The nights are long in Beirut
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The nights are long in Beirut |
| Original title | 24 hours to kill |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1965 |
| length | 84 to 94 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12, 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Peter Bezencenet |
| script | Peter Yeldham |
| production | Harry Alan Towers |
| music | Wilfred Josephs |
| camera | Ernest Steward |
| cut | John Trumper |
| occupation | |
| |
The Nights are Long in Beirut (Original title: 24 Hours to Kill ) is a British thriller from 1965 based on an adventure story by Peter Welbeck (aka producer Harry Alan Towers ), which was filmed on location in Beirut . It was released in Germany by Constantin Film and was premiered here on May 28, 1965, in Great Britain in September 1965. On video it was given the sensational title Die Mercenaries of the Syndicate
action
Flight captain Faulkner is on his way to Athens in his De Havilland Comet 4 passenger jet when two engines fail on the way , forcing him to make an unscheduled stopover in Beirut. The stay during the repair lasts one day. A member of the crew, the chief steward Norman Jones, makes this very nervous, and Faulkner soon finds out why: Jones is being pursued by dangerous gangsters here in Beirut. Their boss is the smuggler king Malouf.
Since Jones protests that Malouf wants to collect the debts of a friend from him and that he himself is completely innocent, Faulkner and his crew stand behind him. The gangsters now try to kidnap the stewardess Louise, the secret lover of the married Faulkner, but the plan fails.
Malouf then gets in touch with Faulkner and tells him that Jones used to work for him and that he cheated out of gold bars worth £ 40,000. When Faulkner confronts Jones, he has to admit everything. Still, the crew members can't just leave Jones to the gangsters.
They kidnap the stewardess Franzi and want to exchange her for Jones, but Faulkner and his people manage to free them. Finally, Jones falls into the hands of Malouf, but he is rescued without having revealed what he did with the gold.
So Jones seems to have gotten away again. Faulkner and the other colleagues are upset with him, but there is nothing they can do about him. But just before the plane takes off, he is stabbed to death by Malouf's killer Elias.
Bizarre
At the beginning, Jamie Faulkner, diving in the hotel pool, places an order through a window with the bartender in the hotel bar in the basement using a hand signal, who actually understands the order and has different drinks served.
Reviews
- daserste.de (ARD): “ Shot on original locations in Beirut and Byblos, 'In Beirut the nights are long' is convincing as an atmospheric and gripping adventure film. Lex Barker plays the sovereign flight captain, while Rooney offers a brilliant performance as a devious cheat ” .
- Maltin's Movie Guide: “ A decent hit. "
- Lexicon of international film : “ Somewhat confused and only moderately exciting adventure film. "
- Protestant film observer : “ Not overly exciting, but otherwise quite passable adventure entertainment. Acceptable from 16. "
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Daserste.de specifies the film as 85 minutes long. The Internet Movie Database specifies 94 minutes for the theatrical version and 88 minutes for the TV version . The VHS version of the Hunter Home video is 90 minutes long.
- ↑ The longer versions from 90 minutes on have the FSK rating “from 16 years”.
- ↑ Title of the video editions of Hunter-Home-Video (VHS) and High Mondial Video (VHS)
- ↑ ( page no longer available , search in web archives: criticism on DasErste.de )
- ↑ The nights are long in Beirut. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 4, 2019 .
- ↑ Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 243/1965