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The Desert Rats

 The Desert Rats
type
 TVTItem
 The Desert Rats
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 The Desert Rats
 The Desert Rats
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 TheDesertRats
 The Desert Rats
comment
 Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })The Desert Rats is a 1953 war film directed by Robert Wise, starring Richard Burton and James Mason.It tells the story of the siege of Tobruk, April-November 1941. The German advance from Libya into Egypt has cut off the vital Libyan port of Tobruk, which remains in Allied hands. Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts (Burton) is given command of a company of green troops from Australia who lack a senior officer. The free-spirited, boisterous Australian soldiers don't much care for their new no-nonsense CO, and he is rather unimpressed by his undisciplined raw recruits. MacRoberts does however find one friendly face, and it's quite a surprise: his old schoolmaster Tom Bartlett, who lost his teaching position due to alcoholism and made his way to Australia before joining the army.James Mason plays Erwin Rommel, only two years after he had starred as Erwin Rommel in The Desert Fox. However, despite being billed second on the posters, Mason only appears in a couple of scenes. He's much more villainous in this film too - the film was made in part because people complained The Desert Fox had made Rommel too sympathetic.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })
 The Desert Rats
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 2020-09-11T03:52:19Z
 The Desert Rats
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 2020-09-11T03:52:19Z
 The Desert Rats
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 DBTropes
 The Desert Rats / int_537dd8fe
type
 Affably Evil
 The Desert Rats / int_537dd8fe
comment
 Affably Evil: Rommel, who treats MacRoberts like an officer and a gentleman but makes no bones about how he'll crush Tobruk and Germany will bring England to its knees. Mason's more villainous performance in this film was due to the backlash that followed after he portrayed Rommel as a straight-up hero in The Desert Fox.
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 The Desert Rats / int_56515a39
type
 Artistic License – History
 The Desert Rats / int_56515a39
comment
 Artistic License – History: Strictly speaking the 9th Australian Division are called "The Rats of Tobruk", and the "Desert Rats" are the unrelated British 7th Armoured Division. The film was called The Desert Rats to echo The Desert Fox. The real Rats only had Australian officers at Tobruk, and Rommel wouldn't become a Field Marshal for another year.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })
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 The Desert Rats / int_7eebe99c
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 The Alcoholic
 The Desert Rats / int_7eebe99c
comment
 The Alcoholic: Bartlett admits that he lost his job in England due to drinking, and only joined the army in Australia when he was drunk in a bar. He's drunk when the company first musters for MacRoberts, and carries liquor around in his canteen.
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 The Desert Rats

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 The Desert Rats
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 The Desert Rats
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