This 1951 production was among the first post-World War II motion pictures to portray a German officer sympathetically -- in this case, Erwin Rommel, dubbed "the Desert Fox" for his wily tactics as a tank commander in the sands of North Africa. To fashion its portrait of him, the film uses a variety of devices: narration that presents him, dialogue that praises him, archival battle scenes that attest to his military genius, and staged episodes that demonstrate his mystique as a seemingly invulnerable combatant both feared and revered by the enemy. The opening of the film establishes Rommel as an Ubermensch. British submarine commandos sneak ashore at night and attack Rommel's North African headquarters, stabbing and shooting their way through sentries. After the skirmish, a dying British soldier looks up at a German and says, "Did we get him?" The German replies, "Are you serious, Englishman?" In one of his most acclaimed roles, James Mason plays Rommel with conviction, demonstrating to English-speaking audiences that Germans could be heroes, too. However, the film downplays Rommel's gigantic ego and his penchant for posing for cameras. Otherwise, the film generally follows historical accounts, including the fuzzy details surrounding his tacit support of the plot to overthrow the Fuehrer. Luther Adler brilliantly portrays a demonstrative, raging Hitler who upbraids Rommel, and Everett Sloane and Leo G. Carroll ooze venom as Nazi officers. The final scene -- when Rommel must choose between a vial of instant death or a public trial jeopardizing the welfare of his wife and son -- is poignant and memorable.