Rogue Male (film)
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''Rogue Male'' is a 1976 British
television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
starring
Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...
, based on
Geoffrey Household Geoffrey Edward West Household (30 November 1900 – 4 October 1988) was a prolific British novelist who specialized in thrillers. He is best known for his novel '' Rogue Male'' (1939). Personal life He was born in Bristol; his father Hora ...
's 1939 novel '' Rogue Male''. Made by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, it was adapted by
Frederic Raphael Frederic Michael Raphael Royal Society of Literature, FRSL (born 14 August 1931) is an American-born British novelist, biographer, journalist and Academy Awards, Oscar-winning screenwriter, known for writing the screenplays for Darling (1965 fi ...
, directed by
Clive Donner Clive Stanley Donner (21 January 1926 – 6 September 2010) Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Clive Donner ''The Guardian'', 7 September 2010 was a British film director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as '' The Caretaker'', ...
and also stars
Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish actor. He began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his death in 1976. S ...
(in his last film role),
John Standing Sir John Ronald Leon, 4th Baronet (born 16 August 1934), known professionally as John Standing, is an English actor. Early life Standing was born in London, the son of Kay Hammond (née Dorothy Katherine Standing), an actress, and Sir Ronal ...
and
Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...
. It was first broadcast on 22 September 1976.


Plot

In early 1939, before the start of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Sir Robert Hunter (O'Toole) takes aim at
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
with a hunting rifle, but hesitates to shoot and is spotted and tackled by a ''
Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...
'' (SS) guard. Captured and tortured by the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
, he claims that his aiming at Hitler was simply an intellectual exercise, to see if it could be done. Because of his high status in Britain, his captors intend to shoot him and cover it up as a hunting accident, but, because his body displays clear evidence of torture, they decide instead to throw him off of a cliff to disguise the signs. However, Hunter survives the fall, and, with the aid of a German fisherman and a friendly sailor, makes his way back to England. He soon discovers that the German agents are after him, and that the Nazi government has requested his extradition. After killing a pursuer by electrocuting him on the
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...
, Sir Robert, now a fugitive, goes underground in rural England to escape his pursuers. It is revealed through flashbacks that his girlfriend, who played a role in organizing the German Resistance, was executed by the Nazi government. Hunter's lead pursuer, an English Nazi sympathizer named Major Quive-Smith, successfully tracks him to his lair and traps him within it. Rather than kill Hunter, Quive-Smith offers to spare his life if he signs a false confession stating that he attempted to assassinate Hitler on behalf of British intelligence. Over the course of several days, Hunter constructs a rudimentary crossbow, lures Quive-Smith into looking down his breathing hole, and shoots him in the head, killing him. Soon afterwards, Britain declares war against Germany, and Hunter, now with his status restored, agrees to discuss with the
Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...
about a secret mission (heavily implied to be a second attempt on Hitler's life).


Cast

*
Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...
as Sir Robert Hunter *
John Standing Sir John Ronald Leon, 4th Baronet (born 16 August 1934), known professionally as John Standing, is an English actor. Early life Standing was born in London, the son of Kay Hammond (née Dorothy Katherine Standing), an actress, and Sir Ronal ...
as Major Quive-Smith *
Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish actor. He began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his death in 1976. S ...
as The Earl *
Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...
as Saul Abrahams * Michael Byrne as Interrogator *
Mark McManus Mark McManus (21 February 1935 – 6 June 1994) was a Scottish actor known for his roles in the British television series '' Sam,'' '' Bulman, The Brothers, Strangers,'' and '' Dramarama'' and the feature film '' 2000 Weeks''. He was best know ...
as Vaner * Ray Smith as Fisherman *
Hugh Manning Hugh Gardner Manning (19 August 1920 – 18 August 2004) was an English film, radio and television actor. He is best remembered as the Reverend Donald Hinton, in the soap opera ''Emmerdale Farm'', a role he played from 1977 until 1989. From ...
as Peale * Robert Lang as Jessel *
Cyd Hayman Cyd Hayman (born 1 May 1944) is an English film and stage actress. She appeared in the films '' Percy'' (1971), '' Rogue Male'' (1976), '' The Human Factor'' (1979), '' The Godsend'' (1980), and '' Mask of Murder'' (1988). Her television credi ...
as Rebecca * Ian East as Muller * Philip Jackson as 1st Seaman * Nicholas Ball as 2nd Seaman *
Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, columnist and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...
as Freda * Ray Mort as Gerald *
Michael Sheard Michael Sheard (born Michael Lawson Perkins; 18 June 1938 – 31 August 2005) was a Scottish actor who featured in many films and television programmes, and was best known for playing villains. His most prominent television role was as strict ...
as
Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
*
Shirley Dynevor Shirley Dynevor (; 15 May 1933 – 10 January 2023) was a Welsh actress. She was the grandmother to actresses Phoebe Dynevor and Hattie Dynevor. Early life Shirley Teague was born on 15 May 1933 in Cardiff to Nancy (née Sutton), a nurse, and ...
as
Eva Braun Eva Anna Paula Hitler (; 6 February 1912 – 30 April 1945) was a German photographer who was the longtime companion and briefly the wife of Adolf Hitler. Braun met Hitler in Munich in 1929 (aged 17) when she was an assistant and model ...
* Ivor Roberts as Drake *
John Ringham John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was an English actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''. Early life Ringham was born in C ...
as SS Officer


Background

The novel had been filmed in 1941 by
Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...
, as '' Man Hunt'', with
Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. A major leading man during the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for his "portrayals of men who prove both sturdy and wise," Pidgeon earned two Academy ...
in the lead role. According to producer Mark Shivas, script editor Richard Broke had the idea of making six TV movie thrillers for the BBC which showed the changing nature of the British hero from 1918 to 1939, with ''Rogue Male'' to be the last. Shivas was then working on an adaptation of '' The Glittering Prizes'' with writer
Frederic Raphael Frederic Michael Raphael Royal Society of Literature, FRSL (born 14 August 1931) is an American-born British novelist, biographer, journalist and Academy Awards, Oscar-winning screenwriter, known for writing the screenplays for Darling (1965 fi ...
and commissioned him to adapt ''Rogue Male''. Raphael went back to the novel and ignored the 1941 film. Shivas felt there were three things any version of ''Rogue Male'' had to have, the attempted assassination of
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
at the beginning of the story, the chase on the
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...
and the battle underground at the end. Filming took 25 days and involved 29 locations.Television: An Interview with Mark Shivas Hodgson, Clive. London Magazine18.1 (1 Apr 1978): 68. Shivas would make two others in the series, '' She Fell Among Thieves'' and ''
The Three Hostages ''The Three Hostages'' is the fourth of five Richard Hannay novels by the Scottish author John Buchan, first published in July 1924 by Hodder & Stoughton, London. Hannay had previously appeared in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1915), his most fa ...
''. Interviewed by the ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' for the first screening of the film, Household acknowledged that he always intended the protagonist's target to be Hitler, "Although the idea for ''Rogue Male'' germinated from my intense dislike of Hitler, I did not actually name him in the book as things were a bit tricky at the time and I thought I would leave it open so that the target could be either Hitler or
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
. You could take your pick". It was reported that Peter O'Toole had agreed to be cast in ''Rogue Male'' partly because the original novel was a favourite of his wife
Sian Phillips Sian or Siyan may refer to: __NOTOC__ People *Siân, a Welsh girl's name; list of people with this name Places *Sian, Iran (disambiguation), various places in Iran, Iraq and Balochistan *Sian, Russia, a rural locality in Amur Oblast, Russia *Xi'an ...
.


Production

Some of the filming took place around King's Stag in
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, including the area around a local pub, The Fox Inn, Court Hill,
Corscombe Corscombe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, in the Dorset Council administrative area. The parish includes the small settlements of Benville and Toller Whelme to the south and in the 2011 census had a population ...
, Dorset.
As a TV production, the film was made on a relatively tight budget and the crew was paid at the lower rates applicable to TV productions.


Release and reception

Despite its low budget, the finished film was regarded by the BBC as being suitable for a cinema release internationally. This had the potential to cause legal and industrial problems in the UK, because the crew had not been paid at the rate applicable to cinema releases. The BBC decided to terminate screenings in the UK and disallow future screenings in the UK. In an interview with
Francine Stock Francine Stock (born 14 March 1958) is a British radio and television presenter and novelist, of part-French origin. Early life Born in Devon in 1958, Stock is the daughter of John Stock and his wife JeanAnne Mallet. After her early years in Edi ...
for BBC Radio 4's Film Programme in 2007, Peter O'Toole named the film as his favourite among those that he had made.


References


External links

* {{Clive Donner 1976 television films 1976 films British television films BBC television dramas Films about assassinations Films based on British novels Films directed by Clive Donner Films scored by Christopher Gunning Films about Adolf Hitler Films set in Germany 1970s English-language films