Night of the Fox (1990)

Very Cool!!!

Powerful

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I've just watched this courtesy of Youtube. Not a bad copy, though the last third or so had poor lip sync.The main problem was that Harry Martineau was meant to be 44 (give or take a year) and George Peppard was 62 in 1990, flabby, showing the signs of heavy drinking and soon to be diagnosed with lung cancer.(He was a sixty-a-day smoker and is seen smoking a lot during NOTF.) So hardly an action man, and he had trouble scrambling over a low wall. (It must have been a stunt double shinning up the drainpipe.) Even in the role of a poule de luxe, Sara appeared flamboyantly over-dressed, and I wondered where her several elaborate outfits had come from after the boat on which she was travelling to Jersey sunk; surely not from shops on the island itself, which in 1944 was suffering acute austerity.The supporting cast all performed well and there was good period atmosphere.

This TV film of 1990 is something of a curiosity. It was made by GMT Productions, a European film company headquartered in France. It was done for TV, and was released in the U.S. on Nov. 28, 1990; but apparently not aired on a major network. The film is based on a book by Jack Higgins – more on him later. It's a good fiction story – not unfamiliar for war films. And, the setting is very interesting – much of it takes place on the Channel Islands. But beyond that, this movie doesn't have much going for it. Many people, today especially, may not realize that Germany did invade and occupy a part of Great Britain during World War II. The Channel Islands lie just off Normandy, the northern coast of France, across the English Channel from England. The Germans occupied the islands from the fall of France in June, 1940, until the end of the war. France was liberated within months of the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings at Normandy; but it wouldn't be until the end of the war in Europe on May 9, 1945, that the Channel Islands were liberated. German garrisons there held out after the fall of France, although cut off from all reinforcements and supplies. The Allies made no attempt to capture the islands. While the residents had to endure almost another year of oppression and Nazi rule, the islands were spared extensive damage and civilian casualties that likely would have occurred with an Allied attack before war's end. So the story and setting are interesting and quite good. And they are mostly what earn this film the six stars I give it. The directing and editing are very choppy as though it was made for TV commercial breaks. The production values are poor – another reviewer has noted the post-war props and some other goofs in the making of the movie. The acting of Michael York in his double role as Erwin Rommel and as Corporal Berger is good. The rest of the roles are mostly average, but George Peppard is terrible in his role as Col. Harry Martineau. Peppard was 61 when this movie came out. And he shows his age and a body that is very much out of condition. Dwight Eisenhower was only 51 at the start of WW II. Few generals stayed in the Army to age 60, yet Peppard plays an obviously older character. Martineau is a special agent of some kind in or for the British Army during WW II. It's never clear just what this is, except that he's an expert and the best at what he does. What he does is alluded to as a variety of things that use a variety of skills. He's fluent in German and other languages. He's a master at espionage with associated skills. He knows the martial arts and associated skills. And, he's a trained killer. The only problem is that the chain-smoking, over-weight Peppard is no match for the role. So, we see him do very little by way of anything physical. His persona is a silent type. He's stiff, wooden and too sullen. The movie makers probably wanted us to view him as a thinking man, but it doesn't register that way with me. He has very little dialog and very little to say when he does have a line or two. Michael York, on the other hand, is very good in his double role. Those in the German uniforms all seem to handle their roles much better. Deborah Raffin is OK in her role as Sara Drayton, the supposed mistress of Peppard's second character, Major Max Vogel. Again, this movie is based on a book by British novelist, Jack Higgins (nee, Harry Patterson). He wrote thrillers and espionage books and was one of the most popular fiction writers of the last half of the 20th century. He took this, his final pen-name, in the 1960s after writing under several other names. As of 2015, he was still alive and writing at age 85. He has 84 novels to his credit with sales over 150 million. His 1975 novel, "The Eagle has Landed," is one of largest selling books ever published – topping 50 million copies. For many years, Higgins has lived in Jersey on the Channel Islands. Several of his books have been made into movies, but only a couple films have been as successful as his books. This film is somewhat interesting because of the story and the setting. But, many, other than war film fans, may not enjoy it.

I sat, tortured, through a movie with forced acting and historical inaccuracies that became laughable. A trip from England to France in a Cessna 182? Automobiles in use produced after WW2. The beginning scenes (with the practice amphibious landings being attacked) looked like kids playing "army" in the back yard. I think (when they were hit)somebody threw a bucket of water over the side of the "landing craft".(Some)tanks used that were neither English nor American. In the end,York's character is shot under Mill's character's instructions, but this isn't even explained! Mills is passable, but weak. Peppard looked like he was trying to get his scenes over to go eat a cheeseburger. This stunk, sorry. Save your time and watch "The Eagle has Landed" for something believable.

A most remarkable film. Made for TV and even though it is no longer available to buy, you can find it at your video store to rent. Here we have one of Peppards' finest performances. He may not have been the best actor of his day, but this role is perfect for Peppard. I have watched this film every few months since finding it a few years ago. Each viewing is as enjoyable as the first. Michael York puts in an average performance as Rommel, and Debra Raffin does okay. Peppard however carries the day. He plays an American Colonel working for the British OSE. (Operations Special Executive) I imagine this was the forerunner or wartime version of MI6 where James Bond works. Most of the film is set on the Channel Islands, occupied by the Germans for most of WW2. Our hero must extract or kill an American washed up there, who knows all the details of the D-Day landings, before the Germans interigate him. The movie doesn't even seem like three hours at all. The time goes fast and I can hardly wait to watch it again. Do yourself a favour and watch this most entertaining war drama.