The Day of the Jackal. [videorecording (DVD)]. Universal; Fred Zinnemann's film; a John Woolf production; directed by Fred Zinnemann; produced by John Woolf; screenplay by Kenneth Ross.
Universal City, CA: Universal, c1998.
Blu-ray version: Arrow Video, [United States], 2018. Special features of Blu-ray DVD: new interview with Neil Sinyard, author of Fred Zinnemann: Films of Character and Conscience; two rare archival clips from the film set, including an interview with Fred Zinnemann; theatrical trailer.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1973. From the book by Frederick Forsyth. Photographer, Jean Tournier; editor, Ralph Kemplen; music, Georges Delerue. Performers: Edward Fox (The Jackal), Michel Lonsdale (Claude Lebel), Alan Badel (The Minister), Tony Britton (Inspector Thomas), Eric Porter (Col. Rodin), Jean Martin (Wolenski), Cyril Cusack (Gunsmith).
Summary: the story of a cold, suave British assassin hired by the French OAS to kill General Charles de Gaulle. The nameless and faceless killer, known by the code name of Jackal, relentlessly moves toward the date with death that would rock the world. The tension mounts as the methodical preparations of the Jackal are paralleled with the efforts of the police to uncover the plot, which gives the story non-stop, edge-of-your-seat suspense.
2023 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Day of the Jackal, Fred Zinnemann’s superlative take on the political assassin film. It’s my favorite assassin movie and indeed would be competitive for a spot in my all-time top ten favorites, regardless of genre. It’s one of those movies I can see over and over and it never gets old, and that’s one of my definitions of a great movie – it holds up, and sometimes even gets better, with repeated viewings. That being said, I confess I sometimes fast forward through the (few) slow parts (but don’t tell anyone!). Though the impression may be erroneous, and surprising, given Jackal’s many qualities, I don’t see it listed as high or as often in online best-of-assassin movies compilations as I would expect, and it seems to have settled into an under-the-radar status for the most part. Is it because it didn’t win any major awards, did only so-so at the box office (despite good critical reviews) or has a mostly non-star cast? (though one might argue that Derek Jacobi and even Edward Fox became [almost] major stars). Anyhow who can say?
Despite its half century vintage Jackal has an amazingly modern look and feel, and it could all boil down to its non-sentimentalized, quasi-documentary style, which is further reinforced by the lack of a background music score. It’s all helmed by Zinnemann’s supreme directorial skills, though the thriller is not a genre with which we usually associate him. Indeed the film takes such a detailed, you-are-there approach, that the viewer readily accepts that he’s watching real events unfold and not just a scripted story. However – and it’s a big however, I’m always a little troubled by the Jackal’s obvious miscalculations, to the point of recklessness. They don’t convince given his otherwise cold, low-risk style. Moreover, for all that the Jackal possesses near preternatural skills as well as an uncanny talent for improvisation, this disconnect doesn’t quite jibe.
These reservations notwithstanding, the Jackal fits the mold of the somewhat romanticized pop culture version of the hired killer: he’s well educated, well dressed, well spoken, polite – in his way – and he works independently. And of course he can take out an adversary with one hand tied behind his back. Moreover, he projects a blandly anonymous, workmanlike image (including aforementioned lethal fighting skills), all presented in smoothly aristocratic packaging.
One downside of my otherwise excellent library copy of the Universal DVD is the complete dearth of special features. A movie like Jackal would seem to cry out for such extras. I’m not familiar with the Blu-ray special edition version, i.e. I haven’t seen it, but I note that it has special features.
Great on-location scenes, especially in Paris and Genoa, add to the film’s authenticity, and the international flair isn’t diminished by the unmistakable Brit overlay, most obviously present in the British dominated cast, who don’t make any attempt to disguise their old boy accents. The ladies fare better in the ethnicity/accent department. Delphine Seyrig, Olga Georges-Picot, and Colette Bergé have an unmistakable French vibe about them. By the way, an interesting bit of trivia: the character played by Delphine Seyrig is always referred to in the film as Madame de Montpellier, though in credits online and elsewhere her character is listed as ‘Colette.’ Curious. Editorial comment: yes, I did see the so-called remake The Jackal and thought it was absolutely terrible. Stay with the original.
One caveat: Day of the Jackal does move at a rather stately pace, i.e. it will seem slow to some viewers. Thus if your tastes tend to screeching tires, fiery conflagrations and brutal hand-to-hand fights, Jackal may not be your cup of tea. Perhaps because the film treats the characters and actions in a fairly neutral style, I find myself rooting for both the Jackal and police inspector Lebel. And why not? A close, down-to-the-wire photo finish is always more fun than a rout, no?
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