Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Ronald M. Cohen (screenplay) and
Edward Huebsch (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 February 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

the day they took on The Real Power!

Plot:

A renegade USAF general, Lawrence Dell, escapes from a military prison and takes over an ICBM silo near...

Plot Keywords:

General | Take Over | Helicopter | Missile | Political

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Gen. Lawrence Dell
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	James Forrest
Joseph Cotten	...	Arthur Renfrew - Secretary of State
Melvyn Douglas	...	Zachariah Guthrie
Charles Durning	...	President David T. Stevens
Richard Jaeckel	...	Captain Stanford Towne
William Marshall	...	William Klinger - Attorney General
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Brigadier General O'Rourke
Richard Widmark	...	Gen. Martin MacKenzie - Commanding General SA
Paul Winfield	...	Willis Powell
Burt Young	...	Augie Garvas
Charles Aidman	...	Bernstein
Leif Erickson	...	Ralph Whittaker - CIA Director
Charles McGraw	...	Peter Crane - General of the Air Force
Morgan Paull	...	First Lieutenant Louis Cannellis

Also Known As:

Das Ultimatum (West Germany)
Nuclear Countdown
Silo III (USA) (working title)
Todeskommando Feuerblitz Ultimatum (West Germany)
Viper Three (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

146 min | Sweden:123 min | France:91 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Bavaria Atelier

Trivia:

The secret policy is closely based on the 1957 book "Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy" by Henry Kissinger, in which the future Secretary of State outlines a strategy committing the US to promoting regional conflicts to deter the Soviets' initiating full-scale war.

Quotes:

Willis Powell: Grow up General. Nobody honors nothin', but that's no reason to blow up the whole world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming (#7.9)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

My Country, 'Tis of Thee

I enjoyed Twilight's Last Gleaming

I disagree that the political statement in the movie is misplaced. It was one of the first movies from the Hollywood mainstream to address the atrocities in Vietnam (such as the Mai Lai massacre for those who are not familiar with history). I think the film showed the pain and anger many vets felt when they returned. Beyond the social statement, I think the film is good thriller that stands the test of time. There are some minor problems with the plot such as the security at the silo, but those come up when one tries to analyze the film instead of enjoying the ride. Lancaster and Widmark are, as usual, very good in the picture which alone makes the picture worth seeing.