Desert Commandos (Italian: Attentato ai tre grandi) is a 1967 French/Italian/West German international co-production war film set during World War II in Morocco where it was filmed. The Italian title (Attack on the Big Three) refers to a German commando group with a mission to assassinate Churchill, Roosevelt and de Gaulle at the Casablanca Conference.

Desert Commandos
Italian film poster
Attentato ai tre grandi
Directed byUmberto Lenzi
Screenplay byUmberto Lenzi[1]
Story byUmberto Lenzi[1]
Produced byAlberto Grimaldi
Starring
CinematographyCarlo Carlini[1]
Edited byEugenio Alabiso[1]
Music byAngelo Francesco Lavagnino[1]
Production
companies
  • PEA
  • Constantin Film
  • Films Ege[1]
Distributed byPEA
Constantin Film
Release dates
1 December 1967 (Italy)
  • 15 March 1968 (1968-03-15) (West Germany)
Running time
96 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Italy
  • France
  • West Germany[1]
LanguageItalian

The film is a character-based drama that focuses on the German soldiers' various drives and conflicts during encounters with Tuareg nomads, and French and American soldiers.

Plot

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The grief-stricken Captain Fritz Schoeller has assisted his terminally ill wife with her wishes for euthanasia. A party of men whisk him from his wife's funeral, not for arrest, but to be briefed on a special mission he will lead. The Captain, Lt. Roland Wolf, Sgt. Erich Huber, Corporal Hans Ludwig and Private Willy Mainz are all skilled in commando tactics and have excellent English language skills. They are dressed in British Commando uniforms and parachuted into Morocco where Faddja Hassen, an Arab woman will guide them to Casablanca where they will assassinate Allied leaders.

Cast

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Release

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The film was released in West Germany on March 15, 1968, as Fünf gegen Casablanca.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Cowie & Elley 1977, p. 300.
  2. ^ "Fünf gegen Casablanca". Filmportal.de. Retrieved July 30, 2017.

Sources

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