Dark of the Sun (1968) The Mercenaries (original title)

Director:

Jack Cardiff

Writers:

Ranald MacDougall (screenplay) and
Adrian Spies (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 July 1968 (USA)

Genre:

War | Adventure | Drama | Action

Tagline:

Brutes! Savages! Heroes! ...Paid to fight in the fury of the Congo! [UK theatrical]

Plot:

A band of mercenaries led by Captain Curry travel through the Congo across deadly terrain, battling rival armies, to rescue $25 million in uncut diamonds. |

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | Congo | Mercenary | Diamond | Judo

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Rod Taylor	...	Curry
Yvette Mimieux	...	Claire
Peter Carsten	...	Henlein
Jim Brown	...	Ruffo
Kenneth More	...	Doctor Wreid
André Morell	...	Bussier
Olivier Despax	...	Surrier
Guy Deghy	...	Delage
Bloke Modisane	...	Kataki
Calvin Lockhart	...	Ubi
Alan Gifford	...	Jansen
David Bauer	...	Adams
Murray Kash	...	Cochrane
John Serret	...	Father Dominic
Danny Daniels	...	General Moses
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alex Gradussov	...	Belgian Refugee (uncredited)
Paul Jantzen	...	Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
David Lomas	...	Pilot (voice) (uncredited)
Monique Lucas	...	Mme. Bussier (uncredited)
Emery J. Ujvari	...	Functionary (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Cardiff

Writing credits
Ranald MacDougall		(screenplay) (as Quentin Werty) and
Adrian Spies		(screenplay)
Wilbur Smith		(novel "The Dark of the Sun") (as Wilbur A. Smith)

Produced by
George Englund	....	producer

Original Music by
Jacques Loussier

Cinematography by
Edward Scaife		(director of photography)
Jack Cardiff		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Ernest Walter

Casting by
Irene Howard		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Elliot Scott

Production Management
John Palmer	....	production supervisor
Douglas Twiddy	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ted Sturgis	....	assistant director

Art Department
Reg Bream	....	chief draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roy Baker	....	sound editor
J.B. Smith	....	dubbing mixer
Gerry Turner	....	sound recordist
A.W. Watkins	....	recording supervisor

Special Effects by
Cliff Richardson	....	special effects

Stunts
Gerry Crampton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Louie Elias	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan McCabe	....	camera operator

Music Department
Jacques Loussier	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1968) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (2011) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)
• City Film N.V. (1968) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1986) (Greece) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"The Mercenaries" - UK (original title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X | USA:Approved | USA:PG (re-rating) (1973) | Iceland:16 | UK:15 (1986) | Australia:PG | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG13 | Australia:M (TV rating) | Netherlands:18 | France:-12

Filming Locations:

Jamaica

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Clint Walker was the early choice for the Rod Taylor role.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Curry wears a French Foreign Legion paratrooper insignia on his beret, but requires constant translation when anyone speaks French. Either the badge is fake and undeserved, or he is the worst legionnaire there ever was!

Quotes:

Curry:The gun's Chinese Ruffo, paid for by Russian rubles. The steel probably came from a West German factory built by French francs. Then it was flown out here on a South African airline probably subsidized by The United States. I don't think he got very far.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Great film, but who is the "good guy"?

This is an excellent film and definitely one of Rod Taylor's best performances. Taylor is Curry, a mercenary commander in the Congo, during the Katanga secession. Jim Brown is his friend and number two, a US educated Congolese. Taylor plays Curry as a true mercenary of the period: ruthless, greedy, loyal to his comrades, and distrustful of his rivals and employers.

The film mixes two different periods of the civil wars in the Congo; the Katanga secession in 1960 and the Simba revolt in 1964. The original book is set squarely during the Katanga period and involves the Baluba war, not the Simba's. However both periods were exemplified by brutality on all sides. The film accurately portrays the enmity between the Katanga forces and the UN troops sent to intervene. It also accurately depicts the Belgian interests in Katanga.

Much like the train the mercenaries ride, the film starts out slow and builds up steam along the route. By the end, it's a runaway that comes crashing to its end. This is war and humanity at its worst, make no mistake. The closest I can come to finding a "good guy" is Jim Brown, the soldier who wants his country to be free and have its place in the modern world.

The Nazi character was based on an actual German mercenary in the Congo, Siegfried Mueller. Mueller was noted for wearing the Iron Cross, which he earned in the Second World War, on his uniform. The film makers changed it to a swastika for greater effect (I presume). There is a slight problem with the continuity of this character, as part way through the film, his voice is obviously dubbed by another actor. Presumably, this was due to sound problems and the unavailability of the actor to loop his lines (It sounds like Paul Frees).

All-in-all this is a great film; vastly superior to others of the genre, such as The Wild Geese and The Dogs of War. Just remember, war more often brings out the worst in humanity, rather than the best.