The Day of the Jackal (1973)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Frederick Forsyth (book)
Kenneth Ross (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 July 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Assassin | French | President | France | Detective

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 10 nominations

Cast

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
Michael Lonsdale	...	Lebel (as Michel Lonsdale)
Jean Martin	...	Wolenski
Ronald Pickup	...	The Forger
Eric Porter	...	Colonel Rodin
Anton Rodgers	...	Bernard
Delphine Seyrig	...	Colette
Donald Sinden	...	Mallinson
Jean Sorel	...	Bastien-Thiry
David Swift	...	Montclair
Timothy West	...	Berthier
Bernard Archard
Jacques Alric
Colette Bergé		(as Colette Berge)
Edmond Bernard
Gérard Buhr		(as Gerard Buhr)
Philippe Léotard	...	Gendarme (as Philippe Leotard)
Maurice Teynac
Van Doude
Nicolas Vogel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Féodor Atkine	...	(uncredited)
Jean Champion	...	(uncredited)
Nicole Desailly	...	Yvonne De Gaulle (uncredited)
Max Faulkner	...	Special Branch Detective (uncredited)
Robert Favart	...	Minister (uncredited)
Andréa Ferréol	...	(uncredited)
Gilberte Géniat	...	(uncredited)
Edward Hardwicke	...	Charles Calthrop (uncredited)
David Kernan	...	Per Lundquist (uncredited)
Robert Le Béal	...	(uncredited)
Bernard Musson	...	(uncredited)
Howard Vernon	...	State Secretary (uncredited)
Nicholas Young	...	Passport Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
Fred Zinnemann

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Frederick Forsyth		book
Kenneth Ross		screenplay

Produced by
Julien Derode	....	co-producer
David Deutsch	....	co-producer
John Woolf	....	producer

Original Music by
Georges Delerue

Cinematography by
Jean Tournier		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Ralph Kemplen

Casting by
Margot Capelier
Jenia Reissar

Costume Design by
Joan Bridge
Rosine Delamare
Elizabeth Haffenden

Makeup Department
Pierre Berroyer	....	makeup artist
Ludovic Paris	....	hairdresser: France (as Marc Paris)
Barbara Ritchie	....	hairdresser: England

Production Management
Henri Jaquillard	....	production manager: France
John Palmer	....	production manager: England

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew Marton	....	second unit director
Louis Pitzele	....	assistant director: France (as Louis Pitzelé)
Peter Price	....	assistant director: England

Art Department
René Albouze	....	property master: France
Ernest Archer	....	set designer: England
Robert Cartwright	....	set dresser: England
Pierre Charron	....	set dresser: France
Wally Hill	....	property master: England
Willy Holt	....	set designer: France

Sound Department
Bob Allen	....	sound recordist (as Robert Allen)
Gordon K. McCallum	....	dubbing mixer (as Gordon McCallum)
Nicholas Stevenson	....	sound editor
Graham V. Hartstone	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
John Hayward	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Georges Iaconelli	....	special effects: France
Cliff Richardson	....	special effects: England
John Richardson	....	special effects: England

Visual Effects by
Wally Veevers	....	visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Guy Delattre	....	photographer: second unit
André Domage	....	camera operator: France
Jean Fontanilles	....	chief electrician: France
David Harcourt	....	camera operator: England
Colin Manning	....	chief grip: England
Edmond Séchan	....	photographer: second unit
Vic Smith	....	chief electrician: England
René Strasser	....	chief grip: France

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jean Zay	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Marcel Durham	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Georges Delerue	....	conductor

Other crew
Simone Escoffier	....	production secretary: France
Gladys Goldsmith	....	continuity: England
Van Jones	....	production secretary: England
Catherine Prévert	....	continuity: France
John Rosenberg	....	script editor
Paul Tivers	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Warwick Film Productions (in association with)
• Universal Productions France

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical) (as Universal)
• Cinema Internazional Corporation (1973) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1976) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1973) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• CIC Video (199?) (Germany) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Nordisk Film (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2003) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chanel  Miss Seyrig's clothes

Also Known As:

Chacal (France)
A sakál napja (Hungary) [hu]
Chacal (Canada: French title) [fr]
Chacal (Spain) [es]
Dani sakala (Serbia) [sr]
Der Schakal (West Germany) [de]
Dzien szakala (Poland) [pl]
El día del chacal (Argentina) [es]
I ora tou tsakaliou (Greece) [el]
Il giorno dello sciacallo (Italy) [it]
O Dia do Chacal (Brazil) [pt]
Schakalen (Sweden) [sv]
Shakaali (Finland) [fi]
Sjakalen (Norway) [no]
Sjakalen (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English | Italian | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

150 Rue de Rennes, Paris 6, Paris, France

Company:

Warwick Film Productions

Trivia:

When the Jackal meets the weapons supplier in Genoa, there is a picture of John F. Kennedy on the cover of an Italian magazine reporting on President Kennedy's recent visit to Europe. The scene is set on 2 August 1963.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Victor is knocked out, kidnapped and tossed into the back of the van you can clearly see the actor holding his head up off the floor of the truck as the door is being closed.

Quotes:

Lebel: Excuse me, but it has just occurred to me that we have forty-eight hours in which to find this Jackal
[There is a chorus of "What?" and "How do you know?" from the committee members]
Lebel: Am I right in assuming that the President has no engagements outside the Elysee Palace today, tomorrow and Saturday ?
Minister: None.
Lebel: And what is Sunday, August the twenty-fifth?
Minister: [Slaps forehead] Of course! Liberation Day!
Lebel: That's what he's been waiting for.
Minister: We must have been blind.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in The Day of the Grackle (2005)

Very well-done

Entertaining drama about a killer for hire named the Jackal (Edward Fox) hired to kill Charles DeGaulle in 1962. It follows step by step his preparations for the assassination and the authorities trying to track him down.

Story has a huge cast of mostly unknown character actors which makes it seem more believable (i.e. in the 1997 remake Bruce Willis played the Jackal and you were always aware you were watching Willis). Also Fox is all too believable as a killer. The plot also takes place all over Europe jumping around from country to country. Despite the large cast and multiple story lines I was never confused and thoroughly engrossed. Expert direction by Zimmerman helps also.

I have one small complaint--it goes on a bit too long. I was a little bored by the final half-hour. Still, this is a well-done thriller worth catching.

I give it an 8.