Night Ambush

Original title: Ill Met by Moonlight

1957
Unrated
1h 33m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Mountain Adventure Action Adventure Drama History War

Led by British officers, partisans on Crete plan to kidnap the island's German commander and smuggle him to Cairo, Egypt to embarrass the occupiers.Led by British officers, partisans on Crete plan to kidnap the island's German commander and smuggle him to Cairo, Egypt to embarrass the occupiers.Led by British officers, partisans on Crete plan to kidnap the island's German commander and smuggle him to Cairo, Egypt to embarrass the occupiers.

Directors
- Michael Powell
- Emeric Pressburger
Writers
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

2.1K

YOUR RATING

Directors
- Michael Powell
- Emeric Pressburger
Writers
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos27

+ 21

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
According to Michael Powell's book, "Million Dollar Movie," composer Mikis Theodorakis considered it shameful that a story about Cretan resistance fighters would be told by anyone other than Cretans. He told Powell and Emeric Pressburger that they were both political interlopers, a label he also used in describing Sir Patrick Leigh-Fermor.

Goofs
While waiting to ambush the General's car, another vehicle is heard approaching. Elias listens, the pronounces that it is a Volkswagen. While Volkswagen GmbH was technically in existence at the time, the vehicle in question wouldn't have been called a Volkswagen---it was known as a Kubelwagen (bucket-car), while the better-known Beetle was a KDF-wagen.

Quotes
Maj. Patrick Leigh Fermor aka Philedem: Field Marshal Rommel won't be in Cairo but you will be!

Alternate versions
The UK version of the film, titled "Ill Met by Moonlight", is 11 minutes longer than the version originally released in American markets.

Connections
Featured in Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (2024)

User reviews29

Review

Featured review

Reason for the title

Yes , it does come from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

This is because when the operation occurred, the British operators went under the codenames of Oberon, Titania and Ariel for the radio traffic back to Cairo. See Xan Fielding's memoirs as well as Lawrence Durrell's recollections of Paddy Leigh Fermor in Bitter Lemons, his reminiscences of the British campaign against EOKA in Cyprus in the late 50s.

It's not that bad a movie as it absolutely avoids the mawkishness of a propaganda piece and has a semi-documentary feel to it. You must remember there was an entire SS division on the island against which the 5 Britons and about 800 partisans were ranged. It is not so much derring-do as in the vein of The Password is Courage, another excellent true - life drama of Bogarde's.