Lion of the Desert - 1981

This movie covers part of the Second Italo-Senussi War, something I'd never known anything about.

The movie begins in 1929 when Mussolini sends one of his top generals, Graziani into Libya to crush the war waged by the inhabitants who are fighting against Italian rule. The leader of this group of Bedouins is Omar Mukhtar, an elderly man (he's 73!) who inspires his countrymen to fight to the death.

Graziani fights dirty, and he doesn't hold back. Mukhtar will fight to expel the invaders to his land, but he won't murder prisoners or do more than necessary to try and push the Italians out of Libya. Mukhtar fought the Italians for 20 years. In the end, he was caught and hanged for treason. Fascist Italy had defeated the great warrior, but they never broke his spirit.

This movie was a hard watch. Especially the end. Graziani was not a sympathetic person, even though he had a measure of respect for his enemy. Watching the Italians was like watching a movie about Nazi Germany. They acted like Nazis, and that isn't surprising since they are trying to spread fascism everywhere.

I want to spend a moment on the way they portrayed the concentration camp for the Bedouins. I watched how the people were living inside there, and it disgusted me. But then I was jarred into another time as they inserted footage of the camp from above. I'm fairly certain it's actual footage. It's in black and white, and the complex spreads as far as the eye can see. From the sky. It was awful.

I almost cried at the end of this one. It's been a while since I've cried, but this was just so sad. This man fought so hard for his people, and he was defeated mostly by technology and numbers. He used his intellect for as long as he could, and it worked for so long, but eventually his luck ran out. Omar Mukhtar was hanged in front of his followers in the concentration camp on September 16, 1931. WWII was still eight years away, but I know the seeds of fascism were spread well before that. What I didn't know was that Italy was spreading them in Libya and how the people there suffered.

This movie saddened me, but I am so glad I watched it. It taught me a few things about people I'd never heard of, and if there's one thing I love, it's hearing about interesting people I've never heard of. I learned something today, and I have a saying I like to live by. I also tell it to my kids all the time (much to their dismay!). Never stop learning. Good Movie!