The Day of the Jackal

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Banasa
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2015 12:35 am

The Day of the Jackal

#1 Post by Banasa » Fri Jun 09, 2017 1:30 pm

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"In 1971, Frederick Forsythe shot to bestseller status with his debut novel, The Day of the Jackal – taut, utterly plausible, almost documentarian in its realism and attention to detail. Two years later, director Fred Zinnemann (High Noon) turned a gripping novel into a nail-biting cinematic experience.

August 1962: the latest attempt on the life of French President Charles de Gaulle by the far right paramilitary organisation, the OAS, ends in chaos, with its architect-in-chief dead at the hands of a firing squad. Demoralised and on the verge of bankruptcy, the OAS leaders meet in secret to plan their next move. In a last desperate attempt to eliminate de Gaulle, they opt to employ the services of a hired assassin from outside the fold. Enter the Jackal (Edward Fox, Gandhi): charismatic, calculating, cold as ice. As the Jackal closes in on his target, a race against the clock ensues to identify and put a stop to a killer whose identity, whereabouts and modus operandi are completely unknown.

Co-starring a plethora of talent from both sides of the Channel, including Michael Lonsdale (Munich), Derek Jacobi (The Odessa File) and Cyril Cusack (1984) and featuring striking
cinematography by Jean Tournier (Moonraker), The Day of the Jackal remains one of the greatest political thrillers of all time.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New interview with Neil Sinyard, author of Fred Zinnemann: Films of Character and Conscience
• Two rare archival clips from the film set, including an interview with Fred Zinnemann
• Theatrical trailer
• Original screenplay by Kenneth Ross (BD-ROM content)
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing by critic Mark Cunliffe and film historian Sheldon Hall"

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Ribs
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#2 Post by Ribs » Wed Aug 23, 2017 6:30 pm


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domino harvey
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#3 Post by domino harvey » Wed Aug 23, 2017 7:36 pm

The most shocking aspect of this release is the discovery that someone wrote a book devoted to studying Zinnemann's films-- was it underwritten by the Academy? I actually think this is one of his better efforts, though, with a slow procedural nature shown to some of the assassin's sillier methods. That said, I don't ever need to see it again-- though I'm even less likely to watch the remake with Bruce Willis (am I remembering correctly that the target in that one was a Hillary Clinton stand-in?)

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Ribs
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#4 Post by Ribs » Wed Aug 23, 2017 8:20 pm

Hm - I mean, I know I've had this discussion in some thread here before (maybe for the Olive High Noon release?) but I don't really think of him as an aggressively mediocre filmmaker, and certainly can imagine him making a more exciting subject to analyze his films in detail than several others of similar pedigree from the same time period. If I recall correctly the forum consensus is pass on all of them except High Noon and A Nun's Story, which I understand, but I can absolutely imagine regardless of the film's relative quality in the eye of the beholder there are absolutely interesting stories to tell about Redes, From Here to Eternity (in my opinion possibly the most inexplicable Hollywood classic beloved by the masses), Oklahoma, Man for all Seasons, this one, and Julia. In addition there's the weirdness of him somehow pulling off what many of his contemporaries failed at in staying relevant both in awards and commercially into the new Hollywood period. I mean, as much as Oscars don't mean anything and shouldn't be the sole barometer of success, the guy made two Best Picture winners and (in High Noon and From Here to Eternity) two all-time, very name recognizable classics (actual quality debatable).

I love this genre of movies and feel they've been relatively underserved by the boutique labels (MoC's Three Days the exception, at least until the likely possibility Criterion puts out Parallax View) so I bought this without much hesitation, totally thrilled that Arrow are as far as I know the first to put this out in the world.

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domino harvey
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#5 Post by domino harvey » Wed Aug 23, 2017 8:37 pm

I've actually written quite a bit on the forum about my take on Zinnemann, which has become a bit more nuanced over the years compared to my first impressions in the Oscars project, but essentially I'll just quote my take from the 50s List:
domino harvey wrote:What makes a Fred Zinnemann film? You might as well ask what makes a Henry Hathaway film, or a Lloyd Bacon film. Zinnemann is always at the mercy of his collaborators, be they screenwriters, producers, cameramen, editors, &c. The result is the occasional good film, but never one with an auteur's hand.
Here's my write-up of all of Zinnemann's fifties films and my perspectives on A Man For All Seasons, Behold a Pale Horse, Julia, the Search, and the Sundowners

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dustybooks
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#6 Post by dustybooks » Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:38 pm

This and The Nun's Story are both terrific, IMO, and nearly redeem the crimes of High Noon and Julia, which I loathe; most of the rest I can take or leave. (Speaking of Zinnemann remakes, I just remembered that Hazanavicius remade The Search and it disappeared off the face of the earth.)

I admit that my love of this film is at least partly down to just liking this kind of meticulous procedural in general, but it's actually one of my go-to "sick in bed" movies; always takes my mind off whatever the problem is. It's also somewhat interesting to me how completely free it is of any sort of emotional content beyond tactical maneuvering... not something I think should be a filmmaker's goal, but impressive in a strange way and somewhat fitting with Zinnemann's skill set.

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swo17
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#7 Post by swo17 » Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:43 pm

He made one of the very best noirs in Act of Violence, though as domino suggests it's not particularly Zinnemanny.

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knives
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#8 Post by knives » Thu Aug 24, 2017 9:04 am

He's also the reason Jonas Mekas went into directing. I actually quite like Behold a Pale Horse and in general think he could make good films. His style of making them though doesn't seem useful to write about in terms of the modern methodologies of author and thematic/aesthetic connection. I'm not sure what methodology would work, historical is the best bet, but I wouldn't envy the job either way.

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rohmerin
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#9 Post by rohmerin » Thu Aug 24, 2017 2:32 pm

I love Julia, I had to say it.
I suppose Lilian Hellmann cumed when she was portrayed by the beautiful Fonda.

Jackal, I love it too. I like most of Zinnemann's films. The Search was the last I revisited. Quite wheepy, too long, very weak after a shocking NeoRealist and cruel beginning with all those surviving Children. What eyes they've got. Something strong their gaze.

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fiddlesticks
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#10 Post by fiddlesticks » Thu Aug 24, 2017 4:47 pm

Unlike most of you, I suppose, I had to go look up a list of Zinnemann's films. I guess that's the mark of a craftsman rather than an auteur. Anyway, I find I've seen seven films he directed, and I enjoyed six, including Jackal (before you ask, the exception is The Sundowners; it's been years, but I recall not being able to get past Mitchum's attempt at an Aussie accent and into the movie), so I guess I like him. At least I hope so, since today I received The Member of the Wedding from the recent Twilight Time sale.

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Ribs
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#11 Post by Ribs » Thu Aug 24, 2017 6:45 pm

Maybe it doesn't help my case that despite this being my second time defending him (more or less) I was still surprised to remember he directed half the films listed as the big ones in my post! I can't help myself but to stand up and defend these studio workmen directors (Jewison seems like his succesor in that regard) because I think dismissing their work generally as being lesser by lacking the auteur's touch is being reductive to the fact that despite the bulk of them just being made by committee Zinneman or whomever the director is has still carefully considered and interpreted what he's doing and putting his name on it.

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knives
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Re: The Day of the Jackal

#12 Post by knives » Fri Aug 25, 2017 9:18 am

There's certainly a lot of great journeyman directors (in fact I think if Hollywood was better about differentiating and using them they'd be in a better spot now). I just wouldn't list Zinnemann with them because of how starched his films can be.

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