The Day of the Jackal (1973)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Frederick Forsyth (book)
Kenneth Ross (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 heinäkuu 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The Jackal spent 71 days,56 minutes thinking a bullet into the brain of de Gaulle

Plot:

A professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" plots to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France.

Plot Keywords:

Assassin | French | President | France | Detective

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 10 nominations

Cast

Edward Fox	...	The Jackal
Terence Alexander	...	Lloyd
Michel Auclair	...	Colonel Rolland
Alan Badel	...	The Minister
Tony Britton	...	Inspector Thomas
Denis Carey	...	Casson
Adrien Cayla-Legrand	...	The President
Cyril Cusack	...	The Gunsmith
Maurice Denham	...	General Colbert
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	The Interrogator
Jacques François	...	Pascal (as Jacques Francois)
Olga Georges-Picot	...	Denise
Raymond Gérôme	...	Flavigny (as Raymond Gerome)
Barrie Ingham	...	St. Clair
Derek Jacobi	...	Caron

Also Known As:

Chacal (France)

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English | Italian | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

150 Rue de Rennes, Paris 6, Paris, France

Company:

Warwick Film Productions

Trivia:

Though the film was not a box office success, it received generally excellent reviews and made Edward Fox much in demand in films and on television.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Jackal parks the blue car (he had stolen from Madame DE Montpelier) between two others vehicles there is absolutely no space for him to move out from the drivers seat. But in the next shot we find him easily maneuvering himself out.

Quotes:

Mallinson: The prime minister?
Insp. Thomas: The prime minster, sir. That he said if there's the remotest possibility of General de Gaulle's life being threatened by a person of these islands, then it is to be stopped. And he's given me full powers and top priority.
Mallinson: Is this some kind of bloody joke?
Insp. Thomas: No, of couse not, sir. I've got to drop whatever I'm doing, and I shall need six of your best men, straight away.
Mallinson: Where's the notification for all this? Where's the proper authority?
[Telephone rings. Mallison answers]
Mallinson: Yes!
[Mallison listens then rises]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)

Excellent, almost documentary quality

Easily one of my favorites, if not THE favorite. The cinematography is excellent, and has so many shots that seem to be done with long range or hidden cameras. This style makes the film seem so real! There is a scene in a market where the Jackal is shopping for disguises, and he (the actor Edward Fox), bumps into a woman shopping without turning to look or acknowledge her, that seems absolutely REAL. I don't know, but if I had to guess I would say that the camera was hidden and that she was not an actor, but a French woman out shopping. I would like to know more about the use of the public as 'extras' in this film. The story is excellent, and the implied menace of the classy Jackal is really excellent. 10/10!