Libyan cinema has rarely reached international screens, but Lion of the Desert (1980), the epic account of resistance leader Omar Mukhtar, stands as one of the most ambitious films ever produced with Libyan funding. Backed by Colonel Gaddafi's government and starring Anthony Quinn, it remains a striking case of a nation using cinema as national myth-making. See what Macca made of it below.
Rating: 3.5★
There's a genuine audacity to what Moustapha Akkad attempts here, and for the most part, he pulls it off. The Message sets itself one of the most extraordinary creative challenges in the history of historical epic filmmaking: tell the story of the birth of Islam, with the Prophet
Genre History
★★★½ — Lion of the Desert (1980)
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