- Morituri (1965 film)
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For the comic book, see Strikeforce: Morituri."The Saboteur" redirects here. For other uses of this term, see Saboteur (disambiguation).
Morituri (The Saboteur)
original movie posterDirected by Bernhard Wicki Produced by Aaron Rosenberg Written by Daniel Taradash Starring Marlon Brando
Yul Brynner
Janet Margolin
Trevor HowardMusic by Jerry Goldsmith Cinematography Conrad L. Hall Editing by Joseph Silver Distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox Release date(s) August 25, 1965 Running time 123 minutes Country United States Language English Morituri (also known as The Saboteur and Code Name Morituri) is a 1965 film about the sabotage of a German merchant ship full of rubber. The film stars Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Janet Margolin and Trevor Howard. It was directed by Bernhard Wicki.
Contents
Synopsis
Robert Crain is a German pacifist living in India during the Second World War. He is blackmailed by the Allies into using his demolition expertise to cripple a Nazi ship carrying rubber from Japan. The Allies hope to recover the ship before it is scuttled by the Captain because rubber was in short supply and essential for various uses in the war effort.
Awards
It was nominated for two Oscars in the 39th Academy Awards (1966), for best black-and-white cinematography and best black-and-white costume design.
Reception
The film did not do well on its original release, probably at least in part because few people understood its title. In an attempt to be more commercial, the film was reissued as "Saboteur: Code Name Morituri".
The title "Morituri" is the plural of a Latin word meaning "about to die". Urban myth (not academically agreed) suggested that Roman gladiators in the arena would begin their battles with "Morituri te salutamus" or "Morituri te salutant" (We/They who are about to die salute you). (See WIkipedia's article on this expression: Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant)
External links
Films directed by Bernhard Wicki Films: Warum sind sie gegen uns? (1958) • Die Brücke (1959) • The Miracle of Father Malachia (1961) • The Longest Day (1962) • The Visit (1964) • Morituri (1965) • Der Paukenspieler (1967) • Die Eroberung der Zitadelle (1977) • Die Grünstein-Variante (1984) • Spider's Web (1989)Cinema of Germany Film chronology · German Empire 1895–1918 · Weimar Germany 1919–1933 · Nazi Germany 1933–1945 · East Germany (1945–1990) ·
(West) Germany 1945–present · 1945-1959 · 1960s · 1970s · 1980s · 1990s · 2000s · 2010s
Actors · Directors · Films A–Z · Cinematographers · Festivals · Producers · Composers · ScreenwritersCategories:- American films
- English-language films
- 1965 films
- Films directed by Bernhard Wicki
- World War II films
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