Lion of the Desert

Anthony Quinn turns in a stellar performance as Libyan hero Omar Mukhtar, who organizes troops to repel the Italian forces trying to gain a stronghold in the African desert under orders from fascist despot Benito Mussolini (Rod Steiger). Though Mukhtar and his bedouin troops must fight the Italian army and its tanks on horseback, the valiant Libyans successfully stave them off for 20 years. The film is based on a true story.