Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Ronald M. Cohen (screenplay) and
Edward Huebsch (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 February 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

the day they took on The Real Power!

Plot:

A renegade USAF general, Lawrence Dell, escapes from a military prison and takes over an ICBM silo near...

Plot Keywords:

General | Take Over | Helicopter | Missile | Political

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Gen. Lawrence Dell
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	James Forrest
Joseph Cotten	...	Arthur Renfrew - Secretary of State
Melvyn Douglas	...	Zachariah Guthrie
Charles Durning	...	President David T. Stevens
Richard Jaeckel	...	Captain Stanford Towne
William Marshall	...	William Klinger - Attorney General
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Brigadier General O'Rourke
Richard Widmark	...	Gen. Martin MacKenzie - Commanding General SA
Paul Winfield	...	Willis Powell
Burt Young	...	Augie Garvas
Charles Aidman	...	Bernstein
Leif Erickson	...	Ralph Whittaker - CIA Director
Charles McGraw	...	Peter Crane - General of the Air Force
Morgan Paull	...	First Lieutenant Louis Cannellis

Also Known As:

Das Ultimatum (West Germany)
Nuclear Countdown
Silo III (USA) (working title)
Todeskommando Feuerblitz Ultimatum (West Germany)
Viper Three (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

146 min | Sweden:123 min | France:91 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Bavaria Atelier

Trivia:

The last film role of Charles McGraw.

Quotes:

Willis Powell: Grow up General. Nobody honors nothin', but that's no reason to blow up the whole world.

Movie Connections:

References I Was Monty's Double (1958)

Soundtrack:

My Country, 'Tis of Thee

One of the best conspiracy films since THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE.

An intriguing, tightly-paced political conspiracy thriller, with excellent performances by Burt Lancaster, Charles Durning, Paul Winfield, Burt Young, Joseph Cotten and others. Based very loosely on a forgettable action novel by Walter Wager, it flips the politics 180 degrees to comment on the senselessness of the Vietnam War. As well as a powerful message, it has a strong plot and sharp dialogue; excellent editing and good use of split-screen add to the excitement.