Operation: Daybreak

"It was a hit and run operation with no place to run."

1975 1h 58m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 50

ActionWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Czechoslovakia, 1942. Three brave Czech patriots risk everything to rid their country of its brutal Nazi leader, SS-General Reinhard Heydrich.

“It was a hit and run operation with no place to run.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Timothy Bottoms
Jan Kubis
Martin Shaw
Karel Curda
Joss Ackland
Janák
Nicola Pagett
Anna
Anthony Andrews
Jozef Gabcík
Anton Diffring
Reinhard Heydrich
Carl Duering
Karl Frank
Cyril Shaps
Father Petrek

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lewis Gilbert
Writers: Ronald Harwood
Languages: German, English
Countries: Belgium, Czechoslovakia, 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

ERA

Did you know

51 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Belgium, Czechoslovakia, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Timothy Bottoms and Martin Shaw and Joss Ackland carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It was a hit and run operation with no place to run.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0075019 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lewis Gilbert directs. David Hentschel scores. Thelma Connell cuts. Produced in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, United States of America. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

151 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
3International production across 3 countries: Belgium, Czechoslovakia, United States of America.
4Original score by David Hentschel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Thelma Connell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Timothy Bottoms and Martin Shaw and Joss Ackland carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It was a hit and run operation with no place to run.".
8IMDB entry: tt0075019 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 50 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "world war ii", "prague, czech republic", "1940s", "thoughtful".

The technical file

Original score: David Hentschel
Editing: Thelma Connell
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Operation: Daybreak (1975)

Also by

Lewis Gilbert

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2016-01-16
★ 4/10
The plot is certainly interesting, even more for quite an important event during the WWII, but the movie doesn't really add anything to the story that cannot be read in a quick glance to the Wikipedia. The cast performs as if they would be robots, with poor dialogues, and the directing feels like if it would be done with a ruler and following a strict method. Not too bad in the latter, but it doesn't feel natural at all.

Production companies

Who made it

VI
Vista
HO
Howard R. Schuster
AM
American Allied Pictures
Filmové studio Barrandov
XC

Key crew

EditorThelma Connell
ProducerCarter DeHaven
Associate ProducerStanley O'Toole

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

world war ii
prague, czech republic
1940s
thoughtful
czech history
dramatic
assassination of reinhard heydrich (1942)
lidice massacre
empathetic

Release history · US

When it landed

Theatrical (limited)1975-11-01PG· Baltimore, Maryland

Also known as

International titles

Das Sonderkommando - Tötet HeydrichDE
刺杀海德里希CN
Operação DaybreakPT

6.2