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The movie covers al-Mukhtar's final years of resistance, his capture, and his eventual execution by the Italian fascist regime.

The film features a notable score by , performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra . Notable tracks include: Omar The Teacher Desert Ambush The Death of Omar March of Freedom Lion of the Desert (1980) - IMDb

Anthony Quinn as Omar al-Mukhtar and Oliver Reed as General Rodolfo Graziani.

The film—and historical accounts—often cite al-Mukhtar's defiant final words to his captors: "We will never surrender. We win or we die."

"You will have to fight the next generation, and the next... and I will live longer than my hangman."

It was famously banned in Italy until 2009 for being "damaging to the honor" of the Italian army. Famous "Lion of the Desert" Quotes

Born around 1860, al-Mukhtar was a Sufi teacher and Quranic scholar who became the amir of the Libyan resistance. Despite his advanced age, he led a highly effective guerrilla campaign against the superior Italian military. He was eventually captured and executed in 1931 at the age of 73.

Moustapha Akkad, who also directed the Islamic epic The Message .