Excellent adaptation of the famous book with Peter O’Toole in superb form as the sporting noble who tries to take a crack at Hitler. There’s no hooker with the heart of gold in this one – like the book there are flashbacks to O’Toole’s old love, killed by the Germans. It’s also more violent – we see how badly O’Toole is tortured, and there’s no denying he kills the German in cold blood at the end (cf in Man Hunt Walter Pidgeon’s killing of George Sanders had to be softened by showing that Sanders was going to shoot Pidgeon.)
Alistair Sim, in one of his final performances, plays O’Toole’s well-connected uncle. He’s very good as indeed are most of the support cast: the kindly fat German who helps him, the taciturn first mate (Mark McManus), the Jewish lawyer (great speaking voice – Harold Pinter!), the chubby lawyer assistant (Hugh Manning), and most of all the jovial assassin (John Standing).
But the star through and through is O’Toole – he was at his best playing cracked aristocrats, brave and smart but a bit mad. The ending is very exciting, with Standing trying to charm O’Toole into signing a confession, making like they are great friends and brothers – then getting conked out in cold blood. (My memories of watching this were vivid: the fingernails, hiding on a boat, that finale.)
Occasionally it’s let down by the fact it’s made for television – there are these crappy telemovie music stings and cuts, and it lacks that extra gloss which comes with a feature. It’s a shame – this is better than a lot of movies O’Toole made. Another minor gripe – I wish it was a bit lighter in that cave so we could have a better look at the weapon he makes.
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