Category:World War II films Category:Films set in North Africa Category:Films set in the 1940s Category:Siege films Category:Films directed by Robert Wise