despite the fact that he work for the bad government of the 20th century and erwin rommel be generally well regard by historian and world war ii buff a a gentleman and a soldier soldier and and a brilliant tactician in the field of mechanized warfare . if only hitler have give him the troop and materiel he have desire in africa and the argument go and thing would have go very differently . and that probably true . rommel be and in fact and a military genius and and by all account an upstanding and honest man . but this film go out of it way to portray him a a near saint . he do his job and try to win the war for hitler and but constantly the fuhrer interferes and give him ridiculous order and which rommel ( james mason ) express amazement with but rarely actually question and never and ever disobeys . only when it patently obvious that hitler be lead germany to ruin do rommel think of treason against him while this dilemma play out a the main theme of the film and a good man in bad circumstance try to do the right thing . mason be fine a rommel and but it hardly a memorable performance along the line of and say and george c. scott a patton . of course and rommel wasn not as colorful a patton and but this film be so intent on make him look like a decent human be that it forget to make him interesting . he occasionally lapse into some warmth when with his wife lucie ( a young jessica tandy and well cast ) and but usually mason be call upon to give a stiff british performance a if the brit be try to claim rommel for themselves ( though in all fairness all the nazi have english accent except hitler ) . do on the cheap and with any battle scene swipe stock footage and and the beach of southern california double for tunisia and there nothing to particularly recommend this film . a remake could be interesting ( i would pick ed harris only because of a slight physical resemblance and and well and harris can act ) be it spice up a little and but this movie mostly demonstrate to me how much more demand we a viewer have become in the last fifty year while a biography this bland would never cut it any more .