Operation Daybreak (1975)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- In 1942 Czechoslovakia, SS-General Reinhard Heydrich (Anton Diffring) is appointed to become the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. The terror and oppression that follow cause Allied authorities in London to authorize a secret mission to kill the man who has come to be known as "The Butcher of Prague". The film shows the operation leading up to Heydrich's death as well as the massive German reprisals that followed it.
- Actors:
- Timothy Bottoms, Martin Shaw, Joss Ackland, Nicola Pagett, Anthony Andrews, Anton Diffring, Carl Duering, Cyril Shaps, Diana Coupland, Ronald Radd, Kim Fortune, Pavla Matéjuvská, Ray Smith, George Sewell, Reinhard Kolldehoff, Kika Markham, Philip Madoc, Nigel Stock, Cyril Cross, Vernon Dobtcheff
- Directors:
- Lewis Gilbert
- Producers:
- Carter DeHaven
- Writers:
- Alan Burgess, Ronald Harwood
- Aka:
- Operation: Daybreak / The Price of Freedom
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama, Thrillers
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Reviews (1) of Operation Daybreak
The best film about the 1942 assassination of 'hangman' Heydrich, the man with the iron heart - Operation Daybreak review by PV
This is a brilliant film. There were two later films on the same event, in 2016 - THE MAN WITH THE IRON HEART (based on the novel HHhH) and ANTHROPOID. They were decent films too, esp the former, but this 1975 film is the best of the 3.
A great cast with Anthony Andrews, Martin Sheen. And a superbly sinister Anton Diffring as Heydrich.
I know Prague well from living there in the 1990s so it was interesting for me to see locations I knew - minus the commercial cafes and adverts etc. I used to pass by the church at the end all the time on Tram 22. The bullet holes are still there and fresh flowers are there all the time with the Czech colours. Prague 1975 looked a lot like Prague 1942 really, just as grey and funless and dour.
A superb synthesizer score makes this special too. I love that.
5 stars. I have watched this film 3 or 4 times and it never gets boring, Essential viewing and better than the late films of the same event.