36 Hours

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In 1950, Maj. Jefferson Pike (James Garner), an Army intelligence agent who served with distinction in World War II, awakens in a hospital with severe amnesia. He isn't sure where he is, how he got there, or even who the woman at his side is, even though the doctor tells him that her name is Anna (Eva Marie Saint) and that she is his wife. The doctor instructs Pike to recall, in as much detail as possible, what he was doing before the accident that caused his traumatic memory loss. But the doctor isn't a doctor, Anna isn't Pike's wife, it isn't 1950, and he isn't in an American hospital. World War II is still very much in progress, and Pike is being duped in an elaborate scheme prepared by Maj. Walter Gerber (Rod Taylor), a German intelligence agent. Gerber is trying to trick a drugged and suggestible Pike into telling him everything he knows, as the injured soldier lies in a Bavarian military hospital after being taken prisoner. Will Pike be able to see through the cracks in Gerber's facade before he spills the beans that could mean death and defeat for American soldiers? 36 Hours was later remade for TV under the title Breaking Point. TV fans will want to keep an eye peeled for bit parts by James Doohan from Star Trek and John Banner from Hogan's Heroes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Black and White, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, French
• Features:
  • James Garner war movies trailer gallery

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  George Seaton

• Producer:

  William Perlberg

• Screen Story:

  Carl Hittleman

• Screenwriter:

  George Seaton

• Cinematographer:

  Philip H. Lathrop

• Composer (Music Score):

  Dimitri Tiomkin

• Editor:

  Adrienne Fazan

• Art Director:

  George W. Davis, Edward C. Carfagno

• Set Designer:

  Henry W. Grace, Frank R. McKelvey

• Costume Designer:

  Edith Head

• Makeup:

  William J. Tuttle, Stan Smith

• Short Story Author:

  Roald Dahl, Louis Joseph Vance

REVIEW:

• 36 Hours has a premise that's intriguing but which also stretches credulity past what many viewers will consider the breaking point: would Nazi officials in desperate need of extracting vital information about the planned Allied landing really resort to an elaborate hoax to coax it out of an American officer, rather than simply devise a more direct method of interrogation? And even if they did opt to, would they really be able to set up such a complicated ruse in the time allotted? As a theatrical gimmick, however, it has a great deal of potential; unfortunately, writer/director George Seaton seriously undercuts its effectiveness by letting the audience in on the charade early on, rather than letting them discover it as the American officer himself does. The lengthy escape near the end also mutes the film's impact, coming off as too derivative and obligatory. Despite its flaws, however, Hours is an enjoyable espionage thriller, thanks in large part to James Garner and Rod Taylor. Garner is well cast as an honorable, dedicated Army man put into a situation in which he has to determine what is reality and what is fantasy. Taylor does even better as the psychiatrist out to trap him, despite the fact that he has genuine admiration for her adversary's sterling qualities. Eva Marie Saint seems a bit miscast as the supposed wife, but Warner Peters is effective as the venomous Nazi. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi