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Counterpoint (1967)

Counterpoint (1967), directed by Ralph Nelson, starring Charlton Heston and Maximilian Schell.

12/22/1967 BR Drama, Thriller and War 1h 46m

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For every move... a counter move - for every attack... a counter attack!

Synopsis

In December of 1944, Lionel Evans, an internationally renowned American conductor, is on a USO tour with his 70-piece symphony orchestra in newly-liberated Belgium. While fleeing from a German counterattack, Evans and his orchestra members are captured by a Panzer division and taken to an old chateau in Luxembourg. Despite orders to execute every prisoner, General Schiller, an avid music lover, commands Evans to give a private concert for him.

  • Russell MettyCinematography
  • Ralph NelsonDirector
  • Howard EpsteinEditing
  • Richard BergProducer

About the film

Counterpoint is a 1968 war film starring Charlton Heston, Maximilian Schell, Kathryn Hays and Leslie Nielsen. It is based on the novel The General by Alan Sillitoe. In the United States the film was released as a double feature with Sergeant Ryker, a 1963 television film starring Lee Marvin.

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Counterpoint is a 1968 war film starring Charlton Heston, Maximilian Schell, Kathryn Hays and Leslie Nielsen. It is based on the novel The General by Alan Sillitoe. In the United States the film was released as a double feature with Sergeant Ryker, a 1963 television film starring Lee Marvin.

Plot

Lionel Evans is the director of a well-respected symphony orchestra touring European concert halls in Belgium in December 1944 in World War II. In the midst of one concert, the city where they are playing is attacked by German troops, and when Evans and his musicians try to escape, they are captured by Nazi soldiers led by Col. Arndt. Evans and the orchestra are taken to a castle where they are to bide their time before being executed; but it turns out that Arndt's superior, Gen. Schiller, is a big classical music fan. Schiller commands Evans and his symphony to prepare a special concert for the Nazis, but Evans realizes that the moment the concert is over, he and his musicians will be killed.

Cast

Production

Filmed at Universal Studios including a set built for the 1923 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the film began shooting on 21 November 1966 and concluded 24 January 1967. Two days were removed from the production schedule and the script was rewritten without consulting the director Ralph Nelson.

Music

The orchestra's performances, which include works by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, and Schubert, were performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

Critical response

Writing in The New York Times, critic Vincent Canby speculated that the film was "manufactured on the company's back lot to give Universal City tourists something to gawk at," and described it as "an aggressively unbelievable melodrama" and an "anachronism." Film critic Roger Ebert described the film as having a "perverse charm and a lot of good classical music" and "atmosphere," but also reported that it had a "preposterous story" and "if only they had said the hell with it and made a Gothic horror movie they would have had something." A review of the film in TV Guide noted it was "one of those rare films in which Heston is not in a toga, a doublet, or spurs," and that "the best thing about the movie was the classical music [which is] what will be most remembered about this film."

References

External links

Counterpoint at IMDb

Counterpoint at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

Counterpoint at the TCM Movie Database (archived)

Counterpoint at Letterboxd

Text from Counterpoint (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpoint_(film)

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  • Belgium

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What is Counterpoint about?

Counterpoint: In December of 1944, Lionel Evans, an internationally renowned American conductor, is on a USO tour with his 70-piece symphony orchestra in newly-liberated Belgium. While fleeing from a German counterattack, Evans and his orchestra members are captured by a Panzer division and taken to an old chateau in Luxembourg. De…

Who directed Counterpoint?

Counterpoint was directed by Ralph Nelson in 1967.

Who stars in Counterpoint?

The cast of Counterpoint includes Charlton Heston, Maximilian Schell, Kathryn Hays, Leslie Nielsen and Anton Diffring.

How long is Counterpoint?

Counterpoint runs for 106 minutes, or 1h46.

Where can I watch Counterpoint?

Counterpoint is available on Looke and Looke Amazon Channel. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.

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Page updated on 09/12/2026.

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Scene from Counterpoint