People are voting emotionally.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Well it is about the last years of Omar mukhtar Libyan freedom fighter and his encounter with one of most ruthless General Garzini who is sent to Libya by Mussolini to capture Omar Mukhtar dead or alive.And then as the movie goes on Garzini uses his cruel ways to capture Omar mukhtar but as Omar mukhtar out smarts him in his every ways but in the end he captures him by creating a wall of steel wires between Egypt and Lybia so cutting supplies of Omar mukhtar from Egypt leaving them desperate so that's how he captures him and then hangs him in the end.So this is a great war movie ever made I mean moustapha Akkad really did something with this movie he beautifully directed it I don't know what is the ultimate reason for it bombing at the box office.

*Spoiler/plot- Lion in the desert, 1981. After WW1, Facsist Italian government wishes to colonize North Africa in Libya to reproduce the Roman empire. The Bedouins fight this invasion and colonization for over 20+ years but the same Moslem leader. Finally the Muslim leader is captured and hanged.*Special Stars- Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, Rod Steiger, Irene Papas, John Geilgud.*Theme- The native people will fight dictators to the end.*Trivia/location/goofs- Filmed in Libya. Bankrolled by Muammar Gadfi and Govt assistance with troops was accomplished. One of the biggest disasters in film box office history, costs 35$ million only recovered 1$ million. 200,00 Bedouins were historically killed in this Facsist Italian war campaign. Maybe a bid idea if you're superstitious: This 1981 film was made and released on the 50th Anniversary of the execution by hanging of Omar Mukhtar who died in 1931. Extremely accurate military uniforms.*Emotion- While trying to reproduce the success of 'Lawrence of Arabia' with some of the same production heads, this film only succeeds in being a shabby 'knock-off'. The story line and script is provincial, boring, and shabby. The costumes and lead cast are quite good. The film is too slow in pacing and very predictable, especially for viewers who know little about this event in history. Except for some small scenes with fine acting sprinkled through this epic story, this film is a snore and a bomb. A brilliant failure on film.

Lion Of The Desert (1981) Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, Raf Vallone, Rod Steiger. A wonderful performance by Quinn as Omar Mukhtar, the Lion of Libya. And Reed as Italian Gen.Rodolfo Graziani, who pursues him for Benito Mussolini. The time it takes - from 1911 to 1931 - is shown as the reason for the tribesmens' hatred of all foreigners. European countries carved up north Africa among themselves. Very effective use of the desert landscapes and using some actual newsreel footage of the refugee camps that stretch for miles. by the end. Some of the Italian officers were tried as war criminals. Interesting, and some great action scenes. 8/10

Despite being one of the most financially disastrous films ever made (costing a lot to make, and making very little back), Lion Of The Desert is a surprisingly good epic film about the Italian occupation of Libya in 1929. The film focuses on two of the key players on each side – the Italian forces are marshaled with ruthless iron-like discipline by their notorious Colonel Graziani, while the Libyans defend themselves under the guidance of spiritual guerrilla freedom fighter Omar Mukhtar (a.k.a the Lion of the Desert). It's an interesting clash of ideals and personalities which makes for a worthwhile – if never truly outstanding – historical epic.In 1929, the Italians grow desperate as their occupation of Libya reaches crisis point. The Libyans simply refuse to accept that another country has any rights to their homeland and reject all attempts by the Italians to justify their presence there. Mussolini (Rod Steiger) sends one of his most promising and fearsome soldiers to resolve the tension – Colonel Rodolfo Graziani (Oliver Reed). Graziani's approach is one of ruthless and merciless force – he has Libyans executed in front of their families for working with guerrillas; he sets up concentration camps in the desert where Libyans are frequently hanged or starved to death; he orders his tanks to wipe out villages and towns with the aim of total annihilation. Yet somehow, against this modern army armed with their tanks and machine guns, the Libyans manage to fight back under the guidance of an elderly freedom fighter named Omar Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn). Mukhtar continually embarrasses his mighty opponent by leading cunning Arab attacks against them. They come from the desert like lightning, strike at the Italian soldiers and communication lines, then fade back into the landscape before they can be caught or killed. It is nearly two years before Graziani finally captures and hangs Mukhtar in front of his people, hoping to finally crush the spirit of the Libyan resistance.Lion Of The Desert has plenty to admire. Quinn's performance as Mukhtar is certainly very convincing, and Reed belies the fact that he was making one terrible film after another at this point in his career by turning in a very menacing portrayal of Graziani. Both of them almost have the film stolen from under their noses by Rod Steiger's immense cameo as Mussolini – exuberant acting by an exuberant actor. The film is also strong during the battle sequences – the size of the forces involved is impressively captured in some genuinely epic-scale clashes, and we are spared nothing of the unpleasant reality of combat. People are shot to pieces, tanks roll over legs and bodies crushing the lifeblood from them, and none of it is hidden or glamorised for the viewers. We certainly get to glimpse the full horrors of a battlefield. There are still flaws with Lion Of The Desert, one being the unfathomable decision to have several well-known British actors play Libyan freedom fighters. With their too-proper Queens' English accents, blue eyes, and fake-tanned skin they look foolish rather than convincing. Poor John Gielgud suffers most of all in this manner. Also the film's narrative is not always as clear as one might hope, with some characters and events that don't feel as if they've been developed properly and come across as rather hard to follow. Generally-speaking Lion Of The Desert is a good film though, certainly worth a look.