Aldrich Over Munich: The Making of 'Twilight's Last Gleaming' (2012 Video) User Reviews

Excellent and informative retrospective documentary

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 27 June 2016]

This engrossing and illuminating documentary chronicles in fascinating detail the making of Robert Aldrich's terrific political thriller "Twilight's Last Gleaming." The people interviewed for this doc are Aldrich's daughter Adell, assistant director Wolfgang Glattes, actor Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Aldrich expert Alain Silver, and camera operators Gerhard Fromin and Dieter Matzka. "Twilight's Last Gleaming" was based on the novel "Viper Three," which was a straightforward thriller with no political subtext. Adrich shot the picture in Germany to save money and filmed every scene with two Arriflex cameras. Burt Lancaster initially turned the film down, but changed his mind after he learned that Aldrich was going to direct. Moreover, Paul Newman was approached to portray the president, but turned said offer down. All the scenes of Vera Miles as the first lady were ultimately cut from the movie because Aldrich thought they weren't important to the story. O'Loughlin reveals that he wore a toupee and patterned his performance on hippos. Silver praises Aldrich for his crisp and not gimmicky use of split screen. Most impressively, Aldrich even finished the movie ten days early. Recommended viewing for fans of the film.