The Day of the Jackal (1973)

A professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" plots to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France.

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Frederick Forsyth (book), Kenneth Ross (screenplay)

Stars:

Edward Fox, Terence Alexander, Michel Auclair

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Fox	...	The Jackal
Terence Alexander	...	Lloyd
Michel Auclair	...	Colonel Rolland
Alan Badel	...	The Minister
Tony Britton	...	Inspector Thomas
Denis Carey	...	Casson
Adrien Cayla-Legrand	...	The President
Cyril Cusack	...	The Gunsmith
Maurice Denham	...	General Colbert
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	The Interrogator
Jacques François	...	Pascal (as Jacques Francois)
Olga Georges-Picot	...	Denise
Raymond Gérôme	...	Flavigny (as Raymond Gerome)
Barrie Ingham	...	St. Clair
Derek Jacobi	...	Caron

Storyline

It is the early 60s in France. The remaining survivors of the aborted French Foreign Legion have made repeated attempts to kill DeGaulle. The result is that he is the most closely guarded man in the world. As a desperate act, they hire The Jackal, the code name for a hired killer who agrees to kill French President De Gaulle for half a million dollars. We watch his preparations which are so thorough we wonder how he could possibly fail even as we watch the French police attempt to pick up his trail. The situation is historically accurate. There were many such attempts and the film closely follows the plot of the book.

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Plot Keywords:

assassin | race against time | terrorist plot | french algerian war | sniper rifle | 

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Taglines:

The Jackal spent 71 days, 56 minutes thinking a bullet into the brain of de Gaulle.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Derek Jacobi (Inspector Caron) appeared as Klaus Winzer in The Odessa File (1974), another adaptation of a Frederick Forsyth novel.

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Goofs

It is sometimes claimed that The Jackal hides the pieces of his disassembled rifle in his car's exhaust pipe, which would prevent the engine running. The pipe in question is fat and corrugated, not slim and smooth like an exhaust pipe.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Commentator: August 1962 was a stormy time for France. Many people felt that President Charles de Gaulle had betrayed the country by giving independence to Algeria. Extremists, mostly from the Army, swore to kill him in revenge. They banded together in an underground movement, and called themselves the OAS.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits roll over a lion statue at the Élysée Palace, the residence of the President of France.

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Connections

Remade as The Jackal (1997)

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Soundtracks

Marche Lorraine
(1892)
Composed by Louis Ganne
[Heard during the Liberation Day parade in Paris]

User Reviews

Stylish espionage thriller...neat location photography...

From start to finish, this is one stylish espionage thriller that qualifies among the best of its genre. Handsomely photographed in some colorful European locations and impressively acted by the entire cast, it showcases EDWARD FOX as "The Jackal" in a performance of smooth villainy that is convincing all the way.

The film's final thirty minutes are worth waiting for--as is The Jackal's final disguise that convinces the French authorities to let him pass. Fred Zinnemann keeps it all moving at a steady pace and there's never any letdown in suspense since the film has the power to draw you in from the start.

Based on Frederick Forsyth's best-seller about the painful preparations an assassin makes in an attempt to take the life of Charles DeGaulle, it belongs in the same class with a film like THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, almost documentary in approach.

The British cast is excellent with Michael Lonsdale doing an outstanding job as the relentless detective. Highly recommended.

Details

Country:

UK France

Language:

English Italian French

Release Date:

30 July 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Day of the Jackal

Filming Locations:

Archives Nationales, Hôtel de Soubise - 60 Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Paris 3, Paris, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$16,056,255

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Woolf Productions, Warwick Film Productions, Universal Productions France

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1