Morituri (1965)

A war pacifist is blackmailed to pose as an SS officer and to disable the scuttling explosives on freighter carrying rubber cargo to be captured by the Allies.

Director:

Bernhard Wicki

Writers:

Werner Jörg Lüddecke (novel) (as Werner Joerg Luedecke), Daniel Taradash (screenplay)

Stars:

Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Janet Margolin

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marlon Brando	...	Robert Crain
Yul Brynner	...	Captain Mueller
Janet Margolin	...	Esther Levy
Trevor Howard	...	Colonel Statter
Martin Benrath	...	Kruse
Hans Christian Blech	...	Donkeyman
Wally Cox	...	Dr. Ambach
Max Haufler	...	Branner
Rainer Penkert	...	Milkereit
William Redfield	...	Baldwin
Oscar Beregi Jr.	...	Admiral (as Oscar Beregi)
Martin Brandt	...	Nissen
Charles De Vries	...	Kurz
Carl Esmond	...	Busch
Martin Kosleck	...	Wilke

Storyline

A German living in India during World War II is blackmailed by the English to impersonate an SS officer on board a cargo ship leaving Japan for Germany carrying a large supply of rubber for tyres. His mission is to disable the scuttling charges so the captain cannot sink the ship if they are stopped by English warships.

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Plot Keywords:

sabotage | world war two | german | rubber | cargo ship | 

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Taglines:

World War II, Espionage, adventure and human lives have never before been combined so explosively

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the book "Marlon Brando: The Biography" by Peter Marso, it states that Marlon Brando was "faced as he was with his still unfulfilled obligation" to "his ten-year old debt to [studio 20th Century] Fox, which would force him to begin shooting 'Morituri' in April 1964." Brando plays a Nazi soldier in this film as he had done so in the earlier film, "The Young Lions (1958)," for 20th Century Fox, both movies being filmed in black-and-white and both being for made for the same studio.

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Goofs

Esther's hairstyle is of the Sixties, not the war years.

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Quotes

Colonel Statter: [blackmailing Crain] In your case, I'm not troubled by any moral nausea.

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Connections

Featured in A Cinematic Life: The Art & Influence of Conrad Hall (2010)

User Reviews

Like another reviewer asks, "Why haven't I heard of this?"

I don't mean to be repetitive but I stumbled onto this film at my local video rental store just like one of the other reviewers wrote. I'd never heard of it before. A movie with both Yul Brynner and Marlon Brando. A war movie at that. And I'd never heard of it. Not that I'm a super movie buff but at least I think that this is one I would have come across at some point.

Anyway, it's a great film about the conflicts between duty and beliefs. Each character is on a mission not of their making or preference. Each actor does a great job of portraying the difficulty in taking on a task one would rather not have to do.

This one is worth watching. I give it an 8.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1965 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Saboteur: Code Name Morituri

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,290,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arcola Pictures, Colony Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1