Jaque mate

Famous symphony conductor (Charlton Heston) is captured by the Germans in WW2 and is forced to put on private concerts for the Nazi generals . At the beginning the known orchestra conductor entertains the Allied troops until is taken nearly Bastogne , during Ardennes offensive led by General Von Rundstet . The musicians are moved to an impressive castle where is a Nazi army , a Panzer Division commanded by Gen. Schiller (Maximilian Schell) and Col. Arndt (Anton Diffring) . To save their lives , the players (Parley Baer , Bill Erwin , Ed Peck ,Dan Frazer and ¡ Leslie Nielsen¡ along with his wife performed by Kathryn Hays) have to play a private concert . However , the musical conductor doesn't want to follow the Nazi orders . Meanwhile , Lt. Long (Linden Chiles) and Sgt. Calloway (Peter Masterson) who are hidden in orchestra attempt to escape .

Good melodrama packs adequate cinematography , nice settings , classic score and wonderful performance . Enjoyable picture in which takes place an exciting battle of wits between two aces of interpretation : Charlton Heston and Maximilian Schell . Acting by two principal actors is first-range , both of whom are magnificent . Extraordinary Maximilian Schell , as usual , and acceptable acting by Charlton Heston as orchestra conductor though he must not change facial expression while conducting . Support cast is frankly good , such as Kathryn Hays , Leslie Nielsen , Linden Chiles , Peter Masterson and a cameo by the same director , Ralph Nelson , as Belgian officer . Special mention for Anton Driffing who worked continuously in motion pictures due to his aristocratic, German face and cool, clipped diction, making him ideal for typecasting in British and later American motion pictures as Nazis and other vile, despicable characters such as : ¨Where eagles dare¨, ¨The Blue Max¨ , The Heroes of Telemark , "The Battle of Sutjeska" , ¨Zeppelin¨ , ¨Victory¨ and many others .

Russell Metty cinematography in Techniscope is rousing and colorful . Bronislau Kaper soundtrack is riveting , including classy musical score ; these are the followings pieces heard in the film : 5º symphony of Bethoven , Endless symphony by Schubert , 1º symphony of Brahms , Lake of swans by Tchaikowski and Tanhauser's Wagner . The feature obtained a limited success and had a moderated box-office , it is nowadays better valued . The motion picture was well directed by Ralph Nelson . There were no half measures in this filmmaker. He would make sentimental movies or violent and gore films . Failure alternated with hits through the 1960s, though Nelson's direction was more than successful in ¨Lilies of the field¨ with invaluable help of Sidney Poitier who won an Oscar as an African-American helping a group of German nuns to build a chapel. And of course , his greatest success ¨Soldier Blue¨, including cruel massacres and and blood fountained all over the screen . In the 7os Nelson went on to making strong movies , however, his films themselves were doing less successful at the Box office , numerous of those being barely seen outside US . As a violent Zapata Western titled ¨Wrath of God¨ with Robert Mitchum, as ¨Tick..Tick..Tick¨ in which the racial tensions arise when a black man being elected sheriff , ¨ The Wilby conspiracy¨ about the apartheid and again with Poitier and a Sci-fi movie titled ¨Embryo¨ with Rock Hudson. Rating : Better than average , Charlton Heston fans will enjoy their idol .

Adapted from the excellent novel 'The General' by Alan Silitto this is set in wartime but is concerned with war of the psychological sort, waged between the two massive egos of orchestral conductor Lionel Evans and Wehrmacht General Schiller. Evans and his seventy piece orchestra are being held prisoner. Evans knows that if he bows to Schiller's demand that the orchestra play a concert for him their fate is sealed. Even as they rehearse a mass grave is being dug by the loathsome Colonel Arndt. I have no doubt that as soon as the critics learned that Heston was to play the part they started sharpening their knives. He is actually excellent in the role. Off the podium he has the single-mindedness required of a man whose job it is to bend seventy professional musicians to his will. On the podium he looks every inch a maestro and courtesy of conducting coach Leo Damiani both his baton technique and hand gestures are immaculate. What can say one of Maximilian Schell? There are some who would say that he could play this kind of role in his sleep but his splendid performance as Schiller is a joy to watch. Anton Diffring made a very good living by playing horrible Huns and here his Colonel Arndt is surely the most horrible. There has to be a 'love interest' of course and this is supplied by Kathryn Hays as a cellist who once had an affair with the conductor, is now married to the orchestral leader and is fancied by the general! The sublime music of Beethoven, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Wagner is played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The use of the last movement of Brahms' fourth symphony is used effectively to accompany the escape sequence. Director Ralph Nelson keeps things ticking over very nicely and maintains a steady 'andante'. Russell Metty again contributes superb cinematography. The film deals with 'opposing moralities' but not enough to send the audience to sleep. It opens and closes with the Fifth symphony of Beethoven, a man whose music represents a moral force that will endure whilst tyrannies and dictatorships rise and fall.

This is perhaps not a great movie; but as many viewers have attested over the years, it is a very memorable attempt at entertainment. The context of this dramatic film is WWII. People do strange things in wartime, I suggest; but once one accepts the physical presence of a fine orchestra led by a pompous but talented man in harm's way, where he can be coveted, captured and coerced by a civilized Nazi officer and menaced by an SS type, everything else falls into place. The other elements in the plot about an orchestra leader "not playing, for time" to save the lives of his orchestra's members and two US soldiers who have been caught in the same zone with no escape are these: a traitor in the orchestra; a relationship between the leader and a cellist; his relations with her husband, his concertmaster, the SS officer's desire to exterminate them, and the desire of the Nazi captor to have them play something just for him in the midst of wartime--these are unusual attributes for a 'war film, I assert. Those who missed the main point of the film, that the ethics of emergencies are different than those of normative times, thus missed why the movie was made. There are examples, in history such as "Playing For Time": for instance, of musicians and Jewish ones and females being kept alive to play for Nazi officers; the clever part here is that writers James Lee and Joel Oliansky 'fictionalized' the idea by providing interesting additions to the basic situation, which are: the aforementioned affair, the danger that brings out the characters more strongly, the need NOT to play, and the additional element of a traitor in their midst, the two US types and the often-used but effective distinction between civilized Germans serving Hitler's Nazi war'machine' and SS types enjoying their unlimited power to do harm to anyone they single out during that war. The change in the leader's character during the film is that he must remain true to himself and also prioritize what he does for the good of the group, no easy task. And the music is wonderful, the atmosphere so good even naysayers have remarked on it. As to the acting, it is far better than the mumbling and often ludicrous submediocrity that has characterized Hollywood unprofessionalism since 1973. The film was directed by Ralph Nelson. The good cast included Charlton Heston as the monomaniacal maestro, Maximilian Schell and Anton Diffrimf as the German contestants for the lives of the orchestra's members, Leslie Nielse and Kathryn hays as the other members of the love triangle, plus Neva Patterson, Cyril Delevanti, Gregory Morton, Parley Baer, Ed Peck, Peter Masterson, Curt Lowens and many more. Original music for the film was composed by Bronislau Kaper; cinematography was done by Russell Metty. Art direction was done by Carl Anderson and Alexander Golitzen, set decoration by John McCarthy Jr. and George Milo with costumes by Burton Miller The film is well-=aced, the dialogue above average, many scenes well-thought out; and the music alone is worth the price of admission. Anyone who does not enjoy this film and believe in its essential logic is perhaps an opponent of realistic behavior, actions that consist of dealing with the unusual sometimes, and with something other than rock-and-roll level cardboard types characterized by what is wrong with them and not by anything higher. Worth seeing more than once.

If you're a World War II movie fan or a woman and a Maximillian Schell fan, or both, this hard to find film has definitely captured Maximillian Schell's charm and appeal. Even though he plays a German General, the "bad guy," his performance makes it very difficult NOT to like him. He is handsome and witty underneath the power of authority that he exudes. His performance is by far the best. A hand would have to be given to given to the young "pre-Naked Gun" Leslie Nielsen also. The movie plot is perhaps a little unrealistic but that's the beauty of film, right? Engaging and somewhat memorable to say the least. Worth a look if you can find it.

Counterpoint remains one of my favorite movies mainly because of the interesting interplay between Schell's and Heston's characters. It is good movie making to set up a psychological tug-of-war with life at stake. Schell does an excellent job portraying a conflicted authoritarian who has stumbled upon a small bit of beauty in the midst of chaos. Schell exudes his character's charm and ultimate control over the situation when he comments on the orchestra's performance list - "Something Wagnerian perhaps..." I always have the feeling watching this movie that it would translate very well to the stage. Your eye is never distracted by other things. The premise, though a bit unrealistic, is still compelling enough to make the movie a good watch.