The Night of the Generals

The Night of the Generals
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anatole Litvak
Produced by	Sam Spiegel
Written by	Paul Dehn Joseph Kessel Gore Vidal (uncredited)
Starring	Peter O'Toole Omar Sharif Tom Courtenay Donald Pleasence Joanna Pettet Philippe Noiret
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Cinematography	Henri Decaë
Editing by	Alan Osbiston
Studio	Horizon Pictures Filmsonor
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	29 January 1967 (London) 2 February (NYC) 24 February (US)
Running time	148 minutes
Country	United Kingdom France
Language	English

The Night of the Generals is a 1967 suspense thriller film directed by Anatole Litvak. Set during World War II, the story was adapted from the novel of the same name by Hans Hellmut Kirst.^[1] It stars Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom Courtenay, Donald Pleasence, Joanna Pettet and Philippe Noiret.

The film was produced by Sam Spiegel and, with a musical score by Maurice Jarre. The screenplay was written by Paul Dehn and Joseph Kessel. Gore Vidal also contributed to the screenplay but was uncredited. Much of the film, a British/French co-production, was shot on location in Warsaw, which was exceptionally rare for a major Western film at the height of the Cold War.

Plot

The murder of a prostitute in Nazi-occupied Warsaw in 1942 draws Abwehr Major Grau (Omar Sharif) into an investigation where the evidence points to the killer being one of three German general officers: General von Seydlitz-Gabler (Charles Gray), General Kahlenberg (Donald Pleasence), his chief of staff, and General Tanz (Peter O'Toole). Grau's investigation is cut short by his summary transfer to Paris at the instigation of these officers.

The case remains closed until all three officers meet in Paris in July 1944. Paris is a hotbed of intrigue, with senior Wehrmacht officers plotting to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Kahlenberg is deeply involved in the plot, while von Seydlitz-Gabler, who is aware of its existence, is sitting on the fence, awaiting the outcome. Tanz, who is unaware of the plot, remains loyal to the Führer.

Tanz's driver Kurt Hartmann (Tom Courtenay) witnesses the aftermath of his commander's butchery of a second prostitute on the night of July 19, 1944. Tanz tells Hartmann to run away; realizing that it would be his word against that of a general, Hartmann takes his advice. When Grau, who is now a Lieutenant Colonel, learns of the murder, committed in the same manner as the first, he resumes his investigation and concludes that Tanz is the killer. However, his timing is unfortunate. On July 20, 1944, the assassination attempt takes place. When Grau accuses Tanz face to face, the general kills the detective and labels him as one of the plot conspirators to cover his tracks.

After the war, the murder of a third prostitute in Hamburg in 1965 draws the attention of Interpol Inspector Morand (Philippe Noiret). Morand owes a debt of gratitude to Grau for not revealing his connection to the French Resistance during the war. Morand confronts Tanz at a reunion dinner for Tanz's former panzer division. When Morand produces Hartmann as his witness, Tanz goes into a vacant room and shoots himself.

Cast

• Peter O'Toole as Generalleutnant Tanz
• Omar Sharif as Major / Oberstleutnant Grau
• Tom Courtenay as Gefreiter Kurt Hartmann
• Donald Pleasence as Generalmajor Kahlenberg
• Joanna Pettet as Ulrike von Seydlitz-Gabler
• Philippe Noiret as Inspector Morand
• Charles Gray as General der Infanterie von Seydlitz-Gabler
• Coral Browne as Eleonore von Seydlitz-Gabler
• John Gregson as Oberst Sandauer
• Nigel Stock as Feldwebel Otto Köpke
• Christopher Plummer as Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
• Juliette Gréco as Juliette
• Yves Brainville as Liesowski
• Sacha Pitoëff as Doctor
• Charles Millot as Wionczek
• Raymond Gerome as Colonel [War Room]
• Véronique Vendell as Monique
• Pierre Mondy as Kopatski
• Eléonore Hirt as Melanie
• Nicole Courcel as Raymonde
• Jenny Orleans as Otto's Wife
• Gérard Buhr as Von Stauffenberg
• Michael Goodliffe as Hauser
• Gordon Jackson as Hauptmann Engel
• Patrick Allen as Oberst Mannheim

The film includes three cameos appearances by actors portraying historical figures. The first is Christopher Plummer, who makes a brief appearance as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The second is Harry Andrews, who makes an appearance as General Karl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel, the German Military Governor of Occupied France in 1944. Finally, Gérard Buhr appears as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the officer who carried the bomb into Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia on the morning of July 20, 1944.

Cultural impact

On March 29, 1968, The Night of the Generals was screened at several Cinelândia movie theaters in order to protest the murder of 18-year-old high school student Edson Luís de Lima Souto by the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro. Phrases such as "Does bullets kill hunger?", "Old people in power, young people in coffin", and "They killed a student... what if it was your son?" were written by protesters in the movie posters. The aftermath of Edson Luís' death was one of the first major public protests against the Brazilian military dictatorship^[2].

References

1. ^ Variety film review; February 1, 1967, page 6.
2. ^ (Portuguese) "Brasil 1968: "Mataram um estudante. Podia ser seu filho", Esquerda.Net, May 12, 2008 (originally published in O Globo on March 2, 2008).

External links

• The Night of the Generals at the Internet Movie Database
• The Night of the Generals at the TCM Movie Database
• The Night of the Generals at AllRovi