Cast a Giant Shadow
| Cast a Giant Shadow | |
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 film poster by Howard Terpning |
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| Directed by | Melville Shavelson |
| Produced by | Melville Shavelson |
| Written by | Ted Berkman (book) Melville Shavelson (screenplay) |
| Starring | Kirk Douglas Senta Berger Stathis Giallelis James Donald Yul Brynner Frank Sinatra John Wayne Angie Dickinson Chaim Topol Michael Hordern |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
| Cinematography | Aldo Tonti |
| Editing by | Bert Bates Gene Ruggiero |
| Studio | Batjac Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | 30 March 1966 |
| Running time | 146 mins. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Cast a Giant Shadow is a 1966 big-budget action movie[1] based on the life of Colonel Mickey Marcus starring Kirk Douglas and Senta Berger. Yul Brynner, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, and Angie Dickinson also appear in supporting roles.[2] Melville Shavelson adapted, produced and directed.[3]
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[edit] Plot
The movie is a fictionalized account of the experiences of a real-life Jewish-American military officer, Col. David "Mickey" Marcus, who commanded units of the fledgling Israel Defense Force during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Marcus, a former Colonel in the US Army and now retired as a New York lawyer, is approached by the Haganah who request his assistance in preparing Israeli troops to defend the newly declared state against the invasion of its Arab neighbors.
Marcus, still a reserve officer, is refused permission by the Pentagon to go, unless he uses an alias and travels as a civilian. As "Michael Stone", he arrives in Israel to be met by a Haganah member, Magda Simon, whom he immediately starts flirting with.
Marcus. who parachuted into occupied France during World War II, and helped to organise the relief mission for Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by American troops, is initially viewed with suspicion by some Haganah soldiers. But after he leads a commando raid on an Arab arms dump and assists in a landing of 'illegal' refugees, he is more accepted. He prepares his training manuals and then returns to New York, where his wife has suffered a miscarriage.
Now restless, and despite his wife's pleadings, he does return to Israel and is given command of the Jerusalem front with the rank of 'Aluf' (General), a rank not used since biblical days. He sets to work, recognising that, while the men under his command do not have proper training or weapons or even a system of ranks, they do have spirit and determination. He organises the construction of the "Burma Road" to enable convoys to reach besieged Jerusalem, where the population is on the verge of starvation.
Many of the soldiers under his command are newly arrived in Israel, determined and enthusiastic but untrained. Dubbing them 'the schnooks', Marcus is inspired by them to discover that he is proud to be a Jew. But just before the convoy of trucks to Jerusalem starts out, he is shot and killed by a lone sentry - the last casualty before the United Nations-imposed truce. The makeshift coffin containing his body is ceremonially carried by the soldiers who he trained and inspired.
Cameo roles include: John Wayne as 'The General', Marcus's commanding officer in Normandy, who initially refused him permission to go, but later supports him.
Yul Brynner as Asher, a Haganah commander.
Frank Sinatra as Vince, an American pilot who takes part in what becomes a suicide mission to bomb Arab positions.
[edit] Cast
- Marcus - Kirk Douglas
- Emma Marcus - Angie Dickinson
- Magda - Senta Berger
- Asher - Yul Brynner
- Ram Oren - Stathis Giallelis
- The General - John Wayne
- Vince - Frank Sinatra
- McAffee - Gordon Jackson
- Saphir - James Donald
[edit] Production notes
The film includes a toast scene where John Wayne says L’chaim. Footage from this film was later used in a Coors Light commercial.
[edit] References
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (September 2008). "Cast A Giant Shadow - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/8561/Cast-a-Giant-Shadow/overview. Retrieved September 26.
- ^ "Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) Overview". TMC: Turner Classic Movies. September 2008. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=23000&category=Overview. Retrieved September 26.
- ^ "Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) movie review". New York Times. March 31, 1966. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E02E1DC123DE23BA15752C3A9659C946791D6CF.
[edit] Further reading
- Shavelson, Melville. How to Make a Jewish Movie, 1971. (ISBN 0-491-00156-8).
[edit] External links
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