Counterpoint

1967
Approved
1h 47m

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

Charlton Heston and Maximilian Schell in Counterpoint (1967)

Drama Music War

A famous orchestra conductor is captured by the Germans in WW2, and is forced to perform at private concerts for the Nazi generals.A famous orchestra conductor is captured by the Germans in WW2, and is forced to perform at private concerts for the Nazi generals.A famous orchestra conductor is captured by the Germans in WW2, and is forced to perform at private concerts for the Nazi generals.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
Charlton Heston spent up to five hours a day at rehearsals conducting Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C-, Op. 67, Allegro con brio, the music performed over the opening credits. In his diaries, Heston describes it as better than parting the Red Sea.

Goofs
Lionel Evans refers to the number of musicians in his orchestra as 70---the bus, although a double-decker, would not hold that many. In courtyard scenes, there are not that many seen.

Quotes
Evans: Prostitution isn't the only profession ruined by amateurs.

Connections
Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Charlton Heston/Norman Mailer/David Brenner/Ian Whitcomb (1974)

Soundtracks
Symphony No. 5 in C minor I. Allegro con brio
(uncredited)
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by The Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Lawrence Foster
[Played by the orchestra over the opening title card and credits; reprise played over the end credits]

User reviews34

Review

Featured review

9/10

A Very Entertaining Film! Beware the current DVD

I know the plot may be a little far-fetched, but this is still a very involving and entertaining film. It takes place near the end of World War II when most of central Europe is secure and USO troupes are busy entertaining the Allied troops. A Philharmonic Orchestra on a USO tour ends up in Belgium and encounters a pocket of Nazi soldiers. Captured, the orchestra is to be exterminated after the General (Maxmillian Schell) wangles a personal concert out of the arrogant conductor (Charlton Heston). The mind games between these two, regarding the staging of a concert is part of the fun. The music is great, adding to the tension and enjoyment of the film. It holds up very well after 40 plus years. It works both as an action film and a character study. Anton Diffring stands out in a very fine cast. Topnotch!

BEWARE the DVD: I ordered the DVD from a company I will not name nd it was of very poor quality. The film, which is in color, was dark and black most of the way through and the focus was not sharp. The sound was low-fi, fuzzy and unacceptable to my criteria. We need to wait for Universal to put out a decent print. Don't waste your money on this one!