Overlord (1975)

Director:

Stuart Cooper

Writers:

Christopher Hudson (original screenplay) and
Stuart Cooper (original screenplay)

Release Date:

13 March 1978 (Denmark)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Code Name D-Day June 6th 1944

Plot:

During the war a young lad is called up and, with an increasing sense of foreboding, undertakes his army training ready for D-day. |

Plot Keywords:

D Day | Female Nudity | Boot Camp | WWII | Raw Recruit

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Brian Stirner	...	Tom
Davyd Harries	...	Jack
Nicholas Ball	...	Arthur
Julie Neesam	...	The Girl
Sam Sewell	...	The Trained Soldier
John Franklyn-Robbins	...	Dad
Stella Tanner	...	Mum
Harry Shacklock	...	Stationmaster
David Scheuer	...	Medical Officer
Ian Liston	...	Barrack Guard
Lorna Lewis	...	Prostitute
Stephen Riddle	...	Dead German Soldier
Jack Le White	...	Barman
Mark Penfold	...	Photographer
Micaela Minelli	...	Little Girl
Elsa Minelli	...	Little Girl's Mother

Directed by
Stuart Cooper

Writing credits
Christopher Hudson		(original screenplay) and
Stuart Cooper		(original screenplay)

Produced by
James Quinn	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul Glass

Cinematography by
John Alcott		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Jonathan Gili

Makeup Department
Penny Delamer	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Michael Guest	....	production manager

Sound Department
Alan Bell	....	sound editor
Jeremy Hume	....	sound assistant
Gerry Humphreys	....	dubbing mixer (as Gerry Humphries)
Tony Jackson	....	sound recordist
Robin O'Donoghue	....	assistant dubbing mixer (as Robin O'Donoughue)
Stephen Ransley	....	boom operator (as Steven Ransley)
Bridget Reiss	....	sound assistant
Bryan Tilling	....	dialogue editor (as Brian Tilling)
Jeremy Hume	....	assistant dialogue editor (uncredited)
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Daniel S. McCoy	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)
Bridget Reiss	....	assistant dialogue editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Lou Bogue	....	electrician
Tony Cridlin	....	grip
Simon Ransley	....	camera operator
Chris Tanner	....	focus
David Watkins	....	clapper/loader

Editorial Department
Jupiter Sen	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Douglas Matten	....	musical associate
John Richards	....	music mixer
Douglas Matten	....	associate music mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Wendy Banks	....	continuity
Peter Bath	....	laboratory consultant
Tom Dickinson	....	personal assistant to director
Jack Hawtree	....	production accountant
Anne Hechle	....	main titles design
Jacques Leroide	....	personal assistant to director
Gough Quinn	....	assistant to producer

Thanks
Brigadier W.S.G. Armour	....	the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as Brigadier W.S.G. Armour, M.B.E. Colonel, Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire)
Finlay M. Campbell	....	the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of: for access to their diaries
Robert Crawford	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff: production liaison
Frederick Dicker	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff: stills processing
Brian Downing	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff: archive assistance
Anne Fleming	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff
Noble Frankland	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by (as Dr. Noble Frankland, D.F.C. Director of the Imperial War Museum)
Barry Kitts	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff: set design
Denise Lawrence	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff: archive assistance
Edward R. McCosh	....	the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of: for access to their dairies
Laurie Milner	....	the producer and director gratefulyl acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff: costume advice
Michael Moody	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff: set design
Iris Murray	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff: laboratory liaison
Bernard Slade	....	the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by the following members of his staff: stills processing

Production Companies

• Joswend

Distributors

• Janus Films (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• EMI Entertainment
• Lumiere Pictures (1994) (UK) (VHS)
• Metrodome Distribution (2008) (UK) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Brent Laboratories  the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by: printing from archive negatives
• British Movietonews  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as British Movietone News)
• Commandant and Staff of the Guards' Depot, The  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as The Commandant & Staff of the Guards' Depot)
• Corfe Castle Estate  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of
• Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral, The  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as The Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's Cathedral)
• Films Montsouris  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as Films Montsouris & Helevision)
• Imperial War Museum  the producer and director gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by (as the Imperial War Museum Department of Film)
• Kent and East Sussex Railway  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as The Kent and East Sussex Railway)
• Kingston Lacey Estate  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of
• London Fire Brigade  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as The London Fire Brigade)
• Music Centre, The  music recorded at (as The Music Centre, Wembley)
• R.A.F. Strike Command  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, R.A.F. Strike Command)
• R.N. Air Station Yeovilton  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as Flag Officer, Naval Air Command, R.N. Air Station, Yeovilton)
• South-Eastern District  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as General Officer Commanding South-Eastern District)
• The Royal Marines  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as Commandant-General, Royal Marines)
• Twickenham Film Studios  sound rerecorded at (as Twickenham Film Studios, Twickenham, England.)
• Vee Films  optical effects
• West German State Film Archive  the producers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of (as West German State Film Archive, Coblenz)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | UK:AA (original rating) | Australia:PG | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

Joswend

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In amongst the shots of "Hobart’s Funnies" on the landing beaches there is a shot of a Panjandrum. This was an experimental device which would have been used to combat the German proposed invasion of England in 1940. However it was a failure and was not used at the time and was never used in the D Day landings.

Quotes:

[Jack and Arthur are lying down and talking while awaiting deployment]
Jack: Did you hear what Tom did this morning?
Arthur: No.
Jack: He went to see old Nickelby, and asked him if they gave out compassionate leave if there's been a death in the family. So Nickelby said, "Oh, yeah, yeah, depending on the circumstances." And Tom said, "Well, there hasn't been a death in my family yet, but there's going to be one very soon, and I request leave to go home and console my parents."

Movie Connections:

Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Lambeth Walk

Stunning mix of newsreel and fiction...wow!!

Fantastic little "war" gem this. Stands to reason why it won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Filmfestival once. We are offered visually very beautiful images of documentary footage from world war 2. In an extremely competent manner this material is mixed into a fictitious story about a young soldier´s life and death as a soldier participating in the famous D-Day invasion (Operation Overlord).Don't expect another Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day.....Overlord is by far too "experimental" for that.Well, it's really impossible to compare these films, but rest assured Overlord will deliver a very unique war movie experience, like you´ve (probably) never seen it before.