Operation: Daybreak (1975)

Interesting facts

• Filmed in: Czech Republic

Operation Daybreak is a 1975 war film based on the true story of Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of SS general Reinhard Heydrich in Prague. Starring Anthony Andrews, Timothy Bottoms and Martin Shaw, the film was directed by Lewis Gilbert and shot mostly on location in Prague. It is adapted from the book Seven Men at Daybreak by Alan Burgess.

Production

The screen rights to the novel Seven Men at Daybreak by Alan Burgess were acquired by Warner Bros. Pictures in mid-1973. Filming on the wartime-action movie based on the book, itself based on a factual story, was announced to be starting in November 1974 with screenplay by Ronald Harwood, and based on the factual events of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. The film was produced by Carter Dehaven and directed by Lewis Gilbert.

In November 1974, Timothy Bottoms signed to star in the film. To prepare for the role of Kubiš, leader of the group and eventual hero who does the killing, Bottoms spent three months on location in Czechoslovakia. The casting of Anthony Andrews, Martin Shaw, and Nicola Pagett, all of whom had acting experience at London's West End theatre, was announced in December 1974.

Anton Diffring was cast as Heydrich and was familiar to viewers for his frequent performances as Nazi officers in war films in the 1950s and 1960s. Diffring was in his mid-50s when he assumed the role, despite Heydrich being 38 when he was killed.

In January 1975, Gilbert announced that the actor chosen to play Adolf Hitler had to be replaced, as the original actor turned out to be too small for the role. Calls were made to Gunnar Möller and George Sewell, the latter of whom went on to play Heinz Pannwitz.

The size of the cast, which included actors of German, French, Finnish and Czech origin, was around 3,000.

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