Among tens of millions of killings in Second World War, one stood out for the spectacular way it was committed, as well as for its far-reaching consequences. This reflected in it becoming subject of numerous feature films, first two made even while the war was still going on. The event is subject of Operation Daybreak, 1975 historical docudrama directed by Lewis Gilbert.
The plot is based on Seven Men at Daybreak, book by British journalist Alan Burgess, which dealt with Operation Anthropoid – assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, Reichsprotektor of Bohemia-Moravia. The territory, occupied by Nazi Germany since 1939 carving-up of Czechoslovakia, became crucial for German war effort due to developed industry and highly skilled Czech labour force. Heydrich (played by Anton Diffring), known as the third highest ranking member of the SS, chief of Nazi security services and most likely successor of Adolf Hitler, has quickly developed reputation of extreme cruelty and earned nickname “Hangman” and “Butcher of Prague”. Czechoslovak government in exile decides to send symbolic message to Nazis by assassinating Heydrich and three former Czechoslovak soldiers are selected for the task – Sergeant Jan Kubiš (played by Timothy Bottoms), Sergeant Jozef Gabčík (played by Anthony Andrews) and Sergeant Karel Čurda (played by Martin Shaw). Three of them are parachuted into occupied Czechia by RAF plane and, despite landing in the wrong location, manage to contact local resistance groups that, somewhat reluctantly, agree to help them with their mission. After months of planning and preparations, Kubiš and Gabčík finally get their chance on May 27th 1942 and ambush Heydrich’s car on the Prague street. Not everything goes by the plan, but Heydrich is gravely wounded and succumbs to injuries few days later. As the assassins hide, Nazi authorities conduct massive hunt and begin with bloody reprisals against Czech civilians that would include infamous destruction of Lidice. All that is too much for one member of the group who decides to betray his comrades in exchange for money and his family’s safety.
Heydrich’s assassination was first depicted only a year after the event in Hollywood with two films - Hangmen Also Die and Hitler’s Madman - made for war propaganda purposes and with next to nothing concern for historic accuracy. In 1964 Communist Czeczhoslovakia produced first serious dramatic reconstruction in relatively unknown black-and-white film Atentát, which, despite having some of real life characters with changed names, enjoys reputation for good historic accuracy. Operation Daybreak, made nine years later as one of the first major co-production between US studio and East Bloc countries, is the first version made in colour. Resources, which include respectable British cast, authentic Czech locations and famous Barrandov studios, are mostly used well. Lewis Gilbert, best known as cinematographer and for his later work on James Bond series, is very good in directing action scenes, especially the spectacular gun battle at the end, which remains exciting despite its outcome being predictable. Operation Daybreak, however, suffers from not so inspiring soundtrack by David Hentschel, including the anachronistic use of synthesisers at the wrong places.
The greatest strength and weakness of Operation Daybreak is script by Ronald Harwood, author best known for “Oscar”-awarded work on similarly themed Pianist. This film has disappointing first half, where there is at times too much character exposition, misguided sentimentality and the obligatory romantic subplot between Kubiš and resistance activist Anna Malinová, played by Nicola Pagget with great zeal, looks like Hollywood convention despite actually being based on real life. Things become interesting only in second half, when the protagonists and their countrymen are subjected to bloody consequences of their act. This is where Operation Daybreak strays from simplistic view of WW2 and allows the audience, just like the character of resistance leader Janák (played by almost unrecognisable Joss Ackland) to ask some uncomfortable and heretical questions, including whether the Operation Antrophoid was worth it. While most people would agree that Heydrich, one of the most odious characters in history of Nazi Germany, founder of murderous Einsatzgruppen and architect of Final Solution, probably had it coming, the way the justice was delivered didn’t make major change in the grand scheme of things. Heydrich’s work was simply continued by his deputy Karl Frank (played in the film by Carl Duering), another Nazi war criminal, and the questions about the ultimate result of Operation Anthropoid are being asked to this day. But even those viewers who don’t have patience for complicated historical debates would probably appreciate Operation Daybreak and it could be said that Operation Anthropoid, simply by providing heroic characters worthy of number of films, served at least some purpose.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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