s20076037

I can't remember the exact details, but wasn't Michael Caine going to be in this? I think he wanted to, but the producer/director wanted an actor with a bit more, erm, capability lol. Not sure whether Zimmerman later regretted it. I remember reading about this years and years ago and I'm not sure what's what.

Absolutely classic film, though, in a time when dialogue was more important than stars.

dremble wedge

Didn't know that but they definitely made the right choice with Fox.

Miss Guided

I agree - the Jackal is a film you can watch over and over again - a great romp. Beautifully shot too.

Miss Guided
Friend to the stars of stage, screen and gutter.

Redstar

Didn't Andy Robinson play the part of Darth vader in Star wars? (sorry off subject, Day of the Jackal original is brilliant!)

scholes

Think you'll find that was Dave Prowse.
Robinson to my knowlege has only had limited cameo roles in films but has appeared in numerous TV series in the US.

wayshway

Great movie.

Marky B

The Day Of The Jackal was a seminal classic on how to create an intriguing story,without over the top action,yet keep the interest of the reader/viewer. Even though we knew De Gaulle would survive the assassination attempt,it kept our attention to the end (see Ron Howard's excellent Apollo 13).
I have read most of the FF's books,and the only one that I found disappointing was the Dogs Of War. The one I would like to see dramatised is The Devil's Alternative - but maybe that would be out of date a bit now.
A mention to one of my favourite actors,Michael Lonsdale,who played the downtrodden but brilliant detective assigned to find the Jackal. His face when told of his new job,and the triumph he held over the French cabinet when he quietly told them he had them all bugged.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

Azanti

I love this film, and watch everytime its on. I love the last line.

'.....who was he?....'

JohnW

Well, my first post is to agree strongly about the quality of this film. We recently watched it for the first time in about 20 years and it scrubs up very well. Sparse dialogue, tension building and actors not manager-promoted personalities! Great film.

Cheers, JohnW

christoph404

After Fox's impressive appearance in the film there were lots of comparisons between him and Caine and I remember Fox saying in an interview that he was being hailed as the "next Michael Caine" It was not a route Fox wanted to go down and he turned down loads of offers for cold blooded spy/action type films. Seems he didn't want to be type cast into that particular persona.

cooleyn

Just to add something to the "Fox" thread, I thought his best-ever performance was as "Horrocks" in "A Bridge Too Far" - the old, "Gentlemen, this is a story you will tell your granchildren about" - which, incidentally, he directed a fair bit of the dialogue toward Michael Caine in.

Full of irrelevant facts, I am . . .