The Formula (1980)

Director:

John G. Avildsen

Writers:

Steve Shagan (novel)
Steve Shagan (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 December 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

In a world starved for energy, no secret is more valuable.

Plot:

A detective uncovers a formula that was devised by the Nazis in WW II to make gasoline from synthetic products...

Plot Keywords:

Oil Company | Oil | Gasoline | Library | Horse Track

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 nominations

Cast

George C. Scott	...	Lt. Barney Caine LAPD
Marlon Brando	...	Adam Steiffel, Chairman Titan Oil
Marthe Keller	...	Lisa Spangler
John Gielgud	...	Dr. Abraham Esau, Director Reich Energy
G.D. Spradlin	...	Arthur Clements
Beatrice Straight	...	Kay Neeley
Richard Lynch	...	General Helmut Kladen / Frank Tedesco
John Van Dreelen	...	Hans Lehman, Prefect of Police Berlin
Robin Clarke	...	Major Tom Neeley
Ike Eisenmann	...	Tony
Marshall Thompson	...	Geologist #1
Dieter Schidor	...	Assassin
Werner Kreindl	...	Schellenberg
Jan Niklas	...	Gestapo Captain
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Franz Tauber, Swiss businessman
Calvin Jung	...	Sergeant Louis Yosuta LAPD Tactical Squad
Alan North	...	John Nolan, Chief of Tactical Squad LAPD
David Byrd	...	Paul Obermann, Chief Engineer Berlin Power & Light Co.
Ferdy Mayne	...	Professor Siebold
Gerard Murphy	...	Herbert Glenn, Clement's Chauffeur (as Gerry Murphy)
Francisco Prado	...	Mendosa
Louis Basile	...	Sgt. Vince Rizzo - LAPD Metro Homicide
Ric Mancini	...	Printman
Weston Gavin	...	U.S. Army Captain
Craig T. Nelson	...	Geologist #2
Herb Voland	...	Geologist #3
Diane Tyler	...	Telex Operator
Jim Brewer	...	Security Guard
Lavelle Roby	...	Secretary
Albert Carrier	...	Butler
Ernie Fuentes	...	Pool Man
Stephanie Edwards	...	Reporter
Nathan Roberts	...	Reporter
Tom Hall	...	Reporter
Reinhard Vom Bauer	...	Dr. Esau (young)
János Gönczöl	...	Dr. Karl Saur, Director Reich Armaments (as Janos Genczol)
Heinz Kammer	...	Dr. Hans Luschen, Director of Reich Research
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	Reimeck (as Rene Kolldehoff)
Martin Brandt	...	Concierge (German)
Paul Glawion	...	Concierge (Swiss)
Emil Steinberger	...	Postal Clerk
Emily Jensen	...	Dancer
Sandie Lawrence	...	Dancer
Ursula Warel	...	Dancer
Jane Faithe	...	Dancer
Wendy Baldock	...	Dancer
Ursula Hamann	...	Pan-Am Lady
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hammam Shafie	...	Assassin (uncredited)

Directed by
John G. Avildsen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Steve Shagan		novel
Steve Shagan		screenplay

Produced by
Steve Shagan	....	producer
Ken Swor	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Bill Conti

Cinematography by
James Crabe

Film Editing by
John Carter

Casting by
Renate Arbes
Caro Jones

Production Design by
Herman A. Blumenthal

Set Decoration by
Lee Poll

Costume Design by
Bill Thomas

Makeup Department
Del Acevedo	....	makeup artist
Jo McCarthy	....	hair stylist
Hasso von Hugo	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Dieter Meyer	....	production manager
Karl W. Schaper	....	production manager
Ken Swor	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Candace Allen	....	second assistant director
Don French	....	first assistant director
Dan Malmuth	....	assistant director
Eva-Maria Schönecker	....	second assistant director
Dwight Williams	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Russell Goble	....	property master
Hans Jürgen Kiebach	....	art director: Europe

Sound Department
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jay M. Harding	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael J. Kohut	....	sound re-recording mixer
Al Overton	....	sound
John Riordan	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Richard Richtsfeld	....	special effects department

Stunts
Charlie Picerni	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Benson	....	camera operator
Garrett Brown	....	Steadicam operator
David E. Diano	....	assistant camera
Adam Glick	....	set lighting technician
Ted Harrison	....	key grip
Ross A. Maehl	....	gaffer
Elliott Marks	....	still photographer
Bob Whitaker	....	still photographer
George Whitear	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Shirley Rich	....	casting consultant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
G. Tony Scarano	....	wardrobe (as Tony Scarano)

Editorial Department
David Bretherton	....	supervising editor
Don Dittmar	....	color timer
Jane Kurson	....	associate editor
Bob Ramae	....	assistant editor: Los Angeles

Music Department
Harry V. Lojewski	....	music supervisor
Joe Tuley	....	music editor
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer

Transportation Department
Randy Peters	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Willy Egger	....	production executive: Germany
Norbert Finck	....	location manager
Sandy Lawrence	....	production secretary
Bill Millie	....	choreographer
Don Morgan	....	unit publicist
Ana Maria Quintana	....	script supervisor
Stefan Zürcher	....	location manager

Production Companies

• CIP Filmproduktion GmbH
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Vídeo Arte (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Die Formel (West Germany)

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English | Spanish | German

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

CIP Filmproduktion GmbH

Trivia:

George C. Scott and Marlon Brando played chess together during waits during the shooting. In his PLAYBOY interview of December 1980 (Vol. 27, Iss. 12, pg. 81-138), Scott told Lawrence Grobel - who had conducted the famous interview with Brando for PLAYBOY a year earlier - that Marlon was not that good a player. Many years later, Christiane Kubrick would level the same charge against Scott, who was beaten regularly by her late husband Stanley Kubrick on the set of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) between setups.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: At the beginning of The Formula, a Nazi General is given the task of driving a truck to the Swiss border. In the next scene the truck has been captured by the US Army. The scene is shot in the snow. This is supposed to take place in the first week of May 1945. There is nowhere that would be covered in snow between Berlin and the Swiss border in May, even if he went the long way i.e. via Austria.

Quotes:

Arthur Clements: [proposing that Titan Oil can raise their gasoline prices] The people will accept the 12 cents now because we can blame it on the Arabs!
Adam Steiffel, Chairman Titan Oil: Ah, Arthur, you're missing the point: We *are* the Arabs.

Movie Connections:

References Little Caesar (1931)

Enjoyable hokum

I give this a high rating simply because of George C. Scott and Marlon Brando, who rise above muddled material and breathe life into an otherwise clunky TV movie. The plot is basically oil/greed ripping off the nation, and if I didn't know better I'd say Brando was channelling Dick Cheney, but the music and the script and the camera work (zooms, anyone?) are so cheesy that it's hard to stay with this movie.

However. The performances are fresh and fun and strangely lively, all the actors are magnificent, and true or not- it's a nice little commentary on modern greed in America (and the world).

A fun watch if you've nothing better to do than watch great actors go head to head.