The Day of the Jackal (1973)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

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 | France | President | 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)
• CIC Video GmbH (199?) (Germany) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1973) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• 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:

Technical specifications and fold-out diagram for building the actual assassin's rifle are included with the hardcover Franklin Mint special edition of the novel.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the first minutes of the movie the man on the scooter turns right and passes a Peugeot 504 parked on the corner, this car came on the market only in 1969. The Renault 16, available from 1965, can be seen in different scenes of the movie. In the section of the movie where the Jackal makes his preparations for the assassination in Paris you can clearly see one passing the café on the Place de Rennes from where he observes the concierge.

Quotes:

Mallinson: The prime minister?
Insp. Thomas: The prime minster, sir. That he said if there's the remotest possibility of General de Gaulle's life being threatened by a person of these islands, then it is to be stopped. And he's given me full powers and top priority.
Mallinson: Is this some kind of bloody joke?
Insp. Thomas: No, of couse not, sir. I've got to drop whatever I'm doing, and I shall need six of your best men, straight away.
Mallinson: Where's the notification for all this? Where's the proper authority?
[Telephone rings. Mallison answers]
Mallinson: Yes!
[Mallison listens then rises]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)

Stealth Man Among Us

This is not a true story. It is a fictional account of what could, in theory, have happened following the August 22, 1962, real life assassination attempt by the OAS terrorist group, on the life of French President Charles De Gaulle. In the film, the OAS tries again, this time using a simpler plan, one involving a lone gunman, a professional killer who calls himself ... the jackal (Edward Fox). The jackal is the archetype of the modern political sniper. The screenplay and Fox's performance present him as suave, sophisticated, intelligent, resourceful, and methodical. He is a risk taker. All of which makes him extremely dangerous, because he has no moral scruples.

We watch the jackal as he prepares meticulously for his assignment. As the clock ticks toward the moment of kill, the plot alternates between the jackal's daily logistics and the frantic efforts of Detective Lebel (Michael Lonsdale), hot on the jackal's trail, but always one step behind him. Kenneth Ross' efficient screenplay and Fred Zinnemann's expert direction create a film with steadily building suspense.

In lieu of unnecessary background music, sound effects engender a sense of realism and immediacy. The ticking of a clock, the sound of footsteps, or doors opening and closing, help to place the viewer in the scene, as a silent partner. The use of echoes further heightens the already elevated suspense. And adroit cinematography creates menacing visuals, characterized by dark backgrounds, creepy overhead lights, and noirish shadows. Augmenting all of this, the film's minimal dialogue, attention to detail in production design and costumes, the excellent acting, and the brilliant editing seal the film's deserved reputation as a film of unusually high technical quality. The overall result for the viewer is a truly suspenseful and realistic story not easily forgotten.

My only significant complaint is the film's strange climax. I personally found it to be elliptically counterintuitive. Notwithstanding this, "The Day Of The Jackal" deserves a very high recommendation for viewers wanting to see a political thriller along the lines of "Three Days Of The Condor" or "The Parallax View".