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
Michael Lonsdale	...	Lebel (as Michel Lonsdale)
Jean Martin	...	Wolenski
Ronald Pickup	...	The Forger
Eric Porter	...	Colonel Rodin
Anton Rodgers	...	Bernard
Delphine Seyrig	...	Colette
Donald Sinden	...	Mallinson
Jean Sorel	...	Bastien-Thiry
David Swift	...	Montclair
Timothy West	...	Berthier
Bernard Archard
Jacques Alric
Colette Bergé		(as Colette Berge)
Edmond Bernard
Gérard Buhr		(as Gerard Buhr)
Philippe Léotard	...	Gendarme (as Philippe Leotard)
Maurice Teynac
Van Doude
Nicolas Vogel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Féodor Atkine	...	(uncredited)
Jean Champion	...	(uncredited)
Nicole Desailly	...	Yvonne De Gaulle (uncredited)
Max Faulkner	...	Special Branch Detective (uncredited)
Robert Favart	...	Minister (uncredited)
Andréa Ferréol	...	(uncredited)
Gilberte Géniat	...	(uncredited)
Edward Hardwicke	...	Charles Calthrop (uncredited)
David Kernan	...	Per Lundquist (uncredited)
Robert Le Béal	...	(uncredited)
Bernard Musson	...	(uncredited)
Howard Vernon	...	State Secretary (uncredited)
Nicholas Young	...	Passport Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
Fred Zinnemann

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Frederick Forsyth		book
Kenneth Ross		screenplay

Produced by
Julien Derode	....	co-producer
David Deutsch	....	co-producer
John Woolf	....	producer

Original Music by
Georges Delerue

Cinematography by
Jean Tournier		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Ralph Kemplen

Casting by
Margot Capelier
Jenia Reissar

Costume Design by
Joan Bridge
Rosine Delamare
Elizabeth Haffenden

Makeup Department
Pierre Berroyer	....	makeup artist
Ludovic Paris	....	hairdresser: France (as Marc Paris)
Barbara Ritchie	....	hairdresser: England

Production Management
Henri Jaquillard	....	production manager: France
John Palmer	....	production manager: England

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew Marton	....	second unit director
Louis Pitzele	....	assistant director: France (as Louis Pitzelé)
Peter Price	....	assistant director: England

Art Department
René Albouze	....	property master: France
Ernest Archer	....	set designer: England
Robert Cartwright	....	set dresser: England
Pierre Charron	....	set dresser: France
Wally Hill	....	property master: England
Willy Holt	....	set designer: France

Sound Department
Bob Allen	....	sound recordist (as Robert Allen)
Gordon K. McCallum	....	dubbing mixer (as Gordon McCallum)
Nicholas Stevenson	....	sound editor
Graham V. Hartstone	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
John Hayward	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Georges Iaconelli	....	special effects: France
Cliff Richardson	....	special effects: England
John Richardson	....	special effects: England

Visual Effects by
Wally Veevers	....	visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Guy Delattre	....	photographer: second unit
André Domage	....	camera operator: France
Jean Fontanilles	....	chief electrician: France
David Harcourt	....	camera operator: England
Colin Manning	....	chief grip: England
Edmond Séchan	....	photographer: second unit
Vic Smith	....	chief electrician: England
René Strasser	....	chief grip: France

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jean Zay	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Marcel Durham	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Georges Delerue	....	conductor

Other crew
Simone Escoffier	....	production secretary: France
Gladys Goldsmith	....	continuity: England
Van Jones	....	production secretary: England
Catherine Prévert	....	continuity: France
John Rosenberg	....	script editor
Paul Tivers	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Warwick Film Productions (in association with)
• Universal Productions France

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical) (as Universal)
• Cinema Internazional Corporation (1973) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1976) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1973) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• CIC Video (199?) (Germany) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Nordisk Film (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2003) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chanel  Miss Seyrig's clothes

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:

During the filming of the final sequence where President de Gaulle is presenting medals to veterans, the large crowd of extras were unaware of how close a resemblance actor Adrien Cayla-Legrand bore to the actual President. On the first take, when the President exits his limousine, most of the crowd gasped and an elderly extra, who was playing one of the veteran soldiers, fainted in shock.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Victor is knocked out, kidnapped and tossed into the back of the van you can clearly see the actor holding his head up off the floor of the truck as the door is being closed.

Quotes:

The Jackal: You see, gentlemen, not only have your own efforts failed, but you've rather queered the pitch for everyone else.
Casson: How dare you suggest that?
The Jackal: In this work you simply can't afford to be emotional. That's why you've made so many mistakes.
Col. Rodin: But if we decided to employ a professional...
The Jackal: You have to employ a professional. Your organization is so riddled with informants that nothing you decide is a secret for long.

Movie Connections:

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

One of the finest thrillers ever made

The opening five minutes of the film are a marvel. Almost completely devoid of dialogue the scenes portray visually more story than most modern thrillers can fit into two hours. This is about the best book-to-film conversion I've ever seen. The cuts, where they are made, are logical and some locations are combined. From Forsyth's first, and probably best book (written in less than 5 weeks) this film contains nothing that does not drive the story forward. The character of the Jackal is brilliantly finely drawn. He doesn't contain any of the cliches that you would expect to see in a film written in the last twenty years (he doesn't display mental instability, or have flashbacks to some event in his past). He never tries to justify his pernicious occupation to anyone yet, strangely, doesn't come across as an evil man. Simply as a professional doing his job. The French police inspector is wonderfully underplayed and is as far away from the he-breaks-the-rules-but-he-gets-the-job-done cliche as you can possibly imagine. He is first seen attending to his pigeons and upon being told he is being put on the case simply says "Oh God..."....

Zimmemann's direction is great and the scenes are beautifully photographed - particularly in Paris.

This is an all-time great film. Definitely in my top ten. I suppose I must put something in negative so it makes for a balanced review so errr.... I think the French minister is wearing a very bad wig. Beyond that -marvelous.