Counterpoint (1967)

Better Late Then Never

Blistering performances.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I'm sure that both Charlton Heston and Maximilian Schell took the roles they did in Counterpoint because they are intriguing figures. Sad to say the parts outweigh the value of the story as a whole. But fans of Heston and Schell are in for a treat.For those who think that USO shows at the front consisted of movie comedians like Bob Hope and leggy stars like Betty Grable you'd be surprised that it is true that a concert orchestra would be booked on a tour of the front. The problem is in Counterpoint that this particular symphony got too far at the front and the place they are playing in Belgium gets overrun by the Wehrmacht in The Battle Of The Bulge. The entire orchestra is taken prisoner.Adolph Hitler has ordered no prisoners be taken and the good Germans who obey orders unquestioningly are ready to just mow the orchestra down with machine gun fire. But the commanding general is a classical music lover and quite frankly Maximilian Schell would just love a private concert, maybe then shoot them. So Heston has to play for time.Heston is an arrogant sort, rather full of himself as a lot of maestros are. But in the end he's got the welfare of his people at heart. As for Schell he appreciates Heston and his artistry, but he is a soldier and like his character in The Young Lions knows that the German Army obeys orders, any orders. Funny thing is that even in those last days of World War II Hitler would have loved bagging a whole symphony orchestra like that and would have loved a private concert if anyone had the wit to see it.Heston and Schell so dominate the film that the supporting players barely get any recognition. The film is top heavy, but entertaining.

Only palatable for true Charlton Heston fans; his attempts at conducting the orchestra are painful to watch. Leslie Nielson is in his serious actor mode, being not so much wooden as cardboard. Maximillian Schell could have phoned in his performance, as it appears he sometimes did.A quaint story concerning this movie states that neither Heston nor Schell was particularly concerned with the project and the choice of final roles; rumor has it that the final decision was made by the toss of a coin as to which would be the conductor and which would be the Nazi. Viewing these performances one can see traits of both in each character.Spoiler Alert! A very picky error concerning the final scenes: the orchestra is heard playing Schubert's Unfinished Symphony and Brahms' First Symphony throughout the movie and before they escape the castle. As they are running out of the shelter of a trench during a bombing raid and into their bus, you can clearly see a tuba player dropping his instrument as he escapes; neither the Schubert nor Brahms pieces are scored for tuba.

Although this movie got bad reviews and, as another member commented, was "absurd", I enjoyed the movie and am sorry that it has never been released on VHS or DVD. I would sure like to get a copy. One never even sees it on television any more so it could be taped. I guess I'm just a sentimentalist at heart, but the idea of going through the motions of putting on a concert for the Nazis to delay the SS execution of the group appealed to me. And when that soldier (I forget who the actor was), pretending to be a member of the band, played "The Star Spangled Banner", I was brought to tears. If any member knows where I could get a copy of this movie on VHS or DVD, I would appreciate an email.

The very first movie I looked up when I stumbled on the IMDB was "Counterpoint." For years I had told people about this movie and how much of an impact it had on me, but no one had ever seen it -- some tried to convince me that I had imagined the whole thing! In their defense, it is a rather strange plot. I give this movie a substantial amount of the credit for beginning my appreciation for classical music. Unfortunately, you can only see it by purchasing it (I would presume). If the idea of a WWII/classical music/POW/intensely-driven-conductor movie sounds stupid, it probably isn't worth the price. If it sounds like it's right up your alley -- you shouldn't be disappointed.