The first time I had seen Dark Of The Sun was on late night television and it was edited. Dark of the Sun book. Dark of the Sun came out a year before The Wild Bunch but plays like a movie that came out in Peckinpah’s wake, a film carved from mean ‘70s grit. Directed by Jack Cardiff, there is so much testosterone in this picture, the stream started to lift weights mid-movie. Released 1968. Meanwhile, Henlein begins to cause trouble because he knows about the diamonds and resents Curry's leadership. Stars Jim Brown. [14], Rod Taylor signed on to make the film in September 1966 by which time the script had been rewritten by Adrian Spies. In his biography, "Magic Hour," director Jack Cardiff wrote: Critics condemned the film on its original release for its graphic scenes of violence and torture. Heist movie, train movie, men-on-a-mission movie: Jack Cardiff’s Congo actioner is lean, rugged, smartly tackling its themes of racism and morality while still being explosively violent. ISBN 1-56076-316-7. But when I saw it on cable, I was very surprised by the violence in the film. However, a mortar round destroys the coupling between the last two carriages. The German version is misleadingly entitled Katanga, implying the film takes place during the first Congo emergency in 1961–64, when mercenaries like Müller and 'Mad' Mike Hoare were involved. Actual violence in the Congo resulted in the deaths of up to 100,000 people. Please look at the photos to see what I mean. Situated at the heart of sub-Saharan Africa, it is a place where men die for diamonds. Based on the novel The Dark of the Sun by Wilbur A. Smith (London, 1965). [6] In 1966, he was featured in the East German documentary entitled Der lachende Mann (English: The Laughing Man). "I knew it was sort of a watershed. † Taylor's fictional character is a light homage to Congo mercenary leader "Mad" Mike Hoare, who led the Congolese 5 Commando during the actual Simba rebellion and was a technical consultant on the film. The Dark of the Sun (SIGNED 1st PRINTING of the 1st EDITION) by Wilbur Smith (Wilbur A. Smith) Seller Springbok Books Published 1965 Condition Near Fine Edition 1st Edition Item Price $ 1,675.00. Colonel Mostyn of the British Intelligence Service suspects there is a leak in his department and hires an American expatriate to eliminate various targets working for the Soviets. The film, which was directed by Jack Cardiff, is based on Wilbur Smith's 1965 novel, The Dark of the Sun. A Tarantino favorite. Dark Sun: Chronicles of Athas #1, by Lynn Abbey. In the German version, Curry was renamed Willy Krüger and was portrayed as a former Wehrmacht officer who had already clashed with Henlein during World War II because of the latter's fanatical Nazism. Ubi gives Curry a steam train and Congolese government soldiers. Dark of the Sun - DVD-R (1968) for $11.10 from OLDIES.com Action & Adventure Mercenaries travel through war-torn Congo across deadly terrain, battling rival armies, to steal $50 million in uncut diamonds. Commemorating Rod Taylor, we turn to Dark of the Sun, routinely dismissed as a nasty slice of thick-ear but admired by Scorsese for its unflinching brutality and lean, efficient technique: possibly the best film directed by great cinematographer Jack Cardiff, who otherwise could be said to have squandered years on dreck like Girl on a Motorcycle (lovely to look at, inane and obnoxious) and The Mutations (ugly to … DSR4. After two years as a Czarist British agent posing as a Russian Commissar, he rescues a Russian countess from her Bolshevik captors. It was the 49th most popular movie of the year in France. All music is composed by Jacques Loussier. The story about a band of mercenaries sent on a dangerous mission during the Congo Crisis was adapted into a screenplay by Ranald MacDougall. Read 22 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. When Curry returns to find his friend dead, he pursues Henlein and kills him after a vicious fight. Curry's subordinates include his black friend Ruffo and alcoholic Doctor Wreid. With Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, Peter Carsten, Jim Brown. [15] In October, Jim Brown, who had just made The Dirty Dozen for MGM, signed to costar. Dark of the Sun Photos View All Photos (10) Movie Info. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. Three journalists in a romantic triangle are involved in political intrigue during the last days of the corrupt Somozoa regime in Nicaragua before it falls to a popular revolution in 1979. Using a Simba disguise, Ruffo carries Curry's seemingly lifeless body into the town's hotel, where harrowing scenes depict murder, torture and male rape. In redemption, he shadows his friends in war to save their lives. A timid British Army officer has quit and burns his last day summons to a war in Egypt. "Dark of the Sun" is based on a novel by Wilbur Smith and was filmed in Jamaica because the Congo posed political and logistical problems. From the stylish hi-con titles to the expert blocking of action scenes, the show is an action winner. In another scene, a train full of refugees has finally escaped the Mau Maus in the valley below-and just as it's about to reach the top of a hill, the power fails, the train goes all the way back down, and the refugees are slaughtered. Dark Sun is a world unlike any other in the D&D cosmology–full of blazing hear, apocalyptic furor, and debilitating magic, here’s how it was born. Dark of the Sun is a top-notch marriage of action and suspense with a solid script (based on Wilbur Smith’s 1965 novel) and great performances, all set against the, then timely, backdrop of the Congo Crisis. Martin, Betty. The Dark of the Sun Bruce Curry sets out with a trainload of mercenaries to relieve a mining town in the heart of the African jungle. The movie was released in France as Last Train from Katanga (French: Le dernier train du Katanga). "I hired a caravan, parked it in the mountains, and wrote the second book", he said. Director Jack Cardiff was a respected cinematographer who’d shot for legends like Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston. [4][5] Most of the film was shot on location in Jamaica using the country's railway system,[17] this took advantage of a working steam train as well as safety and cost-effectiveness. It is the 6th century of the common era. Add the first question. "Dark of the Sun /'The Mercenaries (1968)", "FEATURES A golden life crafted from a troubled land", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dark_of_the_Sun&oldid=1014108775, Films set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 March 2021, at 06:39. Dark of the Sun fits into the “mercenary” subgenre of the mission flick, which also includes The Wild Geese (1978), with Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, and Hardy Kruger in combat fatigues, and Christopher Walken in the film version of The Dogs of War (1981). At the same time, MGM was filming Graham Greene's The Comedians (1967) in Africa, though the original took place in the Caribbean. Dark of the Sun is a great movie with plenty of action, catchy music, and a very good cast. Beyond the Prism Pentad, by Bill Slavicsek. Dark of the Sun book. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. First, the diamonds are in a time-locked vault delaying the train's departure. The critics complained of the violent content, but today it would hardly raise an eyebrow."[3]. [16], Filming started 16 January 1967. A view of Dark Sun. It's a truly sadistic movie, but it should be seen. British commando, Captain Curry, is hired by President Ubi of war-torn Congo, to steal $50 million in uncut diamonds from a time-locked vault before the separatist Simba army that's fighting Ubi's forces and the UN peacekeepers overruns the remote town where the bank that holds the vault is located. I saw you sail across a river Underneath Orion's sword In your eyes there was a freedom I had never known before [Chorus:] Hey, yeah, yeah, in the dark of the sun We will stand together Yeah we will stand as one in the dark of the sun The film was a particular influence on Tarantino, who used several tracks from the score for his movie Inglourious Basterds, which features Rod Taylor in a guest role as Winston Churchill. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. However, as the mission is in violation of UN accords, the train is attacked and damaged by a United Nations peacekeeping plane. He casually kills two children for being possible Simba spies and starts making advances towards Claire. A federal agent attempts to make some real money before the alcohol ban is lifted so he sets his sights on the whiskey cache of an old army buddy. Vicki Gaye encourages him to go straight, but mob king Rico Angelo insists otherwise. Intro Aired: May 2016 Directed by Jack Cardiff. 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