Perfect cast and a good story

Excellent adaptation.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

If, as a boy, you came across this as a random showing on local TV, it stayed with you. There's something about the desert setting; the discovery of treasure; and the bonding of protagonists sharing a common urgency against a defined enemy, that stays with you. I remember watching with my older brother. I'm 65 at this entry. Older brother is dead now. But when I think of this modestly budgeted movie (which I've only seen twice), I remember it fondly for it's adventurous setting and my brother explaining things about the tank and it's machine gun.Today, it might be easy to dismiss this film as a low-budget time-filler. But don't. Watch it. It will bring about a sense of comforting simplicity. You'll want to be inside that old Afrika Corps tank. You'll want to be with the cast. You'll want to help them make decisions to help save their lives. Keep watching and let your imagination drift inside that old tank. Join them ... and vanish into 1953, when we believed and trusted our government.

I believe this was one of the old movies bought up by Ted Turner as part of the MGM library he bought some years ago. I have a copy on VHS tape from a late night run on Turner's TNT network. It is without doubt that the movie was shot on a tight budget. For instance we only see the plane crash from a head on inside view of the plane. You could even tell that at impact not all of the actors lurched forward at the same time. When they find the German tank it's hull machine gun is gone and only a hole exists in the hull were it used to be. The machine gun they use is located in the turrent and they have no ammunition for the main gun. It is doubtful that even if they could get the engine running that the wheels and track would move since the grease would have dried up years before. But in spite of these budget/story shortcomings the movie is pretty good overall. I felt the cast did as good a job as possible all things considered. Overall I would rather watch this low budget movie from the early 50's then many of the low budget movies cranked out today using computer generated special effects which also seem to substitute for decent acting and an original storyline.

I watched it on black and white TV in the late 50s or early 60s in Minnesota. My dad, brother, and I sat glued to our seats munching homemade popcorn during the whole thing.The closest thing I've seen to it lately is: "Flight of the Phoenix". Steel lady was far more believable. The old plane, old tank, and action were great. It was a real rush for a collector of old military stuff and old car nut. There is a shot of an ART-13 radio transmitter in the back of the cockpit before the crash.As to the possibility of getting a tank running after being burried for decades, the Confederate Air Force, and others have flown B-29s and a B-47 out of china lake NWC that had been sitting in the desert just as long. Usually an oil change, gassing up, a fresh battery, and repairing vandalism was all it took to get them back in the air. Most tanks used 28 volt (nominally 24 VDC) batteries, as did the planes. Oil and avgas from the plane would work for the tank. It would not take a rocket scientist to get a tank going in a day or so. Much more credible than the redesign and remanufacture shown in "Flight of the Phoenix". I like both movies, but give the Steel Lady a higher mark for technical correctness.I would surely like to get a copy on tape or DVD to relive a pleasant sunday afternoon of my salad years.Larry Backer

When I watch a movie like this one, I am not just watching a movie, I'm re-experiencing the simplicity of the early fifties. The details are not important. In 1953, we were convinced that radiation could produce tomatoes the size of Buicks. The improbability of restarting a WWII German tank buried in sand for 10 years would not have been an issue. I would take the simplicity of the fifties over the sophistication of the present any day. But then I watch movies for release, I go to work for reality.