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The Night of the Generals
Original movie poster
Directed by	Anatole Litvak
Produced by	Sam Spiegel
Written by	Paul Dehn Joseph Kessel
Starring	Peter O'Toole Omar Sharif Tom Courtenay Donald Pleasence Joanna Pettet
Cinematography	Henri Decaë
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	1967
Running time	148 min
Country	UK / France
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Night of the Generals is a 1967 suspense/thriller set in World War II, adapted from the novel of the same name by Hans Hellmut Kirst. It stars Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom Courtenay, Donald Pleasence, Charles Gray, Philippe Noiret, Joanna Pettet, and Coral Browne.

The film was produced by Sam Spiegel and directed by Anatole Litvak, with a musical score by Maurice Jarre. The screenplay was written by Paul Dehn and Joseph Kessel; Gore Vidal also contributed to the screenplay but was uncredited. .

The murder of a prostitute in Nazi-occupied Warsaw in 1942, draws Wehrmacht Intelligence Officer, Major Grau (Sharif) into an investigation where the evidence points to the killer being one of three high-ranking officers, General von Seydlitz-Gabler (Gray), Major General Kalhenberg (Pleasence), his chief of staff, and General Tanz (O'Toole). Grau’s investigation is cut short by his summary transfer to Paris at the instigation of these officers.

The case remains closed until all three officers are transferred to Paris in July 1944. Paris is a hotbed of intrigue, with senior Wehrmacht officers plotting to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Kalhenberg is deeply involved in the plot, whilst von Seydlitz-Gabler, who is aware of the plot, is sitting on the fence, awaiting the outcome. Tanz, who seems unaware of the plot, remains loyal to his Führer.

Tanz's orderly, Lance Corporal Kurt Hartmann (Tom Courtney), witnesses the aftermath of his commander's butchery of a second prostitute on the night of July 19, 1944. Tanz tells Hartmann to run away; realizing that it would be his word against that of a general, Hartmann takes his advice. When Grau learns of the murder, committed in the same manner as the first, he resumes his investigation with the zeal of an avenging angel and concludes that Tanz is the killer. However, his timing is unfortunate. On July 20, 1944, the assassination attempt takes place. When Grau accuses Tanz face to face, the general kills the detective and labels him as one of the plot conspirators to cover his tracks.

After the war ends, the murder of a third prostitute in Hamburg in 1965 draws the attention of French Police Inspector Morand (Noiret). Morand owes a debt of gratitude to Grau for not revealing his connection to the French Resistance during the war. Morand confronts Tanz at a Nazi reunion dinner. When Morand produces Hartmann as his witness, Tanz goes into a vacant room and shoots himself.

The action includes three cameos of historical figures. The first is by Christopher Plummer, who makes a brief appearance as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The second is by Harry Andrews, who makes an uncredited appearance as General Karl-Heinrich von Stulpnagel, the German Military Governor of Occupied France in 1944. Finally, Gerhard Buhr appears as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the officer who carried the bomb into Hitler’s headquarters in East Prussia on the morning of July 20, 1944.

• The Night of the Generals at the Internet Movie Database

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