36 Hours (1964 film)

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36 Hours (1965 film)
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For the 1953 film of the same name, see 36 Hours (1953 film).
36 Hours
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Seaton
Screenplay byGeorge Seaton
Story by
  • Carl K. Hittleman
  • Luis Vance
Based on"Beware of the Dog"
by Roald Dahl
Produced byWilliam Perlberg
Starring
CinematographyPhilip H. Lathrop
Edited byAdrienne Fazan
Music byDimitri Tiomkin
Production
companies
  • Perlberg-Seaton Productions[1]
  • Cherokee Productions[1]
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer[1]
Release dates
  • November 26, 1964 (1964-11-26) (London)
  • December 15, 1964 (1964-12-15) (Pittsburgh)
  • February 19, 1965 (1965-02-19) (United States)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.2 million[2]

36 Hours is a 1964 American

army doctor tries to obtain vital information from an American military intelligence officer by convincing him that it is 1950 and World War II
is long over.

Plot

Having attended

Pas de Calais
. He is abducted and transported to Germany.

Pike wakes up in what looks like a U.S. Army hospital. His hair is graying, and he needs glasses to read. He is told it is May 1950 and he is in post-war occupied Germany. Psychiatrist Major Walter Gerber explains that Pike has been having episodes of amnesia since he was tortured in Lisbon. He advises Pike that his blocked memories have always resurfaced, helped along by a therapy of remembering events prior to Lisbon and then pushing forward into the blank period. Various props including U.S. Army jeeps and uniforms, baseball, and fake letters, newspaper and radio broadcasts, are used to carefully convince Pike that the year is 1950 and that he is among fellow Americans. He is assisted by a German nurse, the dispassionate Anna Hedler. Pike is taken in by the deception. As part of his "therapy," he recounts the critical details of the invasion plans, including the location and the date, June 5, to his eager listeners.

When Pike notices a nearly invisible paper cut he got the day he left for Lisbon, he realizes that he has been deceived. He confirms it by tricking an "American" soldier into reflexively snapping to attention in the German manner. He confronts Anna, who admits that the date is June 2, 1944. She was recruited from a

concentration camp
because she was a nurse and spoke English.

Pike instructs Anna to tell Gerber that he was onto the plot, while he makes a feeble attempt to escape. Quickly recaptured, he states that he realized what was going on soon after waking up due to his paper cut. Gerber does not believe him. After two days of interrogation, however, Pike and Anna convince SS agent Schack, who never believed the deception would work. Schack is sure the invasion will be at the Pas de Calais. Gerber, however, sets the clock forward in Pike and Anna's room so they think it is the morning of June 5, then states that the Germans have been surprised at Normandy. Pike lets his guard down and confirms it. Gerber sends an emergency dispatch, but the weather on June 5 is so bad that Eisenhower postpones the invasion a day (which actually occurred). By midday June 5, Gerber has been discredited and Schack orders his arrest.

Gerber knows that Schack will kill them to cover his own blunder when the Allies do finally land at Normandy. Gerber helps Anna and Pike escape, asking Pike to take his groundbreaking research on amnesiacs with him. When the invasion begins the next morning, he laughs at Schack when he arrives, revealing that he has taken poison and pointing out that Schack will likely be liquidated. Schack pursues the escapees on his own, too hurried to wait for troops.

The couple flee to a local minister, who Pike knows had helped downed RAF pilots escape to nearby Switzerland. The minister is away, but his housekeeper Elsa introduces them to a jovially corrupt German border guard, Sgt. Ernst Furzen. Pike and Anna bribe him with his watch and her rings to get them across the border. Furzen gives Elsa one of the rings. Schack shows up at the minister's after Furzen and the couple have left for the border — he recognizes Anna's ring on Elsa's finger and forces her to reveal where they have gone. Schack catches up at the border, but Furzen shoots him and arranges Schack's body to make it look as if he had been killed while trying to escape himself.

Safely in Switzerland, Pike and Anna are put in separate cars. Anna cries as they part, her first display of emotion in years.

Cast

In addition, James Doohan – still a year away from taking on the role of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television series Star Trek – makes a brief uncredited appearance as Bishop, clerk to the Colonel MacLean character.

Production

Most of the film was shot in Yosemite National Park.[4] Exterior shots were filmed at the Wawona Hotel near the entrance of Yosemite National Park.

Reception

Critical

36 Hours received largely positive reviews upon its initial release. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10.[5]

Domestic reviews

The New Yorker called the film an "ingenious thriller" and praised Garner, Saint, and Taylor for being "plausible in highly implausible roles."[6] Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News gave the film a full four-star rating and said that "the plot is cleverly and believably worked out on the screen, and the excitement of the intelligence operation is augmented by the limited time the Germans have at their disposal to brainwash their prisoner into believing he has had a form of amnesia that has blotted out six years of his life."[7] A user of the Mae Tinee pseudonym wrote that "unfortunately, the plot is al- most too complicated, with Eva Marie Saint, a former inmate of a concentration camp, and Rod Taylor, as the psychiatrist, battling their better instincts; and a greedy traitor clowning clumsily in the finale. However, it's a moderately good yarn."[8] Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times said that "the audience is in on the hoax from the beginning, so I am not divulging too much. Up to this point the picture is tinglingly suspenseful: 1t is suspenseful afterward, too, but with so many contrivances of melodrama, in the old-fashioned Hitchcock manner, that it ends up having more twists than a German pretzel. Yet even though it may become too clever for its own good or at least for credibility's sake it is still the stuff of movies."[9] Henry T. Murdock of The Philadelphia Inquirer said that "the clever Perlberg-Seaton team plays fair with its audience and plants its major clue right in front. Once you get that clue, the strategy should become apparent.[10] Sandra Saunders wrote in the Philadelphia Daily News that "the full impact of the bizarre situation is weakened by the fact that the audience is in on all the details from the beginning. However, tension and suspense mount steadily as Garner innocently falls into the trap, accidentally discovers he's been duped and then launches a "game" of his own to befuddle the Nazis. Garner, whose flair for screen comedy is well established, comes through equally well in the highly dramatic role of the desperate American officer. I Taylor also is impressive as the German doctor, a humanitarian torn between his natural instincts and his loyalty to his country."[11] Louis Cook of the Detroit Free Press said that "after awhile '36 Hours' begins telegraphing its minutes but even then it maintains a certain interest. And up to the point where the actors start spilling the beans about how it's all going to come out, there is an immense amount of absorbing ingenuity in the picture."[12] Louis R. Cedrone, Jr. wrote in The Evening Sun of Baltimore, that "when it is about half over and the gimmick has run its course, '36 Hours' becomes Just another spy drama, but a good enough one as they go."[13] Myles Standish, in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, caled the film "a bizarre and intriguing [spy melodrama], with a fantastic espionage plot and an exciting duel of wits. He noted:

Some critics have said it is absurd that the Nazis would set up such an elaborate and expensive hoax just to delude one prisoner. Well, it wasn't too expensive for Perlberg to set up to make the picture, and certainly learning the Allied Invasion plans was vastly more important to the Nazis than this picture to Perlberg. Besides, it is implied the Nazis used the same setup to trap a number of prisoners. It was far wiser to get Information willingly and unknowingly than under torture, because Allied intelligence threw out so many false leads Nazi intelligence couldn't tell which information was true and which false (the Nazis actually learned the point of invasion and didn't believe it). Seaton has kept the pace taut, and the plot full of surprises. Garner, Taylor, Miss Saint and Werner Peters as a Nazi intelligence officer all deliver trenchant performances.[14]

Stanley Eichelbaum of the San Francisco Examiner described 36 Hours as "a mighty tense and exciting suspense film",[15] while Marjorie Adams of The Boston Globe said it "lives up to what most people expect of the men who made 'Counterfeit Traitor' and 'The Bridges of Toko-Ri' in that it deals with fast action, intriguing characterization and a logical conclusion. It is the kind of cinema in which heroes are real heroes, not ambivalent adventurers. You know you'd never be as brave as Major Jefferson Pike, but just the same, you'd like to be."[16] Thomas Blakely of The Pittsburgh Press said that the film "bristles with action and suspense most of the way" and that "top performances abound" in it.[17] Lee McInerney of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote:

THE TWO funniest words in films today are, "Heil, Hitler." What a bungler he was. His top staff officials knew the when and where of the Allied invasion of France, yet on June 6th, 1944, who was in the wrong place? The Germans were. And who—ha—won the war? Ah yes, the comfort of victory is a big comfort, and helps the enjoyment of the suspense- drama, "36 Hours," which is all about what the first paragraph here is about. The film carries pretty well.

The Miami Herald said that the film "ticks off the minutes at a fascinating pace in an espionage suspense drama with a unique twist."[31] Brainard Hall of The Journal-Herald said the film was "loaded with suspense and good acting.[32]

In the opinion of

The Toronto Star said that "though the movie is kept constantly alive by director George Seaton and is never less than entertaining, the second half is a disappointment after the first. It doesn't ring true, not because there weren't such people, but because it is presented with a cloying, sanctimonious patness."[39]

International reviews

Dick Richards of the

London Evening Standard had a more reserved welcome to the film, saying that "Seaton's direction is not as sharp as the idea deserves and the Germans fall into stock Nazi types" but that "the suspense is strong and there Is a nice irony when the Germans, filling In their prisoner about how the war ended, just happen to Invent a bomb plot against Hitler."[43] Colin Bennett of the Australian newspaper The Age called the film "a startlingly clever wartime thriller."[44]

Comments from James Garner

Garner wrote in his memoirs that he felt "the movie doesn't work because there's no suspense; everybody knew that in real life the D-Day invasion was a success and that we'd won the war", but he did enjoy working with Saint and George Seaton.[45]

Background

Banner's role, which provided the comedy relief in 36 Hours, was the role model for his easy-going German soldier POW camp guard Sgt. Hans Schultz in the television series Hogan's Heroes (1965–71). Coincidentally, Sig Ruman played a similar POW camp guard named Sgt. Schultz in the William Holden feature film Stalag 17 (1953).

Remake

The film was remade as a 1989 television film, Breaking Point, starring Corbin Bernsen.[46]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "AFI|Catalog".
  2. ^ This figure consists of anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Top Grossers of 1965", Variety, January 5, 1966, p. 36, and Stephen Vagg, Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood, Bear Manor Media, 2010, p. 104
  3. ^ "Beware of the Dog". by Roald Dahl
  4. ^ Stephen Vagg, Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood (Bear Manor Media, 2010) p. 103
  5. ^ "36 Hours". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 9, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  6. ^ http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1965-06-19 (subscription required)
  7. ^ Cameron, Kate (January 29, 1965). "Suspense Thriller at Music Hall". Daily News. New York, New York, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  8. ^ Tinee, Mae (February 1, 1965). "Exciting Film, '36 Hours', Is Cunning Tale". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  9. ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (February 18, 1965). "'36 Hours', Thriller About Daring Hoax". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Murdock, Henry T. (February 4, 1965). "At The Stanton: Garner's '36 Hours' Is Ingenious Thriller". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  11. ^ Saunders, Sandra (February 4, 1965). "'36 Hours, a Spy Thriller, Now Playing at Stanton". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Cook, Louis (March 4, 1965). "Will Garner Crack? He Has Only '36 Hours'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  13. The Evening Sun
    . Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Standish, Myles (May 7, 1965). "The New Films". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Eichelbaum, Stanley (February 25, 1965). "The Fantastic Suspense of '36 Hours'". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Adams, Marjorie (February 4, 1965). "'36 Hours': Garner and Rod Taylor in Espionage Picture". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  17. ^ Blakely, Thomas (February 11, 1965). "D-Day Intrigue in '36 Hours'". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  18. ^ McInerney, Lee (February 11, 1955). "Stanley Has New Suspense Film—It's 36 Hours". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  19. Buffalo Evening News
    . February 6, 1965. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  20. ^ Humphreys, Henry S. (March 18, 1965). "Critic Interviews Strolling Czech Pianist—Ivan Moravec". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  21. ^ Stevens, Dale (March 19, 1965). "'Pinocchio' Puppets Booked Into Shubert". The Cincinnati Post. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  22. ^ Richards, Connie (February 13, 1965). "Grim '36 Hours' Opens at Warner". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  23. ^ Howard, Edwin (February 13, 1965). "'36 Hours' Details Bizarre Spy Plot". Memphis Press-Scimitar. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  24. ^ Moore, Charles (February 12, 1965). "'36 Hours' a Psychiatric Tale Of D-Day Intrigue in War II". The Atlanta Constitution. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  25. ^ Lucchese, Sam F. (February 15, 1965). "New World War II Drama Full of Excitement, Thrills". The Atlanta Journal. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  26. ^ Nazzaro, William T. (February 19, 1965). "'36 Hours' Proves Good Production". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  27. The Courier-Journal
    . Louisvile, Kentucky, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  28. ^ Fowler, Giles M. (January 31, 1965). "'36 Hours'...Two Hours on Tenterhooks". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  29. ^ Weaver, Emmett (February 11, 1965). "Horror, Suspense and War Films Give Good Variety". Birmingham Post-Herald. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  30. ^ Walrath, Jean (February 6, 1965). "'36 Hours' Taut, Tidy Spy Yarn". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  31. The Miami Herald
    . Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  32. ^ Hall, Braniard (February 17, 1965). "Garner Turns To Drama In Intriguing '36 Hours'". The Journal-Herald. Dayton, Ohio, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  33. ^ Bosley Crowther (January 29, 1965). "Screen: Contrived Trapping of Spies:Perlberg-Seaton Offer '36 Hours,' a Drama". The New York Times.
  34. The Sun
    . Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  35. The Minneapolis Tribune
    . Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  36. The Minneapolis Star
    . Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  37. ^ Michelson, Herb (March 5, 1965). "Stage and Screen: Ditched Beachhead". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  38. ^ Holley, Jack (February 27, 1965). "Plot in '36 Hours' Weak". Evening World-Herald. Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  39. The Toronto Star
    . Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  40. ^ Richards, Dick (November 27, 1964). "POP GOES A MUSICAL—that could have been so much better; An offbeat battle of wits". Daily Mirror. London, England, United Kingdom. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  41. ^ Roud, Richard (November 27, 1964). "New Films in London". The Guardian. Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  42. ^ Gibbs, Patrick (November 27, 1964). "The Agent's Not for Bluffing". The Daily Telegraph. London, England, United Kingdom. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  43. Evening Standard
    . London, England, United Kingdom. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  44. ^ Bennett, Colin (February 8, 1965). "Wartime Thriller of D-Day". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  45. ^ Garner, James; Winokur, Jon (2011). The Garner Files: A Memoir. Simon & Schuster. p. 255.
  46. Indianapolis Star
    . Retrieved November 8, 2010.

External links

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