With my recent attention to the Bolt Action wargame, I have rekindled some interest in the North Africa theatre of WWII. As a result, I have been looking for any movies or media that is worth watching in that setting. Admittedly, most of what I am finding is very old – most of the Hollywood focus is on the European or Pacific wars, and not much seems to be in the deserts. This is out of a curiosity and sense of interest – already discovering a few facts I either didn’t know or had forgotten.
I started with one of my favorites (which isn’t actually North Africa), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). With a bit of digging, I found The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951), and Sahara (1943), I have watched both already and they are passable, though very basic given the years they were produced. There is a 1995 remake of Sahara with Jim Belushi I am going to try next, and The Desert Rats (1953) which I haven’t been able to locate yet.
I know there are several movies that are adjacent to the subject – the Tom Cruise movie (Valkyrie, 2008) is the one that jumps out in my memory, but I am more looking for British military history rather than German events.
If there are any other suggestions, let me know and I will see what I can find. Alternatively, I may be reduced to reading (gasp), since there seems to not be much other option, or just expand my focus to the rest of the time period.
