"The Night of the Generals" is a who-dun-it set in the most audacious (and almost successful) plot by German moderates to assassinate Hitler. The movie is worth watching for the cast alone -- Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom Courtenay, Donald Pleasance, Charles Gray; and with cameos by Harry Andrews, Christopher Plummer and Gordon Jackson. Unfortunately, the mystery isn't much of a mystery. Looking for a psychotic killer among generals, you immediately think of the most psychotic general. Not only are these expectations fulfilled, the killer is given away far too early in the movie. Only with a drawn-out and dull post-war sub-plot is there some semblance of justice.
For once, fidelity to an original novel is a movie's downfall. The novel itself is sprawling, giving too few suspects for the murderer and not hiding it very well. It does not integrate the who-dun-it with the plot to kill Hitler very well, and it has a drawn-out post-war sub-plot. The movie follows the novel too doggedly, when it should have used judicious cutting and reshaping.
Everything about the movie is first-class. Unfortunately, it's too sprawling and formless to create much tension. The mystery story is, as in the novel, not much of a mystery; and it is not very well integrated with the assassination sub-plot. The post-war story from the novel should have been dumped. A movie is never too long if it's good and holds the attention. This movie is too long. But wonderful stars act their hearts out, and any fan of sheer thespian-ism can enjoy seeing the stars rub shoulders.
For once, fidelity to an original novel is a movie's downfall. The novel itself is sprawling, giving too few suspects for the murderer and not hiding it very well. It does not integrate the who-dun-it with the plot to kill Hitler very well, and it has a drawn-out post-war sub-plot. The movie follows the novel too doggedly, when it should have used judicious cutting and reshaping.
Everything about the movie is first-class. Unfortunately, it's too sprawling and formless to create much tension. The mystery story is, as in the novel, not much of a mystery; and it is not very well integrated with the assassination sub-plot. The post-war story from the novel should have been dumped. A movie is never too long if it's good and holds the attention. This movie is too long. But wonderful stars act their hearts out, and any fan of sheer thespian-ism can enjoy seeing the stars rub shoulders.