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36 Hours

36 Hours

Drama · Thriller · War · 1964

Germans kidnap an American major and try to convince him that World War II is over, so that they can get details about the Allied invasion of Europe out of him.

Movie details

36 Hours

“"Give Me Any American for 36 Hours And I'll Give You Back a Traitor"”

1964 Drama · Thriller · War 1h 55m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

Germans kidnap an American major and try to convince him that World War II is over, so that they can get details about the Allied invasion of Europe out of him.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over 36 Hours?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Night Train to Munich

Night Train to Munich

Drama · 1940

Czechoslovakia, March 1939, on the eve of World War II. As the German invaders occupy Prague, inventor Axel Bomasch manages to flee and reach England; but those who need to put his knowledge at the service of the Nazi war machine, in order to carry out their evil plans of destruction, will stop at nothing to capture him.

Alone in Berlin

Alone in Berlin

War · 2016

Berlin in June of 1940. While Nazi propaganda celebrates the regime’s victory over France, a kitchen-cum-living room in Prenzlauer Berg is filled with grief. Anna and Otto Quangel’s son has been killed at the front. This working class couple had long believed in the ‘Führer’ and followed him willingly, but now they realise that his promises are nothing but lies and deceit. They begin writing postcards as a form of resistance and in a bid to raise awareness: Stop the war machine! Kill Hitler! Putting their lives at risk, they distribute these cards in the entrances of tenement buildings and in stairwells. But the SS and the Gestapo are soon onto them, and even their neighbours pose a threat.

The Counterfeit Traitor

The Counterfeit Traitor

War · 1962

Blacklisted in modern day WW2, a Swedish oil trader opts to assist British Allies, by means of infiltrating and surveying Nazi Germany.

Valkyrie

Valkyrie

Drama · 2008

Wounded in Africa during World War II, Nazi Col. Claus von Stauffenberg returns to his native Germany and joins the Resistance in a daring plan to create a shadow government and assassinate Adolf Hitler. When events unfold so that he becomes a central player, he finds himself tasked with both leading the coup and personally killing the Führer.

The Man Who Never Was

The Man Who Never Was

Thriller · 1956

The true story of a British effort to trick the Germans into weakening Sicily's defenses before the 1943 attack. A dead soldier is dressed as a British officer and outfitted with faked papers showing that the Allies were intending to invade occupied Greece. His body is put into the sea where it will ultimately drift ashore and the papers be passed along to German Intelligence.

The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away

War · 1957

Based on the true story of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, the only German prisoner of war captured in Britain to escape back to Germany during the Second World War.

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

Drama · 1955

A dramatization of the American general and his court martial for publically complaining about High Command's dismissal and neglect of the aerial fighting forces.

Passage to Marseille

Passage to Marseille

Adventure · 1944

A freedom-loving French journalist sacrifices his happiness and security to battle Nazi tyranny.

A Bridge Too Far

A Bridge Too Far

Drama · 1977

The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to end the war quickly by securing three bridges in Holland allowing access over the Rhine into Germany. A combination of poor allied intelligence and the presence of two crack German panzer divisions meant that the final part of this operation (the bridge in Arnhem over the Rhine) was doomed to failure.

The Scarlet and the Black

The Scarlet and the Black

Drama · 1983

Fr. Hugh O'Flaherty is a Vatican official in 1943-45 who has been hiding downed pilots, escaped prisoners of war, and Italian resistance families. His activities become so large that the Nazis decide to assassinate him the next time he leaves the Vatican.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

George Seaton

Written by

George Seaton · Luis H. Vance · Carl K. Hittleman

James Garner

James Garner

Major Jefferson F. Pike

Eva Marie Saint

Eva Marie Saint

Anna Hedler

Rod Taylor

Rod Taylor

Major Walter Gerber

Werner Peters

Werner Peters

Otto Schack

John Banner

John Banner

Ernst

Russell Thorson

Russell Thorson

Gen. Allison

Alan Napier

Alan Napier

Col. Peter MacLean

Court is in session

Put 36 Hours on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.