Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6773 in VHS
• Released on: 1996-08-06
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Formats: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Italian, Spanish
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 148 minutes

Amazon.com
Long (148 minutes) military mystery set among the high command of Nazi Germany in occupied Poland and elsewhere in the Third Reich. A prostitute in wartime Warsaw has been brutally murdered and a German military investigator narrows his field of suspects to three German generals. But the war--and the sense of preening Prussian arrogance--interferes with his investigation, even as he begins to home in on the killer. Moodily sinister atmosphere and a strong cast (Peter O'Toole, Tom Courtenay, Omar Sharif, Christopher Plummer) can't overcome a plodding pace and a tendency to digress. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

From a viewer in Pennsylvania who likes dialogue in films.
The object of any murder mystery is to keep the viewer or reader in suspense. The Night of the Generals succeeds. When I saw this film in the mid-sixties, I was spellbound. Yes, I was distracted with subplots and a film with a somewhat sluggish pace. But shouldn't a murder mystery work at distracting and confusing the viewer? When the murderer is finally revealed, you will feel rewarded at the final outcome. Although I enjoy Omar Sharif's acting abilities, I think someone else could have been better suited for his role as the investigator. Sadly, no one has bothered to complement Maurice Jarre for a brilliant score. His macabre waltz which is played throughout the film is chilling. View this film with the lights off and the receiver off the hook.

A fine story, well acted, despite some B-movie elements
I have been recommending "The Night of the Generals" to friends for years. Although strictly speaking it is a murder mystery, it contains so many other elements that make this a very entertaining movie.

Take away all of the successful surface elements - the amazing cast, the historical backdrop, the many tensions of flawed leaders at war, etc. - and you still have a story that has a lot of important things to say. Every character is magnificent as they try to wrangle with murder, war, justice, love, fear, heroism, brutality, family, and other matters. This seems like a lot - and it is - but the acting and the script combine to make it work.

What tends to turn people off is that admittedly the large infusion of supporting characters and subplots can make this film a little confusing and strange. Peter O'Toole's character in particular is as cold and stiff as a corpse in a Russian winter. Omar Sharif's passion for solving the crime is at times over the top. But it is precisely each strong personality that makes each character compelling and vulnerable. The other perceived drawback is that 1960s WWII dramas tend to be somewhat campy. There are parts with very poor dubbing (from primarily the foreign extras). Also, the fact that most of the characters - including nearly every Nazi - have British accents has always made me laugh. One just has to get past those oddities and pay attention to the script/story.

Probably the best compliment is that it simply doesn't matter if you know who the murderer is. All of the other intrigue still makes this a fantastic movie.

Beyond patriotic zeal...
One of the most provocative and haunting World War II films ever made. This film boasts supurb acting and is well written. Peter O'Toole is wonderfull as the psychopatice General Tanz, as he is in every role where he plays a character who has lost touch with reality. His role in this film ranks up there with those he played in The Ruling Class, The Stuntman, and My Favorite Year, only in this film he is much more volatile and psychotic. Peter O'Toole is one of the best actors of our time and in my opinion the only other actor who could have rivaled Anthony Hopkins for the part of Hannibal Lector. THIS FILM NEEDS TO BE RELEASED ON DVD. I only hope that it will be chock full of special features and I have been bombarding The Criterion Collection with title suggestion e-mails and I only hope that they wil take notice of this truly classic gem of modern motion picture art.