Crete (actually the Alpes Maritimes, Southern France), 1944. Two plucky English soldiers, Dirk Bogarde and David Oxley, hatch a plan to kidnap a senior German officer and take him to Africa. It's a true story. But it seems Emeric wanted a more factual telling and Michael wanted romance and adventure added in.. and they never agreed, in fact fell out so badly that their partnership was dissolved. (The film was made with them barely speaking - Emeric oversaw the post-production.) Perhaps as a result, it's probably one of their least successful films.
But what remains is still entirely watchable, though the schoolboy humour seems forced. Christopher Challis's photography is wonderful, often in deep focus as we're high up, looking down. The actual kidnap is handled well. The film picks up towards the end, as they attempt to reach the coast, the German (Marius Goring) attempting to shed bits of his belongings to leave a trail, then trying to bribe a local boy to betray the English. Cyril Cusack's character is ghastly.
Paul Stassino and Christopher Lee appear briefly, and David McCallum (uncredited).
The music by Mikis Theodorakis brings something new. Arthur Stevens is the editor.
No comments:
Post a Comment