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IMDbPro

Night Ambush

Original title: Ill Met by Moonlight
  • 19571957
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Night Ambush (1957)
  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Drama
Led by British officers, partisans on Crete plan to kidnap the island's German commander and smuggle him to Cairo, Egypt to embarrass the occupiers.Led by British officers, partisans on Crete plan to kidnap the island's German commander and smuggle him to Cairo, Egypt to embarrass the occupiers.Led by British officers, partisans on Crete plan to kidnap the island's German commander and smuggle him to Cairo, Egypt to embarrass the occupiers.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Michael Powell
    • Emeric Pressburger
  • Writers
    • W. Stanley Moss(adapted from the book: "Ill Met By Moonlight" The Wartime Diary in Crete of)
    • Michael Powell
    • Emeric Pressburger
  • Stars
    • Dirk Bogarde
    • Marius Goring
    • David Oxley
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Michael Powell
    • Emeric Pressburger
  • Writers
    • W. Stanley Moss(adapted from the book: "Ill Met By Moonlight" The Wartime Diary in Crete of)
    • Michael Powell
    • Emeric Pressburger
  • Stars
    • Dirk Bogarde
    • Marius Goring
    • David Oxley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 19User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro

    • Photos27

    Cyril Cusack, David Oxley, and Laurence Payne in Night Ambush (1957)
    Night Ambush (1957)
    Night Ambush (1957)
    Night Ambush (1957)
    Night Ambush (1957)
    Night Ambush (1957)
    Dirk Bogarde, Marius Goring, and David Oxley in Night Ambush (1957)
    Dirk Bogarde, Marius Goring, and David Oxley in Night Ambush (1957)
    Marius Goring in Night Ambush (1957)
    Dirk Bogarde and Marius Goring in Night Ambush (1957)
    Michael Gough, Dirk Bogarde, Marius Goring, Wolfe Morris, David Oxley, and Laurence Payne in Night Ambush (1957)
    Marius Goring in Night Ambush (1957)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dirk Bogarde
    Dirk Bogarde
    • Major Patrick Leigh Fermor D.S.O. O.B.E. also known to the Cretans and the German Secret Police as PHILEDEM
    Marius Goring
    Marius Goring
    • Major General Kreipe
    David Oxley
    David Oxley
    • Captain W. Stanley Moss, M.C.
    Dimitri Andreas
    • Niko
    • (as Demetri Andreas)
    Cyril Cusack
    Cyril Cusack
    • Sandy
    Laurence Payne
    Laurence Payne
    • Manoli
    Wolfe Morris
    Wolfe Morris
    • George
    Michael Gough
    Michael Gough
    • Andoni Zoidakis
    John Cairney
    John Cairney
    • Elias
    Brian Worth
    • Stratis Saviolkis
    Roland Bartrop
    • Micky Akoumianakis
    • (as Rowland Bartrop)
    George Eugeniou
    • Charis Zographakis
    Paul Stassino
    Paul Stassino
    • Yani Katsias
    Adeeb Assaly
    • Zahari
    Theo Moreas
    • Village Priest
    Takis Frangofinos
    • Michali
    Christopher Lee
    Christopher Lee
    • German officer at dentist'
    Peter Augustine
    • Dentist
    • Directors
      • Michael Powell
      • Emeric Pressburger
    • Writers
      • W. Stanley Moss(adapted from the book: "Ill Met By Moonlight" The Wartime Diary in Crete of)
      • Michael Powell
      • Emeric Pressburger
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to Michael Powell's book, "Million Dollar Movie", Composer Mikis Theodorakis considered it shameful that a story about Cretan resistance fighters would be told by anyone other than Cretans. He told Writers, Producers, and Directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger that they were both political "interlopers", a label he also used in describing Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor.
    • Goofs
      General Brauer is shown in the film as wearing army (Wehrmacht) uniform. As a paratrooper, he should be wearing air force (Luftwaffe) uniform. Contemporary photographs show him doing so on Crete.
    • Quotes

      Maj. Patrick Leigh Fermor aka Philedem: Field Marshal Rommel won't be in Cairo but you will be!

    • Alternate versions
      The UK version of the film, titled "Ill Met by Moonlight", is 11 minutes longer than the version originally released in American markets.
    • Connections
      Referenced in The South Bank Show: Michael Powell (1986)

    User reviews19

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Enjoyed it
    I re-watched this as I am currently reading the history of Crete during WW2. Many of the component parts of the true events are in the movie, which makes it a pretty good representation of what happened without it being a documentary. Of course, you have to factor in the 1950s acting and effects limitations but, having read a little about the real-life players, it wholly underplays events. Those guys spent a long time in the mountains fighting the Nazis - might have made them a little crazy.
    helpful•3
    1
    • nm169
    • Feb 13, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 1958 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Greek
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Noćna zaseda
    • Filming locations
      • Alpes Maritimes, Alps, Italy
    • Production companies
      • The Rank Organisation
      • Vega Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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