407:. Just as the device is about to be set, the commando team accidentally trips an alarm, alerting Dell to their operation. A furious Dell responds by initiating the launch sequence for all nine missiles. As the military and President Stevens watch the underground missile silo launch covers begin to open, they agree to call off the attempt and the launch is aborted with mere seconds to spare. During this time, the captive Air Force guards attempt to overpower Dell and his men, resulting in the death of Garvas and another guard.
36:
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political analyst in town - or at least up there with Abe
Polonsky and Ring Lardner. And Cohen is a loud-mouthed, extroverted, young, smart-ass guy who knows that he votes Democratic... an extraordinarily gifted writer in terms of what people say and how they say it. The script was originally 350 pages.
816:
Aldrich said he hoped the audience came to realise that the
Lancaster character was crazy. "But I don't think we did it. The audience is so much for those guys getting away with it." He also did not feel it was ambiguous enough at the end as to whether the shooting of the president was intentional.
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Aldrich decided to use split screen and multiple panels. "I don't particularly like panels unless they're in a bread commercial. But I thought they fitted that particular movie. They cost me an extra half a year - half a year. But you couldn't tell that story in less than three hours without them."
418:
to release the document should he be killed in the process. US Air Force snipers take aim and shoot both Dell and Powell, but also accidentally shoot the
President, who with his dying breath asks the Secretary of Defense if he will release the document. The Secretary cannot bring himself to answer.
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According to
Aldrich, Lorimar "couldn't get it financed. Every actor in town had seen it—including Burt Lancaster... If you hadn't already seen it, you were going to see it. Or you knew one or two pictures that were kind of like it... There was no social impact. The kidnappers had no interesting
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nuclear missiles. The infiltration does not go as planned, as the impulsive Hoxey guns down an Air Force guard for trying to answer a ringing phone. Dell then shoots and kills Hoxey. The three then make direct contact with the US government (avoiding any media attention) and demand a $ 10 million
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The writers Ronald M. Cohen and Edward
Huebsch wrote the script together over six weeks. Aldrich called it "the most unlikely marriage in the world. Huebsch's a little wizened old man, sixty-two, sixty-three years old, been in the political wars for forty years, probably the most knowledgeable
402:
While the
President and his Cabinet debate the practical, political, personal, and ethical aspects of agreeing to the demands, they also authorize the military to send an elite team led by General MacKenzie to penetrate the ICBM complex and incinerate its command center with a low-yield
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It was unsuited for videocassettes, because the split-screen effects do not work well in low resolution of that format. After the rights reverted to the film's German co-producers, a major remastering effort was done by
Bavaria Media, who released a
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Merv
Adelson, head of Lorimar, described the movie as "the perfect formula picture... an action-adventure picture that appeals to the international market. Pre sell it to television and abroad. Have all our money back before it opens domestically."
717:, if you had some command officer who came out of Vietnam and who was soured not by war protestors but by the misuse of the military... What would happen if you had a general who was angry at the political use of the armed forces?"
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Adelson would later become disillusioned with this formula because the films did not achieve much critical acclaim, and if they did not perform domestically
Lorimar did not make that much money out of them.
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technique is used at several points in the movie to give the audience insight into the simultaneously occurring strands of the storyline. The film's title, which functions on several levels, is taken from
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The document, which is unknown to the current president but not to certain members of his cabinet, contains conclusive proof that the US government knew there was no realistic hope of winning the
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Small Movie
Companies Gamble for 'One Big Hit': $ 50 Million Tied Up Depend on Distributors Different Kinds of Movies Fears for the Future By ALJEAN HARMETZ New York Times 21 Mar 1981: 11.
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motivation. The reasons they wanted to get the President weren't even PLO-type reasons. They just wanted the money. That didn't seem to me to make much sense."
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Lorimar a Hollywood Hit: Lorimar a Hollywood Hit 20 Percent Foreign Funds 'Not Suited' to Go Public By PAMELA G. HOLLIE New York Times 8 Mar 1980: 27
954:
A Bittersweet Burt Lancaster, Looking Back-and Forward--at 62: A Bittersweet Burt Lancaster By Kenneth Turan. The Washington Post 23 May 1976: 165.
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Meanwhile, Dell and his two remaining men remove the security countermeasures to the launch control system and gain full control over the complex.
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also stars Burt Lancaster as an Air Force general and ringleader of a group of U.S. Military leaders plotting a coup against the President.
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After escaping from a military prison, rogue Air Force General Lawrence Dell and accomplices Powell, Garvas, and Hoxey infiltrate a
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type. Lancaster approached Paul Newman to play the role, but he was not enthusiastic. So, Aldrich reconfigured the character as a
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Aldrich told Lorimar he would do the film "if I could turn that story upside down". Aldrich pitched his take on the material to
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Aldrich normally used Joseph Biroc as cinematographer but Biroc's wife fell ill before shooting so Aldrich used Robert Hauser.
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945:"I CAN'T GET JIMMY CARTER TO SEE MY MOVIE!" Aldrich, Robert. Film Comment; New York Vol. 13, Iss. 2, (Mar/Apr 1977): 46-52.
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Lorimar took the project to a German company who agreed to put up two thirds of the budget. The finance came from German
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Eventually, the President agrees to meet the demands, which include allowing himself to be taken hostage and used as a
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while Dell and Powell make their escape from the complex. As the President leaves the White House, he asks the
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ransom and that the President go on national television and make public the contents of a top-secret document.
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O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, / What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
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by Walter Wager was published in 1971. Film rights were purchased that year by Lorimar Productions.
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FILM CLIPS: Sci-Fi in De Palma's Future Kilday, Gregg. Los Angeles Times 15 Aug 1977: e8.
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A Touch of Garbo for 'Fedora' Kilday, Gregg. Los Angeles Times 28 Mar 1977: e7.
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Widmark in 'Legends' Role Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times 31 July 1971: a9.
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but continued fighting for the sole purpose of demonstrating to the
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Lancaster and Aldrich thought the President could be a
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Films about fictional presidents of the United States
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their unwavering commitment to defeating Communism.
813:as the president's wife but were cut to save time.
1009:French box office results for Robert Aldrich films
314:, it tells the story of Lawrence Dell, a renegade
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333:, threatening to launch the missiles and start
1023:"Nuclear Missiles and Cold War Cupid's Arrows"
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678:Lorimar were known for making TV series like
847:In France it recorded admissions of 88,945.
706:—as it would be known—would be their first.
573:Elizabeth Halliday as Stonesifer's Secretary
657:Gary Harper as Air Force Sergeant Andy Keen
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645:Allan Dean Moore as Sperling, Sharpshooter
588:as Sergeant Fitzpatrick (as Bill Hootkins)
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21:Twilight's Last Gleaming (disambiguation)
832:"don't do much but play with paranoia".
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782:"If that movie's anti-American so is
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888:Whatever Happened to Robert Aldrich?
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639:Drew W. Wesche as Lieutenant Witkin
528:as First Lieutenant Louis Cannellis
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19:For similarly named articles, see
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618:Robert O'Neil as Briefing Officer
564:Weston Gavin as Lieutenant Wilson
474:as Lieutenant Colonel Sandy Towne
1460:Films directed by Robert Aldrich
1231:What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
1021:David Kehr (November 25, 2012).
624:as Colonel Alexander B. Franklin
555:Gary Cockrell as Captain Jackson
1465:Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith
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899:Alain Silver and James Ursini,
886:Alain Silver and James Ursini,
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627:Pamela Roland as Sergeant Kelly
582:Thomasine Heiner as Nurse Edith
450:as Secretary of Defense Guthrie
306:Loosely based on a 1971 novel,
1455:Films based on American novels
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809:Several scenes were shot with
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636:Rich Steber as Captain Kincaid
600:Robert Sherman as Major LeBeau
537:David Baxt as Sergeant Willard
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1475:Films shot at Bavaria Studios
1440:English-language German films
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724:, who agreed to do the film.
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597:Ron Lee as Sergeant Rappaport
492:as Brigadier General O'Rourke
456:as Secretary of State Renfrew
1500:1970s English-language films
1291:The Killing of Sister George
1251:Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte
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727:Lancaster called the film "
486:as Attorney General Klinger
438:as General Martin MacKenzie
16:1977 film by Robert Aldrich
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510:as Air Force General Crane
444:as President David Stevens
214:February 9, 1977
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1281:The Legend of Lylah Clare
1261:The Flight of the Phoenix
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830:Twilight's Last Gleaming
704:Twilight's Last Gleaming
654:Rick Demarest as Sparrow
540:Glenn Beck as Lieutenant
432:as General Lawrence Dell
351:The Star-Spangled Banner
276:Twilight's Last Gleaming
29:Twilight's Last Gleaming
1495:American neo-noir films
1430:American thriller films
890:, Limelight, 1995 p 300
730:All the President's Men
522:as General Phil Spencer
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405:tactical nuclear device
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316:United States Air Force
994:Monaco, James (1979).
903:, Limelight, 1995 p 42
552:as Reverend Cartwright
1480:Films shot in Germany
561:as General Stonesifer
299:, shot mainly at the
1505:1970s American films
1485:American heist films
1470:Films set in Montana
1425:Allied Artists films
570:as Alfie, The Driver
490:Gerald S. O'Loughlin
416:Secretary of Defense
126:Gerald S. O'Loughlin
1420:1977 thriller films
1191:Ten Seconds to Hell
1011:at Box Office Story
690:and TV movies like
606:as Sergeant Kopecki
321:who escapes from a
279:is a 1977 American
189:Lorimar Productions
1391:...All the Marbles
1221:Sodom and Gomorrah
1096:Films directed by
1061:TCM Movie Database
715:Ellsberg mentality
594:as Sergeant Domino
498:as Ralph Whittaker
325:and takes over an
1490:West German films
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281:thriller film
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268:$ 4.5 million
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260:$ 6.2 million
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622:Shane Rimmer
546:as Major Fox
526:Morgan Paull
504:as Bernstein
412:human shield
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312:Walter Wager
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283:directed by
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244:West Germany
230:Running time
207:Release date
88:Merv Adelson
78:Walter Wager
70:
1241:4 for Texas
1111:Big Leaguer
828:wrote that
768:Mayor Daley
744:tax shelter
681:The Waltons
673:Viper Three
668:Development
577:David Healy
559:Don Fellows
532:Bill Walker
520:Simon Scott
390:Vietnam War
339:Vietnam War
308:Viper Three
234:145 minutes
84:Produced by
71:Viper Three
43:Directed by
1415:1977 films
1409:Categories
874:References
811:Vera Miles
663:Production
592:Ray Jewers
550:Phil Brown
534:as Willard
466:Burt Young
265:Box office
218:1977-02-09
181:Production
138:Burt Young
74:1971 novel
1141:Vera Cruz
821:Reception
738:Financing
544:Ed Bishop
239:Countries
154:Edited by
859:See also
732:Part Two
516:as Hoxey
329:silo in
249:Language
170:Music by
94:Starring
67:Based on
1059:at the
853:Blu-ray
836:Release
802:Filming
758:Casting
746:money.
378:Montana
357:of the
353:", the
331:Montana
319:general
252:English
216: (
183:company
1394:(1981)
1384:(1979)
1374:(1977)
1364:(1977)
1354:(1975)
1351:Hustle
1344:(1974)
1334:(1973)
1324:(1972)
1314:(1971)
1304:(1970)
1294:(1968)
1284:(1968)
1274:(1967)
1264:(1965)
1254:(1964)
1244:(1963)
1234:(1962)
1224:(1962)
1214:(1961)
1204:(1959)
1194:(1959)
1184:(1956)
1181:Attack
1174:(1956)
1164:(1955)
1154:(1955)
1144:(1954)
1134:(1954)
1131:Apache
1124:(1954)
1114:(1953)
774:Script
257:Budget
693:Sybil
382:Titan
1050:IMDb
696:and
684:and
423:Cast
372:Plot
327:ICBM
291:and
1048:at
310:by
76:by
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344:A
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220:)
23:.
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