Little was know about the real Rommel when this movie was made. Von Stroheim played him as a Prussian arrogant aristocrat, imperious, self aggrandizing, and over confident. This was quite different from the James Mason character, Rommel, in the 1950s, a thoughtful considerate military genius who tried to kill Hitler. Well, surprise, the Von Stroheim character was closer to historical truth. The real Rommel was a Nazi who made his way up in the military by brown nosing Hitler. He was arrogant, overconfident, and disliked by his subordinates (and he wasn't in the plot to kill Hitler). He certainly was a superior general, but no genius. He lost in North Africa and he abandoned his troops when they faced heavy losses. Closer to Von Stroheim than Mason, for sure.
This movie is mainly about how this arrogant man who thinks he is a teutonic Napoleon gets his comeuppance from lowly people. As such it is very good. The cast is very superior. I especially liked the easy-to-hate Von Stroheim, Fortunio Bonanova, and Peter van Eyck. Van Eyck played a Nazi officer in so many later movies, that I was surprised to see him in an American film made during the war. Wow! he was really on our side.
This movie is mainly about how this arrogant man who thinks he is a teutonic Napoleon gets his comeuppance from lowly people. As such it is very good. The cast is very superior. I especially liked the easy-to-hate Von Stroheim, Fortunio Bonanova, and Peter van Eyck. Van Eyck played a Nazi officer in so many later movies, that I was surprised to see him in an American film made during the war. Wow! he was really on our side.