Counterpoint Reviews

One of those rare films in which Heston is not in a toga, a doublet, or spurs. He is the conductor of a large orchestra giving a concert in a small European town in the winter of 1944. The town is bombed, and the orchestra scurries for cover. Heston puts the musicians on a bus which is later stopped by German soldiers led by Diffring. The German take the musicians to a castle where he plans to kill them all, but their lives are saved by Schell, who reasons that a concert by Heston and his crew will be helpful to morale. Heston refuses at first, and Schell sits at the piano and plays a classical piece with no style whatsoever. Heston can't bear it, so he then plays the piece. Later, Schell continues to press Heston to perform, but the latter realizes that once the concert takes place, the game is over, and Schell just might agree to Diffring's suggestion that they all be machine-gunned. Two American soldiers are hiding among the orchestra members and are killed when they attempt to get away. Unable to stall any longer, Heston announces that the group will play for the Germans. Unknown to the musicians, a mass grave is dug. In the midst of the concert, a battle erupts. A few musicians are killed, and the others rush for the bus. Diffring is about to shoot the conductor when Schell unemotionally shoots Diffring. The picture ends with Heston having won the battle of wills and Schell philosophically looking forward to the end of the war. Surely the best thing about the movie was the classical music played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Selections from Schubert, Brahms, Beethoven, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky, with mood music by Bronsilaw Kaper, are what will be most remembered about this film. Oliansky, who coscripted this film, later wrote and directed the numbing THE COMPETITION. Selections from "Unfinished Symphony" (Schubert), "Swan Lake" (Tchaikovsky), "Tannhauser Overture" (Wagner), Symphony No.1 (Brahms), and Symphony No.5 (Beethoven) comprise the score.