The Fifth Day of Peace
{{Short description|1970 Italo-Yugoslavian film}}
{{no footnotes|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Fifth Day of Peace
| image = 5th day of peace DVD cover.jpg
| caption = English version DVD cover
| director = Giuliano Montaldo
| writer = Andrea Barbato
Lucio Battistrada
Ottavio Jemma
Giuliano Montaldo
| starring = Richard Johnson
Franco Nero
Larry Aubrey
Helmuth Schneider
| music = Ennio Morricone
| studio = Clesi Cinematografica
Jadran Film
| distributor = USA Scotia International
France Les Films Jacques Leitienne
| released = {{Film date|1970|04|17|df=y}}
| runtime = English 103 minutes
Italian 110 minutes
| country = Italy
Yugoslavia
| language = English
French
German
Italian
}}
The Fifth day of Peace, Italian title: Gott mit uns (written in German), is an Italo-Yugoslavian war film from 1970 about the 13 May 1945 German deserter execution in a Canadian-run POW camp in Amsterdam.
Plot
Two German deserters, Kriegsmarine Ensign Bruno Grauber and Army Corporal Reiner Schultz are captured by the Canadian Army at the end of World War II. They are interned in a Canadian-run POW camp where the senior German officer, Colonel Von Bleicher, is a career officer. Their fellow German prisoners of war, led by Von Bleicher, discover that they are deserters. They are put through a formal military court martial organised by Von Bleicher and charged with cowardice. They are sentenced to death and are to be executed on the "fifth day of peace". Von Bleicher pressures the Canadian camp commandant to allow the execution to be carried out and requests rifles and ammunition to carry out the sentence.
A Canadian general, Snow, persuades (but does not order) the Canadian camp commandant, Captain Miller, to allow the execution to be carried out for the higher purpose of preserving military discipline. He also motivates Miller with a promotion to major.
This movie is based on the true story of two Kriegsmarine sailors, leading seaman Bruno Dorfer and machinist's mate Rainer Beck, both executed for desertion on 13 May 1945, after being found guilty of cowardice by fellow POWs. The sentence was carried out by German POWs who were under Canadian command.
Cast
- Richard Johnson as Capt. John Miller
- Franco Nero as Ens. Bruno Grauber
- Larry Aubrey as Cpl. Reiner Schultz
- Helmuth Schneider as Col. von Bleicher (as Helmut Schneider)
- Bud Spencer as Cpl. Jelinek
- Michael Goodliffe as Gen. Snow
- Relja Bašić as Lt. George Romney
- T. P. McKenna as Nick
- Graham Armitage as Mark
- Emilio Delle Piane as Gleason
- Enrico Osterman as Trevor
- Renato Romano as Canadian Doctor
- Sven Lasta as Capt. Bosch
- Demeter Bitenc Major Brandt
- Oswaldo Ruggeri as Capt. Warner
External links
- {{IMDb title|0064386|The Fifth Day of Peace}}
- [http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=cmh "Victims of Circumstance: The Execution of German Deserters by Surrendered German Troops Under Canadian Control in Amsterdam, May 1945 by Chris Madsen"]
{{Giuliano Montaldo}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fifth Day of Peace}}
Category:1970s Italian-language films
Category:English-language Italian films
Category:English-language Yugoslav films
Category:Films about capital punishment
Category:Films about deserters
Category:Films about miscarriage of justice
Category:Films directed by Giuliano Montaldo
Category:Films scored by Ennio Morricone
Category:World War II films based on actual events
Category:World War II prisoner of war films
Category:Yugoslav World War II films
Category:Italian World War II films
Category:Italian war drama films
Category:Yugoslav war drama films
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