The Black Windmill

"The ultimate exercise in controlled terror."

1974 1h 46m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 99

ThrillerActionCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A British agent's son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of diamonds. The agent finds out that he can't even count on the people he thought were on his side to help him, so he decides to track down the kidnappers himself.

“The ultimate exercise in controlled terror.”

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Cast

Michael Caine
Maj. John Tarrant
Donald Pleasence
Cedric Harper
Delphine Seyrig
Ceil Burrows
Clive Revill
Alf Chestermann
John Vernon
McKee
Joss Ackland
Chief Supt. Wray
Janet Suzman
Alex Tarrant
Catherine Schell
Lady Melissa Julyan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Don Siegel
Writers: Leigh Vance
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, France, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Don Siegel, shot by Ousama Rawi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Roy Budd. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Antony Gibbs shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Caine and Donald Pleasence and Delphine Seyrig carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The ultimate exercise in controlled terror.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Don Siegel directs. Ousama Rawi behind the camera. Roy Budd scores. Antony Gibbs cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, France, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
252 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, France, United States of America.
4Directed by Don Siegel, shot by Ousama Rawi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Roy Budd. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Antony Gibbs shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Michael Caine and Donald Pleasence and Delphine Seyrig carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The ultimate exercise in controlled terror.".
9IMDB entry: tt0071229 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 99 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 14 themes, including "london, england", "paris, france", "chase", "diamond".
12Released under 12 different titles around the world.