Search - The Night of the Generals on DVD

Night of the Generals

K. Parker | Baltimore, MD | 08/07/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I'd waited a long time for this to come out on DVD and was excited when I found this print available on Amazon. Regrettably, upon receiving the DVD I discovered that the quality was dreadful. This is undoubtedly the worst transfer of a film I've ever seen, and after looking at it for just a minute or so, I found myself getting a headache. The print is so blurred I actually adjusted my glasses a few times to ensure that it was not me.

Do yourself a favor and wait for a cleaner version than this wretched one."

Good movie, Poor qualty

Alexander Akopian | USA | 03/15/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I've purchased the movie because I love the movie. Returned it because of its awful picture quality. The foreground is blury, the background is dark and snowy. Take my words for it and don't buy it! You buy it, you'll suck it. supplier must improve the qualty. For $21 it must have a quality."

Superb film but this DVD clearly has problems.

Patrick W. Crabtree | Lucasville, OH USA | 08/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Others are commenting on the poor quality of this DVD and I'll definitely take them at their word because I have my OWN copy (of beautiful quality) and I won't bother to mention how I happened to get my particular DVD *.* -- but it's not THIS DVD, nor is it a copy thereof.



As for the movie itself, it's in color, letterbox format, and it's just spectacular! It's a combination of two film genres, mixing a WW II film with a murder mystery -- and the scenes, setting, scenery, casting, special effects, storyline, soundtrack, and cinematography are all spot-on, terrific!



The story is about a Nazi officer (a really ethical guy!) who is assigned to investigate (like a regular policeman) the murder of a prostitute and to bring the perpetrator to justice. He soon discovers that very similar depraved murders have occurred in the past and, due to one terrified witness glimpsing the red stripe down a uniform trouser leg, a uniform feature which was exclusive to Nazi generals, the investigator knows that this will definitely be a difficult case to resolve.



He soon narrows the suspect generals down to three men, all of whom had both the bad temperment as well as the opportunity to kill and mutilate these women. But soon, most of the focus begins to center on one VERY strange general in particular (one of the three). All this takes place during an aggressive and brutal Nazi purge of "dissidents" in the town and that is the war side of the film. There's a lot more to the story, sub-plots, etc., but I don't want to convey any spoilers.



So, I guess I'm saying that if you can somehow obtain a good copy of this most excellent film, then go for it! My highest recomendation."

A fine story, well acted, despite some B-movie elements

Cesar Cruz | Albuquerque, NM | 10/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have been recommending "The Night of the Generals" to friends for years. Although strictly speaking it is a murder mystery, it contains so many other elements that make this a very entertaining movie. Take away all of the successful surface elements - the amazing cast, the historical backdrop, the many tensions of flawed leaders at war, etc. - and you still have a story that has a lot of important things to say. Every character is magnificent as they try to wrangle with murder, war, justice, love, fear, heroism, brutality, family, and other matters. This seems like a lot - and it is - but the acting and the script combine to make it work. What tends to turn people off is that admittedly the large infusion of supporting characters and subplots can make this film a little confusing and strange. Peter O'Toole's character in particular is as cold and stiff as a corpse in a Russian winter. Omar Sharif's passion for solving the crime is at times over the top. But it is precisely each strong personality that makes each character compelling and vulnerable. The other perceived drawback is that 1960s WWII dramas tend to be somewhat campy. There are parts with very poor dubbing (from primarily the foreign extras). Also, the fact that most of the characters - including nearly every Nazi - have British accents has always made me laugh. One just has to get past those oddities and pay attention to the script/story. Probably the best compliment is that it simply doesn't matter if you know who the murderer is. All of the other intrigue still makes this a fantastic movie."