Operation Daybreak VHS

The main body of my review below was written before the Warner Brothers Archive Collection DVD release of the film late last year. My comments as to the DVD are below the review.The recent "Valkyrie" and "Defiance" are not bad films at all - but they pale in comparison to "Operation Daybreak" in their depiction of heroic strikes against Hitler and Hitlerism in every particular. No film about the Holocaust or a Nazi-occupied country has EVER made me feel as involved, as claustrophobically surrounded by the madness of Fascism as this film. "Schindler's List," "The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Pianist," "Sophie's Choice," "Defiance," - all great movies dealing with lives controlled and stolen by the Third Reich - but compared to this film, they all come across as seeming like, well, what they are....films. But this movie...wow...it transcends the artful feel of cinema and if ever a film did it, this one does - it makes you feel like you are there! And the added glory is that this is a true story that follows the historic truth with very little liberty taken. It is the ultimate study of Heroic Hopelessness. The acting, the settings, the cinematrography, the absolutely hauntingly beautiful (and unrecorded!) music score, all of it - this is a MUST see. I won't go into plot detail to spoil it for those who know nothing or little of this true story. When I first saw it, I knew absolutely nothing about what would happen next. That is the best way to experience this film (and all films, actually). Suffice it to say that, as the credits rolled, I wept. I wept more tears after watching this movie than I've shed from all the other World War II films I have seen combined. And that is saying alot! And to movie score CD makers: don't let this emotionally rivetting score remain in unheard oblivion.As to the WB Archive Collection DVD release: I just watched it and am glad to have this fantastic film on disc and presented in a widescreen format. The image quality and sound are wonderful. What is NOT wonderful is the pathetic presentation of this cinematic gem. I couldn't believe it when I popped this into the DVD player and, lo and behold, no Menu! No subtitles, no chapter stops, no extras! While I rejoice in the fact that the film is available on disc...I am also appalled at the shabby presentation - or lack thereof - of this truly great and memorable film. I always say - if you are going to do something, do it right! The WB Archive Collection put NO thought or consideration in releasing this film - they just...threw it out there. I have seen some of the worst movies EVER made get the royal treatment in their DVD presentation. And here is a movie that - being based on an historical event - has not ONE extra! There was a History Channel show about these events - and that would have been a fantastic extra (provided WB could have gotten the rights to it.) But even so, no chapter stops! Anyway, despite the flaws (the DVD case also has one of the worst covers I have ever seen; it looks more like a cover for a comedy! They at least should have stuck with the picture on the VHS tape)...despite the flaws, see this movie!

The events in Operation Daybreak are true, and took place in 1942 in Czechoslovakia (now two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) after a decision by senior officers in the British and Free Czech armies in England to parachute three Czech Army volunteers into Czechoslovakia in December 1941 with the express purpose of assassinating the ruthless Reinhard Heydrich ,the German (Nazi) ruler of this country which Germany had invaded in March 1939,just prior to the outbreak of a general European war six months later.The film vividly first portrays how they were successful in their mission with Heydrich's death on 4 June 1942, although they came close to botching it.Second, it shows the brutal and widespread response of the Germans which led to the destruction of two villages,Lidice and Lecaky, and the execution of all boys and men over the age of 14, and the deportation of girls and women to Germany:and finally, after they had been betrayed by one of their own for a reward of 100000 Czech crowns, the last stand of the brave Czech patriots (now numbering seven) in the crypt of St Cyril's Orthodox Church in Prague where they were being harboured by Czech resistance fighters who were hoping to find a way to get them out of the country.In 1974 I visited St Cyril's which surprisingly was open even though the Czech Communist Party had governed the country since 1948. I went down into the crypt and stood in the half gloom where those brave men had fought and died 30 years before. A plaque near the church commemorates their dedication and bravery.This picture deserves a wide audience. It tells a story of the resistance of courageous people against the primitive and cruel Nazi ideology and its adherents. It is so well made, on site in Prague, and is beautifully acted.

I saw this film many years ago and have never forgotten it. Since then I have seen a number of documentaries about Reinhardt Heydrich, and his assassination, or more rightly his execution by Czech members of Britain's SOE. It would be hard to find braver soldiers in WW2 than the two men who carried it out: Jan Kubis and Jozef Gabčík. Lewis Gilbert's film still holds up as a worthy tribute to them, although it is not without the odd flaw.The story is full of heroism, but also treachery. Timothy Bottoms and Anthony Andrews play Kubis and Gabčík, while a youthful-looking Martin Shaw plays the conflicted Karel Čurda. The whole plan was so audacious you could be forgiven for thinking it was just typical movie fiction, but the film stays much closer to the facts than most `true' war movies. Although the mission was successful, the vengeance of the Nazis was fearsome, and the movie ends as the small band of operatives are trapped in a church by hundreds of German troops. There are conflicting accounts as to what happened in Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in that final, spectacular battle, but "Operation Daybreak" sticks close to the accepted version of events.The thing that strikes you about the film is its authentic look, with much of it shot where it happened in Prague. The mainly British cast were at pains to capture the essence of their characters, but it is Anton Diffring in the showier role of Heydrich who steals the movie.There are a couple of misses. The film has a weak score. "Operation Daylight" was made about the time synthesiser scores replaced orchestral scores in many films. These days, the best scores are often a blend of the orchestral with the electronic, but synthesisers were all the rage back then. Unfortunately, David Hentchel's score has no feeling for the period and is often intrusive - it detracts from the mood at key moments.Although mostly in English, the film also has some passages in German without subtitles - although you can tell a lot from the body language, subtitles in those scenes would have helped.I still feel that this film delivers something unique. With its amazing true story, fascinating backdrop and the honesty of the filmmakers, "Operation Daybreak" rises above its flaws, and has an ending that really hits home.

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De kwaliteit van de DVD is uitstekend. Jammer dat ook deze officiële kopie een verkorte versie is en niet de bioscoopversie. Zo ontbreken de executies die Reinhard Heydrich laat uitvoeren in aanwezigheid van Himmler waardoor deze laatste braakneigingen krijgt. Ook ontbreken verschillende scènes van repetities op die locatie voor de aanslag op Heydrich. De verzetsgroep wil 100% zeker zijn van de timing op het traject. Wat het enorm spannend maakt is dat de timing niet meer klopt op de dag van de aanslag en je hoopt echt dat het lukt. Ik ben nog altijd op zoek naar de onverkorte versie van Operation Daybreak die aantoont in welke mate Heydrich de meedogenloze ‘Beul van Praag’ was.

以前に日本語の字幕付きの本作品を見ているので、日本語字幕なしでも、おおよそ何を云っているかは理解している。語学の勉強の為に、あえて日本語字幕なしで鑑賞するのもいいだろう。最近同じ様な内容の映画が発表されたが、こちらの方が緊張感や、役者の熱の入れ方が格段に優れている様な気がする。

Recibi la película antes de la fecha prevista y en perfectas condiciones. La película es muy buena, por toda la historia verídica que hay detrás de ella. Creo que se han respetado muy bien casi todos los aspectos reales de lo sucedido en ese episodio de la triste II guerra mundial. Lo único que lamento es que dicha película, por razones que desconozco, no se haya producido en Blu-Ray.

le dvd correspond à nos attentes et nous sommes satisfaits de ce produit excellent ainsi que du rapport qualité prix. merci