Morituri [The Saboteur, Code Name Morituri] ** (1965, Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Janet Margolin) – Classic Movie Review 7,276

The double Oscar-nominated 1965 action war thriller film Morituri stars Marlon Brando, reprising his tormented German character as a World War Two spy called Robert Crain helping the British grab a German freighter helmed by Captain Mueller (Yul Brynner).

Director Bernhard Wicki’s 1965 action war thriller film Morituri stars Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner, was nominated for two Oscars, and is based on a novel by a German writer, Werner Jörg Lüddecke.

It stars Marlon Brando, who reprises his tormented German character from 1958’s The Young Lions to much less effect in a World War Two wartime shipboard melodrama about a spy called Robert Crain (Brando) helping the British to grab a German freighter, captained by Captain Mueller (Yul Brynner), carrying a key cargo of rubber.

Brando is playing an interesting character, a German pacificist blackmailed by the Allies into sabotaging the Nazi-controlled merchant ship. And Yul Brynner is also playing an interesting character, the ship’s captain  who is also having second thoughts about the war.

Wicki’s shaky sea adventure is admirable in concept, often intriguing, and occasionally tense and impactful. But it is heavy in execution, thanks to a confused, often over-emphasised screenplay by Daniel Taradash that lacks subtlety, and dull, uninspired direction under German helmer Wicki at epic length of 123 minutes.

Brando gives an unfortunate impression that his lofty performance is ironic and insincere. But when the going gets choppy, there are Trevor Howard as the British official Colonel Statter (reuniting the co-stars of Mutiny on the Bounty), Brynner as the drunken captain, Martin Benrath as his Nazi lieutenant Kruse and Wally Cox as the doctor Dr Ambach to give it a lift on the acting front. Also especially noteworthy is Conrad L Hall’s Oscar-nominated black and white cinematography, as well as Jerry Goldsmith’s score.

The title is derived from the Latin phrase ‘Morituri te salutant’, gladiatorspeak Latin for ‘Those who are about to die salute you.’ No wonder the panic on the poster: ‘Morituri must mean something usual’, but then what does that mean? Just studio panic at 20th Century-Fox.

It opened on August 25, 1965. It cost $6,290,000 and took $4,045,000 at the box office. After it flopped on initial release, it was re-released in 1965 under a new title as Saboteur: Code Name Morituri’, but then what does that mean? Fox said it needed to earn $10,500,000 at the box office to break even, but it proved one of a series of Brando box office disappointments at the time, plunging 20th Century-Fox into further financial problems.

The screenplay by Daniel Taradash is taken from Werner Jörg Lüddecke’s 1958 novel Morituri.

The main cast are Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Janet Margolin, Wally Cox, Carl Esmond, William Redfield, Martin Benrath, Hans Christian Blech, Rainer Penkert, Martin Kosleck and Oscar Beregi Jr.

Morituri was Oscar nominated for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Conrad L Hall) and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (Moss Mabry).

The cast are Marlon Brando as Robert Crain, Yul Brynner as Captain Mueller, Janet Margolin as Esther Levy, Trevor Howard as Colonel Statter, Martin Benrath as Kruse, Hans Christian Blech as Donkeyman, Wally Cox as Dr Ambach, Max Haufler as Branner, Rainer Penkert as Milkereit, William Redfield as Baldwin, Oscar Beregi Jr as Admiral Wendel, Martin Brandt as Nissen, Charles De Vries as Kurz, Carl Esmond as Busch, Martin Kosleck as Wilke, Norbert Schiller as Steward, Robert Sorrells as Koeniger, Rick Traeger as Crew Member, and Ivan Triesault as Lieutenant Brandt.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7,276

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