The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel

The Desert Fox (released in the United Kingdom as Rommel—Desert Fox) is a 1951 American Twentieth Century-Fox biographical war film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring James Mason in the title role of German field marshal Erwin Rommel in World War II. The script is based on the book Rommel: The Desert Fox by brigadier Desmond Young, who served in the British Indian Army in North Africa. Young portrays himself. The film played a significant role in the creation of the Rommel myth, which held that Rommel was an apolitical, brilliant commander, opposed Nazi policies and was a victim of the Third Reich because of his participation in the conspiracy to remove Adolf Hitler from power in 1944. The black-and-white format facilitated the use of large sections of actual docum