Before Winter Comes (1969)

Comedy set in a refugee camp in occupied Austria after World War II. A shrewd multi-lingual interpreter who mediates between Russian and British military brass enters into a friendly ... See full summary »

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Andrew Sinclair (screenplay), Frederick L. Keefe (based on "The Interpreter" by)

Stars:

David Niven, Topol, Anna Karina

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Niven	...	Major Burnside
Topol	...	Janovic
Anna Karina	...	Maria
John Hurt	...	Lieutenant Pilkington
Anthony Quayle	...	Brigadier Bewley
Ori Levy	...	Captain Kamenev
John Collin	...	Sergeant Woody
Karel Stepanek	...	Count Kerassy
Guy Deghy	...	Kovacs
Mark Malicz	...	Komenski
Gertan Klauber	...	Russian major
Hana Maria Pravda	...	Beata (as Hana-Maria Pravda)
George Innes	...	Bill
Tony Selby	...	Ted
Hugh Futcher	...	Joe

Storyline

Comedy set in a refugee camp in occupied Austria after World War II. A shrewd multi-lingual interpreter who mediates between Russian and British military brass enters into a friendly rivalry with British Major Giles Burnside, who is in charge of assigning the displaced persons into either the American or Russian zones.

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Plot Keywords:

interpreter | refugee | refugee camp | austria | inspection | 

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Taglines:

a rare blend of picture

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1969 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Antes do Inverno Chegar

Filming Locations:

Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Windward

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"I'll Make a Man of You"
(uncredited)
Music by Herman Finck
Lyrics by Arthur Wimperis

User Reviews

Post WW2 glimpse of life in Austrian camp

This starts out as a rather tongue-in-cheek rendering of life in a camp for displaced persons after the war in 1945 somewhere near the Austrian border. There are many humorous incidents but eventually the film's message does get serious later on.

I'm amazed at the abundance of illustrious actors making up the cast -- David Niven as Major Burnside; Topol as the effusive interpreter; John Hurt playing the youthful but intense Lieutenant Pilkington; and Anthony Quayle as Brigadier Bewley.

There are moments of deep friction in the camp between British and Russian troops on various zoning matters including the fate of the interpreter who happens to be Russian.

Although there is a fair amount of drama and mature content throughout, I have the impression that this film has been an easy interlude for all these great, serious actors. Anna Karina as Maria the local girl is a lovely addition to the cast.

The scenery is fabulous of course, being filmed on location in Austria. It is somewhat of an offbeat script, however it does hold one's attention through to the end. This movie is one I missed out on all these years so am glad to have had to opportunity to finally see it. For me such good actors can't help but create an absorbing drama.