During the narrated introduction immediately following the opening credits, the Earth is depicted revolving backwards - west-to-east instead of east-to-west.
Mussolini was talking to Graziani in the opening when he looked to the map of Libya, and he said that all these green land is for Italy.
In fact he was looking at a topographical map that shows land greener as it become lower by sea level.
For Libya is 90% of the area is desert.
When Diodiece meets with Graziani and Prince Amadeo about starting peace talks, a map behind him, depicting the Horn of Africa, is inaccurate.
The map clearly shows no borders between Ethiopia and the adjoining Italian colonies of Eritrea and Italian Somaliland, a situation that existed only after Ethiopia had been conquered by Italy and was united with the other two territories as the colony of Italian East Africa.
However, this did not occur until 1936, and since the film takes place from 1929-1931, such a map could not possibly have existed at the time of the three men's meeting.
At their peace talks, Omar Mukhtar requests that any agreement be witnessed by representatives of the governments of Egypt and Tunisia.
Although at that time Egypt was an independent nation, Tunisia was a French colony and had no indigenous government that could have witnessed any such agreement.
When Sharif El Gariani 'John Gielgud' (qv) tells Omar Mukhtar 'Anthony Quinn (I)' (qv), "Omar, we grew up together.
Seventy years ago we were boys together.
" But this would have been in the spring of 1930 when Omar Mukhtar was only 69 years old having been born on 20 August 1861, so they could not have "played together" "seventy years" earlier.
The second (follwing Mohammed, Messenger of God) of producer turned director Moustapha Akkad's rather foolhardy attempts to create a popular Islamic cinema using Western cinematic and narrative forms which were 20 years (at least) out of date even in Hollywood, Lion of the Desert tells the story of the 20 year campaign of resistance against Italian imperialist occupation by the Bedouin desert armies of Omar Mukhtar. Anthony Quinn, who was also in Mohammed, play Mukhtar as someone's kindly old uncle, a wily old desert lion with one spectacled eye on the Koran and the other on the field of battle.
This is a very non historical movie made with the only purpose of the Libyan dictator Gheddafi of spreading anti-Italian nationalistic sentiments through the Libyan people. Italians build the modern Libya, without them there will only be a desert with few shacks.
When I saw this movie in the theatre back in the 80s, I was only around 8 or 9 years old. In an era where we idolise western super hero characters such as James Bond and Superman, fighting for justice, Sidi Umar Mukhtar came into our lives to depict what Western justice or injustice is all about, in reality.
I think its an honest depiction of the resistance of the people of nation being tortured by fascists. It doesn't have anything to do with promoting islam or going against the westerners.
*Spoiler/plot- Lion in the desert, 1981. After WW1, Facsist Italian government wishes to colonize North Africa in Libya to reproduce the Roman empire.
Mustafa Al aqad made a legendary film for us...
Now that Libya is in the news, it might be good to look at this film, made 30 years ago. It deals with the two decades long rebellion by one Omar Mukhtar against the Italian colonial authorities in Libya, and how it was finally suppressed, through ruthless means, by the army of Mussolini in 1931.
One of the great war/biography movies of our time. Perfect authentic picture with detailed weapons, equipment and military/local costumes of early 20th century.
Rating: 9This movie has it all. I didn't feel like I was watching a movie but an epic.
