Tobruk (1967 film)
Tobruk | |
---|---|
Directed by | Arthur Hiller |
Written by | Leo V. Gordon |
Produced by | Gene Corman |
Starring | Rock Hudson George Peppard Guy Stockwell Nigel Green |
Cinematography | Russell Harlan |
Edited by | Robert C. Jones |
Music by | Bronisław Kaper |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production companies | Gibraltar Productions The Corman Company |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 109 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $6 million[1] |
Box office | $2,000,000 (US/Canada)[2] |
Tobruk is a 1967 American
Set in North Africa during the
Plot
In September 1942, Rommel's
The author of the plan, Canadian-born
.Colonel Harker explains they have eight days to get to Tobruk and destroy the fuel depot and German fortress artillery pieces protecting the harbour, before a scheduled amphibious landing and a bombing raid on the city by the
Craig is highly skeptical of the operation, claiming that "Staff has a genius for sitting on its brains and coming up with perfect hindsight", stating that "When I submitted the plan we could have blown up the fuel bunkers with a handful of men. How in hell are we supposed to get through their defenses now?" While warning Craig not to let personal differences of opinion interfere with the operation, Colonel Harker also reveals that he was the genius with perfect hindsight who convinced Staff to approve Craig's original plan which would now be "maximum effort, land, sea and air".
On the way, they encounter a patrol of Italian tanks, which stops a short distance from where they are resting in a gully. Later that night,
To avoid detection the next day, Craig safely guides them through a German
The prisoners turn out to be British traitors Henry Portman (
That night, the Portmans are told by a mysterious SIG member about the British masquerade and where to find a gun and a map to an underground telephone cable nearby where they can contact German command in Tobruk and alert them to the British column and upcoming attack. When they reach the telephone, however, they are spotted by an Italian patrol. Henry Portman fires at the patrol and is killed, while his daughter is seriously wounded.
Harker sends Bergman and Sergeant Krug (Leo Gordon) after the Portmans where they retrieve Cheryl from the Italians. When Krug asks how they knew about the telephone, Bergman replies, "Very simple. One among us is the enemy". Harker has Bergman and his men disarmed and then gives Bergman two hours to identify his traitor. The traitor kills Cheryl Portman so she cannot reveal his identity. Lieutenant Max Mohnfeld (Guy Stockwell), Bergman's second in command, appears from the tunnel the Portmans used to escape. He states the traitor is down the shaft. They find Corporal Bruckner (Robert Wolders), one of Bergman's closest friends for ten years, stabbed to death. Cheryl Portman had died from cyanide, and Bruckner's suicide tablet is missing. Bergman, however, is not convinced his friend was the traitor.
The group passes through checkpoints just outside Tobruk and after traveling through the city, they discover to their surprise that Rommel has amassed his total reserve strength at Tobruk undetected: two full
The RAF then bomb Tobruk as scheduled. The LRDG blow up two of the harbour guns, and Harker orders Sergeant Major Tyne to signal the ships to abort the landing before the German tanks, which have pinned down Harker's troops, can "cut them to pieces". Harker also orders Lieutenant Boyden (Anthony Ashdown) to capture the German transmitter in the city in order to abort the landing and inform Staff of the Kesselring document. However, Boyden is killed during the bombing raid, as are Privates Alfie (
Bergman and three of his men escape on sidecar motorcycles and manage to destroy a tank and use flame throwers to buy Harker time; however, Bergman and his men are eventually killed. Meanwhile, Craig, Krug, and two other SIG men use the distraction to escape and seize a German tank well inland. After they use the tank to destroy the fuel depot, Harker and his men surrender.
After surrendering, Mohnfeld then appears where he reveals that he is really a German intelligence officer named von Kruger, explaining that he had told the truth the night before, only altering that "The Jew found me in the tunnel" and asks Harker for the Kesselring document. However, upon seeing the destruction of the fuel bunkers, Harker had burned the paper knowing its importance to the Germans. Harker then kills von Kruger with his pistol and is himself shot dead.
Craig, Krug and the two others manage to escape and exhausted after traveling over 70 miles on foot, make it to a scheduled back up rendezvous with a Royal Navy ship at Sallum just over the Egyptian border.
Cast
In order of appearance
- Rock Hudson as Maj. Donald Craig
- George Peppard as Capt. Bergman
- Nigel Green as Col. Harker
- Guy Stockwell as Lt. Mohnfeld
- Jack Watson as Sgt. Maj. Tyne
- Percy Herbert as Dolan
- Norman Rossington as Alfie
- Liam Redmond as Henry Portman
- Heidy Hunt as Cheryl Portman
- Leo Gordon as Sgt. Krug
- Robert Wolders as Corporal Bruckner
- Anthony Ashdown as Lt. Boyden
- Curt Lowens as German Colonel
- Rico Cattani as Col. Stuhler
- Peter Coe as Tuareg Chieftain
- Lawrence Montaigne as Italian Officer
- Bob Hoy as British Corporal
- Phil Adams as S.I.G. Bicker
- Ronnie Rondall Jr. as S.I.G. Schell
Production
Development
The film was based on an original script by Leo Gordon, who also worked as an actor. Gordon took the script to producer Gene Corman, who he had worked with several times before. Corman originally intended to make the film on a relatively low budget, around a million dollars, for United Artists – he had just made The Secret Invasion (1964) for that studio.[3]
The scope of the film changed when Corman discovered Rock Hudson, then one of the biggest stars in the world, was about to leave his home studio of Universal because he was unhappy with the roles he had been playing (he had just signed to make Seconds at Paramount). Corman showed the script to Hudson who liked it, and he succeeded in getting the film financed at Universal, who wanted to keep Hudson within its fold. The film was a co production between Universal, Gibraltar Productions (Rock Hudson's company), and the Corman Co.[4][5][3]
The film was known at one stage as The Cliffs at Mersa and The Cliffs. Hudson came on board in May 1965 (he would make it after Blindfold and Seconds) and Peppard was signed to co star with Hudson in July 1965, at a fee of $400,000.[6]
Laurence Harvey was originally slated to play the role of Major Craig, while Dirk Bogarde was originally offered the role of Colonel Harker, but he declined.
Corman approached John Huston to direct who was interested. However, he wanted a fee of $500,000 and Universal was reluctant to use the director considering his recent films had been commercial failures. The job of directing eventually went to Arthur Hiller.[7]
Corman budgeted the film at two-and-a-half million dollars. Universal felt it should be made for $5 million, but Corman was reluctant to make the movie for that much. His own fee was $200,000 while Gordon was paid $40,000 for his script. Corman wanted to shoot the film in North Africa with studio work done in England; however, Universal insisted it be shot in America as the studio was reluctant to film in Europe again after A Man Could Get Killed (also known as Welcome Mr. Beddoes) went over budget.[8]
Gordon wrote himself a role as Sgt Tyne. Gordon normally played characters who died and wrote the script so Tyne did not die. Corman agreed to Gordon playing a role but only if the script was changed so Tyne died. Gordon instead decided to play the character of Krug, who lived.[5]
Corman later commentated that Gordon "was a very witty, interesting conversationalist. His appearance probably worked to his disadvantage because to have him walk into a story conference was somewhat intimidating! I remember on Tobruk having director Arthur Hiller, who is a fey, gentle soul, taken aback when he met Leo – it took two or three story conferences before he could come to grips with that size and bulk."[9]
Shooting
It was photographed in
Technical advice and assistance was provided by the 40th Armored Division ("Grizzly") of the California Army National Guard.
In the convoy heading to Tobruk the trucks used are actually
Producer Gene Corman would again use Tobruk's Nazi occupation as the background in his 1990 parody film A Man Called Sarge, although this time set during the Second Battle of El Alamein, in late 1942.
Use of footage
The 1971 war film Raid on Rommel, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Richard Burton, made extensive use of combat footage from Tobruk and also featured a very similar story-line about a British commando force infiltrating enemy lines and raiding the Afrika Korps supply bases.[10]
Academy Awards
Albert Whitlock and Howard A. Anderson were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
Home media
Universal first released this film on VHS on April 23, 1992 and again on May 15, 2002 in pan-and-scan format.[11] It was released on DVD on June 12, 2012 as part of the made-on-demand Universal Vault Series.[12] On January 21, 2020, Tobruk was released on Blu-ray by Kino International under its subsidiary "Kino Lorber Studio Classics" with licensing by Universal Pictures.[13]
The R1 DVD release has no optional English subtitles and thus, the non-English dialogue in the film is not translated. The Blu-ray contains optional English subtitles with limited non-English ones during certain scenes and dialogue; the film's theatrical trailer is also included as a bonus feature (in pan-and-scan format).
There are also various Region 2 DVD and Region B Blu-ray releases.
Comics adaptation
Oliver Passingham adapted the film into a comic book version, published by the Lion Summer Spectacular.[14][15]
See also
- List of American films of 1967
- The Desert Rats (film) (1953 film)
- Raid on Rommel (1971 film)
- Tobruk (2008 film) (2008 film)
References
- ^ a b Scott, John L. (Mar 6, 1966). "Song in His Heart, Money in His Pocket". Los Angeles Times. p. m10.
- rentals accruing to the distributors
- ^ a b Mayersberg p 51
- ^ "Rock Hudson Signs to Star in 'Tobruk'". Los Angeles Times. May 1, 1965. p. B9.
- ^ a b Gordon, Leo (8 May 1966). "Perennial Film Casualty Dying to Keep His Hopes Alive". Los Angeles Times. p. m8.
- ProQuest 155243920.
- ^ Maybersberg p 52
- ^ Mayersberg p 52
- ^ "Obituary: Leo Gordon". The Independent. Jan 4, 2001. p. 6.
- ^ ""Raid on Rommel" or "Son of Torbuk"? : Cleveland Memory Project, CSU Library". www.clevelandmemory.org. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
- ^ "Tobruk". Amazon.
- ^ "Tobruk". Amazon.
- ^ "Tobruk". Amazon.
- ^ "Oliver Passingham". lambiek.net. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ Bonfire, Comics (2013-01-18). "Pikitia Press Blog: English Comics Diversion: Tobruk Original Art Boards". Pikitia Press Blog. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
Notes
- Mayersberg, Paul (1967). Hollywood, the haunted house. Allen Lane, Penguin P.