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Morituri

  • 1965
  • Tous publics
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, and Janet Margolin in Morituri (1965)
A war pacifist is blackmailed to pose as an SS officer and to disable the scuttling explosives on freighter carrying rubber cargo to be captured by the Allies.
Play trailer3:10
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99 Photos
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A war pacifist is blackmailed to pose as an SS officer and to disable the scuttling explosives on a freighter carrying rubber cargo to be captured by the Allies.A war pacifist is blackmailed to pose as an SS officer and to disable the scuttling explosives on a freighter carrying rubber cargo to be captured by the Allies.A war pacifist is blackmailed to pose as an SS officer and to disable the scuttling explosives on a freighter carrying rubber cargo to be captured by the Allies.

  • Director
    • Bernhard Wicki
  • Writers
    • Werner Jörg Lüddecke
    • Daniel Taradash
    • Walon Green
  • Stars
    • Marlon Brando
    • Yul Brynner
    • Janet Margolin
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    4.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Bernhard Wicki
    • Writers
      • Werner Jörg Lüddecke
      • Daniel Taradash
      • Walon Green
    • Stars
      • Marlon Brando
      • Yul Brynner
      • Janet Margolin
    • 66User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 2 nominations total

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    Photos99

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    Top cast54

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    Marlon Brando
    Marlon Brando
    • Robert Crain
    Yul Brynner
    Yul Brynner
    • Captain Mueller
    Janet Margolin
    Janet Margolin
    • Esther Levy
    Trevor Howard
    Trevor Howard
    • Colonel Statter
    Martin Benrath
    Martin Benrath
    • Kruse
    Hans Christian Blech
    Hans Christian Blech
    • Donkeyman
    Wally Cox
    Wally Cox
    • Dr. Ambach
    Max Haufler
    • Branner
    Rainer Penkert
    Rainer Penkert
    • Milkereit
    William Redfield
    William Redfield
    • Baldwin
    Oscar Beregi Jr.
    Oscar Beregi Jr.
    • Admiral
    • (as Oscar Beregi)
    Martin Brandt
    • Nissen
    Charles De Vries
    • Kurz
    Carl Esmond
    Carl Esmond
    • Busch
    Martin Kosleck
    Martin Kosleck
    • Wilke
    Norbert Schiller
    Norbert Schiller
    • Steward
    Robert Sorrells
    • Koeniger
    Rick Traeger
    • Schultz
    • Director
      • Bernhard Wicki
    • Writers
      • Werner Jörg Lüddecke
      • Daniel Taradash
      • Walon Green
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews66

    7.04.7K
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    Featured reviews

    8secondtake

    A rather great understated war film--terrific photography and Brando

    Morituri (1965)

    I had no expectation here. The name was odd. And the description was odd--a WWII film from the point of view of the enemy. Sort of. And so I didn't really think I'd be fully captive.

    And I was. This is a special film war film. For one thing it has Marlon Brando being his arrogant best, and Yul Brynner, too. It presents an odd dramatic situation, a tension between strong willed characters who don't quite know what the other is up to. Here I mean Brando playing a German plant on this ship going from Japan to Europe, and Brynner, the captain, a disgruntled German with some experience both with the wheel and the bottle.

    The ship is a modern (1942) Japanese ship, and among the crew are a bunch of political prisoners, who of course can't be totally trusted. The cargo is rubber, the most sought after material in the early war (later it would be uranium, I suppose).

    Cinematographer Connie Hall is quite aggressive and brilliant with his photography, keeping the angles and movement nearly constant. The light is dramatic, the sharpness clean. And he got nominated for an Oscar for his work. The interior of the ship is large and filled with strange turns, great heights, lots of interior and exterior spaces that take you by surprise. Beautiful stuff.

    The plot moves more quickly than you'd expect, too, with little surprises and turns, like finding a burning American ship at night and rescuing survivors. One of these is a young woman who was born in Berlin and they question her--why is a German on an enemy ship? And she says she is not German. And they ask what is she? You expect here that she might say she was American, but even better she says, "I am anti-German."

    The script is tight and believable. The scenario, which is not formed from fact as far as I could discover (it's based on a novel), seems reasonable. And it ends up being more subtle than you'd expect. Yes, there are aspects that are obvious dramatic additions--the one woman who appears, for example, happens to be Jewish--but these end up being ways of showing people's characters. Ultimately that's what this movie is about.
    sam66

    Bleak, fascinating war pic

    An interesting and rather dark war story that takes place aboard a German merchant vessel during WWII. The black and white filming adds to the generally drab and realistic ambiance of the ocean crossing. Marlon Brando's expatriate is trapped into a scheme of espionage/sabotage, and his grim, softly sneering coolness gives the character of Robert Crain an added dimension. Yul Brynner plays the captain of the ship, out of favor with the Nazi party and under surveillance, yet still "pragmatically patriotic" to the Fatherland. Brynner is an oft-underrated actor because of the larger-than-life roles he played, but this film better showcases the subtlety he was capable of, and at times his performance excels. This is a complex and tense war movie that views both sides through a curtain of ugliness, yet captures moments of honor and loyalty and even kindness, a facet that other war movies in this genre often lack. The realism of the shipboard action is crucial--you could get a flutter of seasickness just watching--and all of the characters show depth and detail. No spoilers here; try to find this flick at the video store and watch it a couple of times. It's worth the search.
    8sddavis63

    Brando & Brynner!

    The highlight of this movie set on a German cargo ship during the Second World War are the superb performances offered by Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner. Brando plays a German expatriate (disguised as a Swiss national) who's living in British ruled India in 1942. He ends up being drafted (very much against his will) by the British to go undercover as SS agent Keil to divert the cargo ship (which is carrying a very valuable - to both sides - cargo of rubber) into American hands. Brynner plays Mueller - the ship's captain - a man with a drinking problem trying to regain his reputation after having a ship torpedoed out from under him while he was drunk, but a man who's also no fanatical Nazi.

    Both are very believable in their roles. There's also a strong performance from Martin Benrath as First Officer Kruse - who is a fanatical Nazi, who doesn't trust his captain, and who's as happy to have an SS officer on board as the captain is unhappy about it.

    The movie is always interesting. It's not an action movie in the modern sense of the word, but it's increasingly tense as suspicion grows about Keil, and as the ship awaits a report from Berlin about him. As good as Brando and Brynner and even Benrath are, though - and as tense as the movie becomes about whether Keil's real identity will be uncovered - the most powerful part of the movie might have come in a scene featuring Janet Margolin. She played a Jewish medical worker who was taken prisoner along with a number of American sailors when their ship is sunk by a U- boat. Speaking with Keil as he tries to convince her that he's on her side, his SS identity notwithstanding, she recounts - in surprisingly and uncomfortably (even for today, and so shockingly so in 1965) graphic detail - her abuse at the hands of the Gestapo. Without going into detail, the words "hour after hour after hour" are haunting. It was a truly sobering scene. You can't watch it and not find yourself in sympathy with a character who otherwise really isn't that central to the overall story.

    This is, overall, a very good movie with a very strong cast. (8/10)
    6ma-cortes

    Good though overlong wartime drama with nice acting , splendid cinematography and powerful musical score

    This is a remake from a German film, it was made seventeen years prior to this movie, and it was the first German film made after the war which was about the Second World War. This enjoyable WWII film has a brilliant script , original, precise, forceful , with intensity difficult to perceive . The title "Morituri" is Latin which can be translated as "we who are about to die", from the traditional salute of Roman gladiators in the arena, "Morituri Te Salutamus" , We, who are about to die, salute you! . World War II, espionage, adventure and human lives have never before been combined so explosively . It deals with a German called Rober Crain (Marlon Brando) living in India during World War II is blackmailed by the English (Trevor Howard along with Brando appeared in Mutiny on the Bounty in 1962 and were to appear again years later in Superman) to impersonate an SS officer , he aboard a freighter captained by Mueller (Yul Brynner) with a dangerous assignment . His mission is to locate and disarm the scuttling charges in order to prevent Mueller from scuttling the gunboat and its cargo upon interception by the British fleet . As the allied spy attempts to persuade German boat captain to surrender his vessel .

    It's not the ordinary World War II spy movie , has an interesting as well as gripping screenplay without mannerisms , though is sometimes slow-moving and overlong . The improvisations throughout history , traps the writer to throw , the short dialogues and surprises rise the action . Sensational interpretations , where all the characters are equally evil in their intentions . Brando plays a Nazi soldier in this film as he had done so in the earlier ¨The young lions¨(1958) for 20th Century Fox, both movies being filmed in black-and-white and both being for made for the same studio. Yul Brynner -is no surprise- magnificent , the film's marketing boasted the surname alliteration of Brando and Brynner . A very support cast such as gorgeous Janet Margolin as Jewish Esther , Trevor Howard as Colonel Statter , Martin Benrath as Kruse , Hans Christian Blech as Donkeyman and William Redfield as Baldwin and Wally Cox as Dr. Ambach

    Atmospheric cinematography in black and white by Conrad Hall ("Road to Perdition" 2002, "In Cold Blood" 1967,) . Evocative as well thrilling musical score by the great Jerry Goldsmith (Planet of apes , Patton) , full of nuances and details make a lovely movie. The motion picture was professionally directed by Berhard Wicki . He was a notorious stage actor , producer , filmmaker and secondary player . Wicki, who was clown before he became a soldier, stole food for and entertained his French prisoners while they waited to find out if they would be executed. He imprisoned for ten months at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp because of his earlier affiliation with the communist party. Started directing films from 1958 . Best known for his anti-war film ¨The Bridge¨ (1959) and subsequently ¨ Morituri¨. This movie bombed at the box-office upon initial release , it is believe that the film's title was not understood by the public . As such, when re-released, the film was re-named "Saboteur: Code Name Morituri"
    8r-chancey

    Intriguing and fascinating film!

    One of the many things this great (but at the time overlooked) movie did was to indirectly dispel some of the mislaid blame laid on Brando for the excesses of "Mutiny on the Bounty". Here he is again working with Trevor Howard (Bligh in "Mutiny")whom the press said loathed Brando (although Howard himself came to Brando's defense during the "Mutiny" blame game. Also, here is Brando again working with Aaron Rosenburg (also from "Mutiny") whom the press clippings claimed would never work with Brando again. By all accounts, all associated with Morituri got along famously and were all on their best professional behavior. This is one of Marlon's better works during the 1960's and it is sad that the Critic's were so eager to pounce upon it. It is one of those rare films that has grown better with age. Thankfully it is out now on DVD and given the treatment it deserves.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Marlon Brando initially refused to go on a press tour to promote the film. The studio threatened him, as he was contractually required to promote the film, so Brando made an appearance at one press conference at which he said, "You will be unable to proceed in life unless you see Morituri." The studio released him from doing more press appearances after this sarcastic statement.
    • Goofs
      Trevor Howard (Colonel Statter) refers to India as a "British dominion" but British India was under direct British rule (and the external affairs of the Indian princely states were dictated by Britain) prior to 1947, when British India became a self-governing dominion. India later became a republic, in 1950.
    • Quotes

      Colonel Statter: [blackmailing Crain] In your case, I'm not troubled by any moral nausea.

    • Connections
      Featured in A Cinematic Life: The Art & Influence of Conrad Hall (2010)

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    FAQ17

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 9, 1966 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Saboteur: Code Name Morituri
    • Filming locations
      • Bradbury Building - 304 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Arcola Pictures
      • Colony Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $6,290,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours 3 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, and Janet Margolin in Morituri (1965)
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