Raid on Entebbe (TV 1976)

True story of a daring Israeli commando assault on the Entebbe Airport in Uganda to free hostages of a terrorist hijacking.

Director:

Irvin Kershner

Writer:

Barry Beckerman

Stars:

Peter Finch, Martin Balsam, Horst Buchholz

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Finch	...	Yitzhak Rabin
Martin Balsam	...	Daniel Cooper
Horst Buchholz	...	Wilfred Boese (as Horst Bucholz)
John Saxon	...	Maj. Gen. Benny Peled
Sylvia Sidney	...	Dora Bloch
Jack Warden	...	Lt. Gen. Mordechai Gur
Yaphet Kotto	...	President Idi Amin - Jr.
Charles Bronson	...	Brig. Gen. Dan Shomron
Tige Andrews	...	Shimon Peres
Eddie Constantine	...	Capt. Michel Becaud
Warren J. Kemmerling	...	Gad Yaakobi (as Warren Kemmerling)
Robert Loggia	...	Yigal Allon
David Opatoshu	...	Menachem Begin
Allan Arbus	...	Eli Melnick
Mariclare Costello	...	Gabrielle Krieger

Storyline

Based on a true Military operation by Israeli commandos. An Air France flight is hijacked by the PFLP. The plane has about 100 Jewish passengers. The plane is grounded in Uganda. Israelis would not negotiate. The movie then shows how less than 500 soldiers actually flew so far and rescued the passengers in one of the most successful Military operations in history. The only casualty for Israely soldiers was Lt. Col. Jonathan "Yoni" Netanyahu..

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Plot Keywords:

uganda | jewish | prime minister | violence | loss of friend | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 January 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

...die keine Gnade kennen

Filming Locations:

Stockton Metropolitan Airport, Stockton, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edgar J. Scherick Associates, 20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min 121 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Finch's final acting role. He would receive a posthumous Emmy nomination just six months after winning his Oscar for Network.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the movie, the passengers appear to be boarding the Air France plane from the rear left door. In all the subsequent shots, they are seen entering from the front left door.

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Quotes

Wilfred Boese: Any other problem, Mr. spokesman?
Daniel Cooper: My name is Daniel Cooper.

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Connections

Version of Victory at Entebbe (1976)

User Reviews

Excellent and true to history

A film that is historically accurate, Raid on Entebbe is engrossing and exciting to watch. The actual raid on Entebbe was itself a very daring rescue, and it translates extremely well to film. Even though you know the outcome in advance, you will find yourself wanting to stay with the film until the end. The actors are all excellent, and the sets extremely realistic. Yaphet Kotto gives a great performance as Idi Amin, portraying the Ugandan president as mix of grandstander, egomaniac, and thinly disguised madman; the movie is worth watching for Kotto's performance alone. While made almost 25 years ago, Raid on Entebbe remains an exciting film that has aged well and is still very enjoyable to watch.