Twilight's Last Gleaming
Encyclopedia
Twilight's Last Gleaming is a 1977 film directed by Robert Aldrich
, starring Burt Lancaster
and Richard Widmark
.
Loosely based on a 1971 novel, Viper Three by Walter Wager
, it tells the story of Lawrence Dell, a renegade USAF general, who escapes from a military prison
and takes over an ICBM silo near Montana
, threatening to launch the missiles and start World War III
unless the President reveals a top secret document to the American people about the Vietnam War
.
A split screen
technique is used at several points in the movie to give the audience insight into the simultaneously occurring strands of the storyline. The film's title, which functions on several levels, is taken from The Star-Spangled Banner
, the national anthem
of the United States of America:
, contains conclusive proof that the US government knew there was no realistic hope of winning the Vietnam War
but continued fighting it for the sole purpose of demonstrating to the Soviet Union
their unwavering commitment to defeating communism
. While the President and his Cabinet debate the practical, personal, and ethical aspects of agreeing to these demands they also authorize the military to send an elite team to penetrate the ICBM complex and incinerate its command center with a very low-yield tactical nuclear device. When this attempt is discovered the hostage takers respond by initiating a missile launch. As the military and President watch the underground missile silo launch covers begin to open they agree to call off the attempt and the launch is aborted. Eventually the President agrees to meet their demands which also include allowing himself to be taken hostage and used as a human shield
while the renegade General and his team make their escape from the complex. As the President leaves the White House he asks a senior Cabinet member to release the document should he be killed in the process.
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
, starring Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
and Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
.
Loosely based on a 1971 novel, Viper Three by Walter Wager
Walter Wager
Walter Herman Wager was an American novelist.-Early life:Walter Wager grew up in the East Tremont section of The Bronx, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants; his father, Max, was a doctor, and his mother, Jessie, was a nurse...
, it tells the story of Lawrence Dell, a renegade USAF general, who escapes from a military prison
Military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...
and takes over an ICBM silo near Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, threatening to launch the missiles and start World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
unless the President reveals a top secret document to the American people about the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
A split screen
Split screen (film)
In film and video production, split screen is the visible division of the screen, traditionally in half, but also in several simultaneous images, rupturing the illusion that the screen's frame is a seamless view of reality, similar to that of the human eye...
technique is used at several points in the movie to give the audience insight into the simultaneously occurring strands of the storyline. The film's title, which functions on several levels, is taken from The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
, the national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
of the United States of America:
- O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light / what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Plot
After escaping from a military prison an Air Force General and two accomplices infiltrate an ICBM complex and gain launch control over its nine nuclear missiles. They then make direct contact with the US government (avoiding any media attention) and demand both ten million dollars ransom and, more importantly, that the President go on national television and make public the contents of a top secret document. The document, which is unknown to the current President but not to certain members of his CabinetUnited States Cabinet
The Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, which are generally the heads of the federal executive departments...
, contains conclusive proof that the US government knew there was no realistic hope of winning the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
but continued fighting it for the sole purpose of demonstrating to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
their unwavering commitment to defeating communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. While the President and his Cabinet debate the practical, personal, and ethical aspects of agreeing to these demands they also authorize the military to send an elite team to penetrate the ICBM complex and incinerate its command center with a very low-yield tactical nuclear device. When this attempt is discovered the hostage takers respond by initiating a missile launch. As the military and President watch the underground missile silo launch covers begin to open they agree to call off the attempt and the launch is aborted. Eventually the President agrees to meet their demands which also include allowing himself to be taken hostage and used as a human shield
Human shield
Human shield is a military and political term describing the deliberate placement of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets. It may also refer to the use of civilians to literally shield combatants during attacks, by forcing the civilians to march in...
while the renegade General and his team make their escape from the complex. As the President leaves the White House he asks a senior Cabinet member to release the document should he be killed in the process.
Cast
- Burt LancasterBurt LancasterBurton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
as Gen. Lawrence Dell - Paul WinfieldPaul WinfieldPaul Edward Winfield was an American television, film, and stage actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark film Sounder which earned him an Academy Award nomination. Winfield also portrayed Dr....
as Willis Powell - Burt YoungBurt YoungBurt Young is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.-Personal life:...
as Augie Garvas - Richard WidmarkRichard WidmarkRichard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
as Gen. Martin MacKenzie - Charles DurningCharles DurningCharles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...
as President Stevens - Joseph CottenJoseph CottenJoseph Cheshire Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair...
as Secretary of State Renfrew - Melvyn DouglasMelvyn DouglasMelvyn Edouard Hesselberg , better known as Melvyn Douglas, was an American actor.Coming to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man , Douglas later transitioned into more mature and fatherly roles as in his Academy Award-winning performances in Hud...
as Guthrie - Richard JaeckelRichard JaeckelRichard Hanley Jaeckel was an American actor of film and television.-Life and career:Jaeckel was born in Long Beach, New York. A short, but tough guy, he played a variety of characters during his fifty years in movies & television and became one of Hollywood's best known character actors...
as Capt. Towne - William MarshallWilliam Marshall-Politicians, noblemen and military leaders:*William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , 12th-13th-century Anglo Norman nobleman*William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke -Politicians, noblemen and military leaders:*William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146–1219), 12th-13th-century Anglo Norman...
as Attorney General Klinger - Roscoe Lee BrowneRoscoe Lee BrowneRoscoe Lee Browne was an American actor and director, known for his rich voice and dignified bearing.-Biography:Browne was the fourth son of a Baptist minister, Sylvanus S. Browne, and his wife Lovie...
as James Forrest - Gerald S. O'LoughlinGerald S. O'LoughlinGerald Stuart O'Loughlin, Jr. is an American television, stage, and film actor and director who was primarily known for playing tough-talking and rough-looking characters.-Career:...
as Brig. Gen. O'Rourke - William SmithWilliam Smith (actor)William Smith is an American actor who has appeared in almost 300 feature films and television productions.Smith began his acting career at the age of 8 in 1942...
as Hoxey
See also
- Seven Days in MaySeven Days in MaySeven Days in May is an American political thriller novel written by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II and published in 1962. It was made into a motion picture and released in February 1964, with a screenplay by Rod Serling, directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk...
, also starring Burt Lancaster as a renegade member of the U.S. military attempting to stage a coup - High ContrastHigh ContrastLincoln Barrett, better known by the stage name High Contrast , is a Welsh drum and bass DJ and producer.-History:...
, a track produced by High Contract inspired by the name of the film