The Night of the Generals

The Night of the Generals
File:Night Generals.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anatole Litvak
Produced by	Sam Spiegel
Screenplay by	Joseph Kessel Paul Dehn
Based on	The Night of the Generals 1962 novel by Hans Hellmut Kirst and an incident written by James Hadley Chase
Starring	Peter O'Toole Omar Sharif Tom Courtenay Donald Pleasence Joanna Pettet Philippe Noiret
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Cinematography	Henri Decaë
Edited by	Alan Osbiston
Production company	Horizon Pictures Filmsonor
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	29 January 1967 (1967-01-29) (UK)
Running time	145 minutes
Country	United Kingdom France
Language	English
Box office	$2,400,000 (US/ Canada rentals)

The Night of the Generals is a 1967 Franco-British Second World War crime mystery film directed by Anatole Litvak and produced by Sam Spiegel. It stars Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom Courtenay, Donald Pleasence, Joanna Pettet and Philippe Noiret. The screenplay by Joseph Kessel and Paul Dehn was loosely based on the beginning of the novel of the same name by German author Hans Hellmut Kirst. The writing credits also include the line "based on an incident written by James Hadley Chase". Gore Vidal is said to have contributed to the screenplay, but wasn't credited.

The musical score was composed by Maurice Jarre. Much of the film was shot in Warsaw, which was exceptionally rare for a major western film at the height of the Cold War. The last scenes of the film were shot in Munich.

Plot

The murder of a prostitute in German-occupied Warsaw in 1942 causes Abwehr Major Grau (Omar Sharif) to start an investigation, as she was also a German agent. His evidence soon 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, however, is cut short by his summary transfer to Paris at the instigation of these officers.

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

On the night of 19 July 1944, Tanz orders his driver, Kurt Hartmann (Tom Courtenay), to procure a prostitute; Tanz butchers her so as to implicate Hartmann, but offers Hartmann the chance to desert, which he accepts. 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, because the very next day, the assassination attempt against Hitler takes place. So when Grau accuses Tanz face to face, the general kills Grau and labels him as one of the plot conspirators to cover his tracks.

Many years after the war, the murder of a prostitute in Hamburg in 1965 draws the attention of Interpol Inspector Morand (Philippe Noiret), who owes a debt of gratitude to Grau for not revealing his connection to the French Resistance during the war. Almost certain there is a connection to Grau's 1942 case, Morand reopens the cold case and the film begins to shift between the Europe of the 1960s and the Europe of the 1940s.

Years later, Morand begins to tie up the loose ends: he finds no criminal activity from Kahlenberg or Seydlitz-Gabler, but learns of one man who knew which man is the real killer. 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 General Wilhelm Tanz
• Omar Sharif as Major (Colonel) Grau
• Tom Courtenay as Corporal Kurt Hartmann
• Donald Pleasence as General Klaus Kahlenberge
• Joanna Pettet as Ulrike von Seydlitz-Gabler
• Philippe Noiret as Inspector Morand
• Charles Gray as General Herbert von Seidlitz-Gabler
• Coral Browne as Eleonore von Seydlitz-Gabler
• John Gregson as Colonel Sandauer
• Nigel Stock as Sergeant Otto Köpke
• Christopher Plummer as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
• Juliette Gréco as Juliette
• Yves Brainville as Liesowski
• Sacha Pitoëff as Doctor
• Charles Millot as Wionczek
• Raymond Gerome as Colonel in 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 Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
• Michael Goodliffe as Hauser
• Gordon Jackson as Captain Gottfried Engel
• Patrick Allen as Colonel Mannheim
• Harry Andrews as General Karl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel

External links

• The Night of the Generals in the British Film Institute's "Explore film..." database
• The Night of the Generals at the British Board of Film Classification
• The Night of the Generals at IMDb
• The Night of the Generals at the TCM Movie Database
• The Night of the Generals at AllMovie