Morituri (1965)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Morituri |
| Original title | Morituri |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1965 |
| length | 118 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Bernhard Wicki |
| script | Daniel Taradash |
| production | Aaron Rosenberg |
| music | Jerry Goldsmith |
| camera | Conrad L. Hall |
| cut | Joseph Silver |
| occupation | |
| |
Morituri is an American war film by the Austrian director Bernhard Wicki. The script is based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Werner Jörg Lüddecke . The film was shown in German cinemas for the first time on September 17, 1965. At its television premiere on October 6, 1973 on ZDF , the film was broadcast under the title Password: Morituri .
action
Robert Crain is a pacifist and lived in India during the Second World War with Swiss papers. Colonel rapporteurs from the British Secret Service investigated Crain and brings him to the German SS - officer to appear. Crain, an explosives specialist, goes aboard a German freighter under the code name Hans Keil , which transports rubber from Japan as a blockade breaker . Crain is supposed to defuse explosive charges, which should be detonated by the German captain in the event of an Allied detonation so that the ship does not fall into enemy hands. Captain Müller does not like the presence of a Gestapo man on his ship, as he is opposed to Nazi propaganda , while his first officer Kruse is a Hitler enthusiast.
The captain does not allow Crain, aka Keil, to move freely on the ship. Crain can now not search everywhere for the explosives to defuse them before the Allies land the ship as planned at a predetermined point. The Allied boats are also discovered and the ship takes a different course. A German submarine brings a transport of prisoners, among them some Americans and the Jewess Esther Levy. The submarine officers distrust Crain, who then tries to mutiny the men trapped on the ship through the mediation of the Jewess . The mutiny fails and Esther Levy is shot. The Germans find out that Crain is actually cheating on them. However, Crain succeeds in blowing up the ship and persuading Captain Müller, who has been deposed by the second captain, to make an emergency call on the otherwise abandoned, sinking ship.
Reviews
“A sensational high tension in a technically brilliant film, which at least knows how to deepen its character and plot in a few important places. Wicki's film goes beyond a mere war adventure. "
"An excellent Brando and the direction by Bernhard Wicki ('Die Brücke') guarantee tension without stereotypes."
“(The film) has lost none of its charm and breathtaking atmosphere to this day, not just because of its great actors. The technical aspects, especially Conrad L. Halls ('A Case for Harper', 'Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid', 'Der Marathon-Mann', 'Tequila Sunrise') camera work, contribute to the theatrical density of the film. "
"[G] ut cast and exciting mix of spy and war films."
Award
- Nomination in the category Best Black and White Camera for Conrad L. Hall (Winner: Ernest Laszlo in Das Narrenschiff )
- Nomination in the category Best Costumes (black and white) for Moss Mabry (Winner: Julie Harris for Darling )
background
The film, distributed by 20th Century Fox , grossed just over $ 4 million worldwide. For director Bernhard Wicki it was the first Hollywood film for which he had sole responsibility as director. He had previously directed sequences from the war film The Longest Day .
According to tradition, the film title Morituri (Latin: the doomed) comes from the greeting of the gladiators before the fight to the ruler " Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant " ("Heil you, Caesar, the doomed greet you!").
George Takei , Mr. Sulu from the TV series Starship Enterprise , can be seen in a small role as an officer, not mentioned in the credits .
The film equipment comes from Herman A. Blumenthal and Jack Martin Smith in their function as art directors, as well as from Walter M. Scott as set decorator. The visual effects were developed by LB Abbott and Emil Kosa Jr. The later chief cameraman William A. Fraker worked as a camera technician on this film.
Web links
- Morituri in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Morituri at filmportal.de
- International movie posters
Individual evidence
- ^ Certificate of Release for Morituri . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , February 2006 (PDF; test number: 34 564 V / DVD).
- ↑ Morituri. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ http://www.cinema.de/kino/filmarchiv/film/kennwort-morituri,1308341,ApplicationMovie.html
- ↑ http://www.3sat.de/3sat.php?http://www.3sat.de/film/woche/71814/index.html
- ↑ Password: Morituri. In: prisma.de. prisma-Verlag , accessed on September 12, 2017 .
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059470/business