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IMDbPro

Cast a Giant Shadow

  • 19661966
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 2h 26m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, Senta Berger, and Yul Brynner in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
In 1947, following the U.N. decision to split British Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, a former U.S. Army officer is recruited by the Jews to reorganize the Haganah.
Play trailer3:40
1 Video
57 Photos
AdventureDramaHistory
In 1947, following the U.N. decision to split British Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, a former U.S. Army officer is recruited by the Jews to reorganize the Haganah.In 1947, following the U.N. decision to split British Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, a former U.S. Army officer is recruited by the Jews to reorganize the Haganah.In 1947, following the U.N. decision to split British Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, a former U.S. Army officer is recruited by the Jews to reorganize the Haganah.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
    • Melville Shavelson
    • Ted Berkman(book)
    • Melville Shavelson(written for the screen by)
  • Stars
    • Kirk Douglas
    • John Wayne
    • Frank Sinatra
    • Melville Shavelson
    • Ted Berkman(book)
    • Melville Shavelson(written for the screen by)
  • Stars
    • Kirk Douglas
    • John Wayne
    • Frank Sinatra
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 43User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:40
    Watch Trailer

    Photos57

    Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, and Yul Brynner in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, and Senta Berger in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    James Donald and Danny Perlman in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    Yul Brynner and Danny Perlman in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    Kirk Douglas, Stathis Giallelis, Joe LaBella, Danny Perlman, and Topol in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    John Wayne in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    Kirk Douglas in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    Kirk Douglas in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    Kirk Douglas in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    Kirk Douglas in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    Kirk Douglas and Gary Merrill in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
    Kirk Douglas in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kirk Douglas
    Kirk Douglas
    • Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus
    John Wayne
    John Wayne
    • Gen. Mike Randolph
    Frank Sinatra
    Frank Sinatra
    • Vince Talmadge
    Senta Berger
    Senta Berger
    • Magda Simon
    Angie Dickinson
    Angie Dickinson
    • Emma Marcus
    James Donald
    James Donald
    • Maj. Safir
    Stathis Giallelis
    Stathis Giallelis
    • Ram Oren
    Luther Adler
    Luther Adler
    • Jacob Zion
    Topol
    Topol
    • Abou Ibn Kader
    Ruth White
    Ruth White
    • Mrs. Chaison
    Gordon Jackson
    Gordon Jackson
    • James MacAfee
    Michael Hordern
    Michael Hordern
    • British Ambassador
    Allan Cuthbertson
    Allan Cuthbertson
    • Immigration Officer
    Jeremy Kemp
    Jeremy Kemp
    • Senior British Officer
    Sean Barrett
    • Junior British Officer
    Michael Shillo
    • Andre Simon
    Rina Ganor
    Rina Ganor
    • Rona
    Roland Bartrop
    • Bert Harrison
      • Melville Shavelson
      • Ted Berkman(book)
      • Melville Shavelson(written for the screen by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer, Producer, and Director Melville Shavelson and Kirk Douglas fought throughout the shoot. At one point, Shavelson even walked off the set, leaving his assistant to take over for the day.
    • Goofs
      When first seen, Angie Dickinson and Senta Berger are shown wearing fashions from the 1960s when the film was made, not the 1940s when the film was set.
    • Quotes

      Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus: Why do you let women to go on these convoys?

      Asher Gonen: Magda volunteered.

      Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus: She's been through enough. She just lost her husband, she's in a terrible st...

      Asher Gonen: Look, we need everyone. Especially since the British search us for weapons. Being British, they're also too polite most of the time to search a woman thoroughly.

      Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus: You're lucky you're not occupied by the French.

    • Crazy credits
      The major events in this film actually happened. Some of them are still happening. The major characters actually lived. Many of them are still living. Although it was not easy.
    • Connections
      Featured in Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Next Year in Jerusalem
      Music by Dov Seltzer

    User reviews43

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    CAST A GIANT SHADOW (Melville Shavelson, 1966) **1/2
    Earnest, well-mounted but essentially dreary epic about the real-life involvement of an American Jew in the post-war struggle for Israel's independence – thus sharing its theme with EXODUS (1960), and clearly aiming (but failing) for a "Marcus Of Israel" feel!

    Kirk Douglas stars as Mickey Marcus – perhaps chosen due to the character's similarities to another historical figure forced by circumstances into leadership, Spartacus, whom Douglas had portrayed in 1960. He's supported by an eclectic cast which includes Angie Dickinson as his neglected(!) wife, Senta Berger as the Israeli girl he falls for, Topol as an ill-tempered Arab sheik, Luther Adler as a local politician, a plethora of reliable British character actors – and even guest appearances by Frank Sinatra (which doesn't amount to much), a glum Yul Brynner as a fellow freedom fighter, and John Wayne as a U.S. General whom Douglas initially falls foul of but the two eventually end up respecting one another (still, seeing Wayne at the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp is about as incongruous as his stint playing the Roman Centurion at Christ's crucifixion in THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD [1965]!).

    Despite a sharp script and good individual sequences, the film is compromised by its necessity to be both a spectacle and a message picture (the WWII flashbacks, for instance, are unnecessary and merely render the film overlong); unsurprisingly, it works best during the action highlights (complemented by a typically fine Elmer Bernstein score). Apparently, the events have been partially fictionalized – I wonder whether these embellishments concerned the romantic complications and the Hollywood-style ironic ending. For the record, Shavelson had started out as a scriptwriter (and later director) of Bob Hope and Danny Kaye vehicles; this was his most serious effort – a brave try, but not quite the 'giant' film he clearly intended...
    helpful•16
    11
    • Bunuel1976
    • Jul 15, 2007

    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 30, 1966 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Israel
    • Production companies
      • Batjac Productions
      • Llenroc Productions
      • The Mirisch Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 26 minutes

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