Cast a Giant Shadow
Encyclopedia
Cast a Giant Shadow is a 1966 big budget, action movie based on the life of Colonel
Mickey Marcus
starring Kirk Douglas
and Senta Berger
. Yul Brynner
, John Wayne
, Frank Sinatra
, and Angie Dickinson
also appear in supporting roles. Melville Shavelson adapted, produced and directed.
.
Marcus, a former Colonel
in the US Army and now retired as a New York lawyer, is approached by the Haganah
who request his assistance in preparing Israeli troops to defend the newly declared state against the invasion of its Arab
neighbors.
Marcus, still a reserve officer, is refused permission by the Pentagon
to go, unless he uses an alias and travels as a civilian. As "Michael Stone", he arrives in Israel to be met by a Haganah member, Magda Simon, whom he immediately starts flirting
with.
Marcus. who parachuted into occupied France during World War II
, and helped to organise the relief mission for Dachau
, the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by American troops, is initially viewed with suspicion by some Haganah soldiers. But after he leads a commando raid on an Arab arms dump and assists in a landing of 'illegal' refugees, he is more accepted. He prepares his training manuals and then returns to New York, where his wife has suffered a miscarriage.
Now restless, and despite his wife's pleadings, he does return to Israel and is given command of the Jerusalem front with the rank of 'Aluf' (General), a rank not used since biblical days. He sets to work, recognising that, while the men under his command do not have proper training or weapons or even a system of ranks, they do have spirit and determination. He organises the construction of the "Burma Road
" to enable convoys to reach besieged Jerusalem, where the population is on the verge of starvation.
Many of the soldiers under his command are newly arrived in Israel, determined and enthusiastic but untrained. Dubbing them 'the schnooks', Marcus is inspired by them to discover that he is proud to be a Jew. But just before the convoy of trucks to Jerusalem starts out, he is shot and killed by a lone sentry - the last casualty before the United Nations-imposed truce. The makeshift coffin containing his body is ceremonially carried by the soldiers who he trained and inspired.
Cameo roles include:
John Wayne as 'The General', Marcus's commanding officer in Normandy, who initially refused him permission to go, but later supports him.
Yul Brynner as Asher, a Haganah commander.
Frank Sinatra as Vince, an Amercian pilot who takes part in what becomes a suicide mission to bomb Arab positions.
Emma Marcus - Angie Dickinson
Magda - Senta Berger
Asher - You Brynner
Ram Oren - Stathis Giallelis
The General - John Wayne
Vince - Frank Sinatra
McAffee - Gordon Jackson
Saphir - James Donald
commercial.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Mickey Marcus
Mickey Marcus
David Daniel "Mickey" Marcus was a United States Army colonel who assisted Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and who became Israel's first general . He was killed by friendly fire, when he was mistaken for an enemy infiltrator while returning to Israeli positions at night.Marcus is the best...
starring Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
and Senta Berger
Senta Berger
Senta Berger is an Austrian film, stage and television actress, producer and author.Regarded by critics as one of the greatest actresses of the post-war period, and frequently named as one of the leading German-speaking actresses in polls, Berger has received many award nominations for her acting...
. Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
, John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, and Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson is an American actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films, including Rio Bravo, Ocean's Eleven, Dressed to Kill and Pay It Forward, and starred on television as Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson on the 1970s crime series Police Woman.-Early life:Dickinson, the second of...
also appear in supporting roles. Melville Shavelson adapted, produced and directed.
Plot
The movie is a fictionalized account of the experiences of a real-life Jewish-American military officer, Col. David "Mickey" Marcus, who commanded units of the fledgling Israel Defense Force during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
.
Marcus, a former Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the US Army and now retired as a New York lawyer, is approached by the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
who request his assistance in preparing Israeli troops to defend the newly declared state against the invasion of its Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
neighbors.
Marcus, still a reserve officer, is refused permission by the Pentagon
Pentagon
In geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagram is an example of a self-intersecting pentagon.- Regular pentagons :In a regular pentagon, all sides are equal in length and...
to go, unless he uses an alias and travels as a civilian. As "Michael Stone", he arrives in Israel to be met by a Haganah member, Magda Simon, whom he immediately starts flirting
Flirting
Flirting is a playful, romantic, or sexual overture by one person to another subtly indicating an interest in a deeper relationship with the other person, and can involve verbal communication as well as body language...
with.
Marcus. who parachuted into occupied France during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and helped to organise the relief mission for Dachau
Dachau
Dachau is a town in Upper Bavaria, in the southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 km north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants...
, the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by American troops, is initially viewed with suspicion by some Haganah soldiers. But after he leads a commando raid on an Arab arms dump and assists in a landing of 'illegal' refugees, he is more accepted. He prepares his training manuals and then returns to New York, where his wife has suffered a miscarriage.
Now restless, and despite his wife's pleadings, he does return to Israel and is given command of the Jerusalem front with the rank of 'Aluf' (General), a rank not used since biblical days. He sets to work, recognising that, while the men under his command do not have proper training or weapons or even a system of ranks, they do have spirit and determination. He organises the construction of the "Burma Road
Burma Road (Israel)
The Israeli "Burma Road" was a makeshift bypass road between the general vicinity of kibbutz Hulda and Jerusalem. It was built by Israeli forces headed by general Mickey Marcus during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem...
" to enable convoys to reach besieged Jerusalem, where the population is on the verge of starvation.
Many of the soldiers under his command are newly arrived in Israel, determined and enthusiastic but untrained. Dubbing them 'the schnooks', Marcus is inspired by them to discover that he is proud to be a Jew. But just before the convoy of trucks to Jerusalem starts out, he is shot and killed by a lone sentry - the last casualty before the United Nations-imposed truce. The makeshift coffin containing his body is ceremonially carried by the soldiers who he trained and inspired.
Cameo roles include:
John Wayne as 'The General', Marcus's commanding officer in Normandy, who initially refused him permission to go, but later supports him.
Yul Brynner as Asher, a Haganah commander.
Frank Sinatra as Vince, an Amercian pilot who takes part in what becomes a suicide mission to bomb Arab positions.
Cast
Marcus - Kirk DouglasEmma Marcus - Angie Dickinson
Magda - Senta Berger
Asher - You Brynner
Ram Oren - Stathis Giallelis
The General - John Wayne
Vince - Frank Sinatra
McAffee - Gordon Jackson
Saphir - James Donald
Production notes
The film includes a toast scene where John Wayne says L’chaim. Footage from this film was later used in a Coors LightCoors Light
Coors Light is a light beer produced by the Coors Brewing Company. It was first produced in 1978.The beer has a "Cold Certified" label which turns the mountains on the label from white to blue when the beer's temperature is lowered to 4 degrees Celsius .- Promotions :In 2008, Coors Light became...
commercial.
Further reading
- Shavelson, Melville. How to Make a Jewish Movie, 1971. (ISBN 0-491-00156-8).