Cinema: The Long Day's Dying

This day in the life and death of three British paratroopers and their German prisoner is full of grime, gore, suspense and pretension. John (David Hemmings), Tom (Tom Bell) and Cliff (Tony Beckley) are holed up in a war-scarred country house in a European battle zone, waiting for their sergeant. They kid and bicker, establishing basic character traits (educated John, taciturn Tom, sadistic Cliff). They set out some booby traps, kill some Germans and capture one called Helmut (Alan Dobie). With Helmut in tow, they try to make their way back to their own lines, killing and being killed along the...

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