Victory at Entebbe (1976 TV Movie) User Reviews

Okay.

[iloveperth · 5/10 · 9 August 2005]

After viewing both versions of the Entebbe rescue (the Encore Drama channel is showing both of them this month), I have to definitely say that this is the weaker of the two. While the true story is exciting and excellent, the bargain basement sets (most of this movie looks as though it were being filmed in an abandoned high school!), melodramatic overacting (Linda Blair and Liz Taylor I'm looking at you) and terrible Nazi caricatures really take away from the wonderful rescue story at hand. This is basically a soap opera, Hollywood version of a true story.

I'm sorry, but when Linda Blair walked around with that damn box of chocolates, I was ready to beat her up myself. If you want a great account of the Entebbe rescue, I'd highly recommend 'Raid on Entebbe' instead.

Under Cover Of Darkness

[virek213 · 7/10 · 9 February 2002]

It is not surprising that something as utterly dramatic and swift as Israel's lightning raid at Entebbe against a planeload of Palestinian hijackers holding over one hundred of their own should make for a movie. Instead, however, there were three, of which this is the first.

This made-for-TV movie, which somehow bought together an all-star cast and was shot, edited, and aired within a mere five months of the Entebbe event, which happened under cover of darkness on July 4, 1976, shows some of the faults of being shot largely in a studio and on videotape (later transferred to film). But what we get, thanks to veteran TV director Marvin Chomsky and writer Ernest Kinoy, is a rather good account of perhaps the most dramatic anti-terrorist raid the world has ever seen. Burt Lancaster and Anthony Hopkins are matchless as Israeli leaders Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, with Richard Dreyfuss contribuing his usual best as Colonel Yonni Netanyahu, the only casualty the Israeli military suffered during the raid.

The cast also includes Kirk Douglas, Linda Blair, Elizabeth Taylor, Helen Hayes, Christian Marquand (as the Air France pilot), and Harris Yulin, among others. The only performance that seems full of ham to me is Julius Harris' as the ultra-notorious Ugandan president Idi Amin; it is so over the top (though perhaps that is a bit harsh, as the real Amin was far, far worse).

This is a somewhat imperfect version of the story, but nevertheless worth the 7-out-of-10 rating it gets from me.

Star Power

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 20 June 2008]

Two films came out in the wake of the successful Israeli rescue of a lot of Jewish passengers on an Air France flight that was hijacked to the Ugandan capital of Entebbe that year. This one, Victory at Entebbe, had a lot more star power to it if you look at the cast list.

The Seventies began the years of terrorism starting with the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. For reasons I can't explain, the left took up the cause of the Arabs and of Islam, societies which wouldn't let them operate, no way, no how. Maybe it's psychological or pathological, it sure ain't rational.

The group that took the Air France passengers hostage were Germans, members of the Bader-Meinhoff gang which was a militant German leftist crowd. The idea these folks had was to trade their lives for the lives of Arab terrorists in Israeli and other western power's jails. To do they had the tacit cooperation of another loon who ran a country for a while, Idi Amin Dada of Uganda.

All you need to know about that one you can see in Forest Whitaker's portrayal in The Last King of Scotland. Here though is the Idi Amin played by Julius Harris whose antics nauseated the civilized world. It's the Idi Amin I remember from the news.

Anthony Hopkins plays Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who ironically would fall victim to extreme Judaism some 20 years later. This was his first time as Prime Minister and he's ably assisted by Burt Lancaster as Shimon Peres as Defense Minister. These two guys must have been flattered all to heck because they sure don't look like Hopkins and Lancaster.

Working on a five day deadline the terrorists imposed, the Israeli military crafted a rescue that stunned and delighted the civilized world. 103 innocent Jewish lives were rescued from barbarism and death, there was no meek resignation in that generation of Jews.

This film technically speaking was the fourth Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas joint project. They have no scenes together. Douglas and his wife played by Elizabeth Taylor play the parents of Linda Blair who is one of the passengers on the plane and who are part of a small group representing the families of the hostages meeting with Hopkins.

One of the stories that got world attention was the murder of Dora Bloch played by Helen Hayes here. She was taken ill and removed to a Ugandan hospital and she was killed by the Ugandans in retaliation for the Israeli rescuers killing Ugandan troops who were protecting the terrorists.

The best one I thought in the cast was Bibi Besch who played the only female among the terrorists. She looked every inch the part of a German whose antecedents were no doubt proud Hitler youth members. She practically is salivating when the Jews are separated out from the rest of the passengers for what she knows will be annihilation.

Victory At Entebbe should be required viewing for anyone who has romantic notions about the nature of terror and the need for a state of Israel.

Victory at Entebbe

[H_Kivel · 14 August 2003]

While I substantially agree with the review by John Barnes, I also believe the film has one or two positive qualities which he neglected to mention. Yes, Mr. Barnes, Victory at Entebbe is a poor quality, third-rate, and hastily-prepared film. But it is NOT worthless.

It was a 1976 attempt to portray a 1976 historical event for a 1976 television audience. That alone lends it a certain historical authenticity. So many films with much higher budgets seem far less genuine simply because they attempt to portray historical events 20, 30, 40+ years after the fact.

Although I did read the book 90 Minutes at Entebbe a number of years ago, I cannot necessarily vouch for the film's complete historical accuracy. However--with the notable exception of the unruly hostages being shot by the commandos--the film appears to be an honest attempt to accurately portray the event.

Nevertheless, due to the film's poor quality, I recommend it only for those who either already have a special interest in the Entebbe raid, or would like to learn about the Entebbe raid. The film actually has more educational than entertainment value.

Better Than "Raid on Entebbe"

[pfarnell · 7/10 · 3 August 2009]

Its difficult to dispute some or most of the obvious criticisms of this film, that it was made hastily ( for a reason, both 1976 films on the subject were) that it has 2-bit sets, as it would tend to, another thing I find which gives it an odd feel is the lack of score/soundtrack, it has a stage play look....what I find puzzling is that it is found to be far inferior to its rival in any way, which has most of the same faults -and more besides..."Raid has the charisma and presence of action-man Charles Bronson , c'mon, YOU have the late Chuckster in charge of rescuing you from Arabs, Germans and crazy Ugandan dictators if you are ever in that position, you know you want him to-(if the real Israeli government had had Bronson they could have dispensed with the Golani brigade and Paras, C130s and recoilless gun-jeeps and just sent in Chuck with his pump-gun and melon truck to house-fight the terrorists out of existence) But this film despite its TV look is a far better, more exciting, more involving, more colourful script than "Raid..Richard Dreyfuss is pretty matter-of-fact Jewish charismatic and some sort of substitute for Bronson and Woods.I think the criticism of the actor playing Amin is pretty unfair, that his antics were over the top, of course the real Amin was in no way over the top, was he? It may be played a little even-voiced, precise and shrewd sounding by Julius, but I would call it a professional job still, bear in mind in 1976 the outside world had not seen as much of the real Amin as it had later.I can tell you that there was total silence in the cinema as Julius/Amin spoke back in 1977. A good sign.The assault on the airport terminal is VERY exciting and realistic in its muzzle-flashing ruthless flesh-spattering gore,the shock sudden loss of Yoni to a Ugandan sniper's bullet, after the commandos have taken control , is shock and matter-of-fact heroic ...the role of the black Mercedes limo is explained and its ominous silent tarantula-like approach to the terminal is tense, as the commandos leap out blazing at the first of the terrorists lounging outside(yes, they did a number on that blonde Nazi bitch).People really seem to have it in for Linda Blair and her chocolates-it seems nitpicking and perhaps the chocolates reflect something that really occurred on the flight.Jeez, they were Kosha chocolates after all, as she said, but everyone wants to exorcise poor Linda and her sweets. There is the inevitable humanitarian armchair-expert attack on the 'bloodthirsty" Israeli soldiers who cut down 1 or 2 of their own people , after warnings to stay down-hilarious that this time, Israeli soldiers are dubbed monsters for killing their own people instead of the usual innocent Muslim terrorists these days. The humanization of one of the German captors is criticised-but this features even more in the films rival with Horst Bucholz.Perhaps this person actually was a little like this, or just seemed more decent compared to the German woman.If all the terrorists were shown brutal hateful & dehumanised, then the critics would rag on that.

This film is the better more entertaining better-written more involving of the first two. Apparently the later Operation Thunderbolt eclipses both.Good for it.

One of the biggest collection of Oscar winners in film history.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 3 July 2023]

LA Liz, Burt, the first lady of the American theater, a future legend and the hammy actor who upset a goodbye girl. Plus one legend who never won a competitive award and a child actress spitting up chocolates rather than pea soup. This is just one of several films about the Entebe hostage crisis, but not as good as the one which came out a year later and whuch has been declared to be the definitive version. As the president of Israel, Anthony Hopkins seems far too young, a detail made much more obvious as most of his scenes are with Burt Lancaster. With her character's name changed from Dora Bloch to a fictional one, Helen Hayes has two ironic details about her appearance in this film. Once again, she's a little old lady on an airplane, and she had worked earlier with Sylvia Sidney who won great acclaim for playing Dora in "Raid on Entebe". Hayes has to really stretch belief as a Jewish matron, and fortunately, she never tries to he overly cute.

The well meaning young girl played by Linda Blair who thinks that she's Forrest Gump with her box of chocolates is unintentionally funny, seems to be one of the most remember elements of this film, like something out of "Airplane!". Elizabeth Taylor has a small role with a few scenes as Kirk Douglas's wife, and she gets generic billing. But it's distracting to see her with the feeling that she doesn't belong here. Theodore Bikel, as a Belgian Jew makes it clear that he doesn't want to die along with Israeli Jews, and while it indicates a bit of cowardice, the audience really can't blame him. Jessica Walter, David Groh and Richard Dreyfeuss are other familiar faces. One scene has a group of hostages put in danger by an arrogant one who keeps trying to goad them into attacking the terrorists. Helmet Berger shows his fear as one of them, but Bibi Besch is truly nasty as the one female terrorist whose beautiful face hides a bitterly ugly soul. As Idi Amin, Julius Harris is a big garbage, gregarious but deadly, and majorly over the top. Enjoyable but not as good as "Raid".

If you like Soap Operas, this is the version to watch.

[dennisg-6 · 3/10 · 16 February 2010]

This is the Soap Opera version of the Raid on Entebbe.

About half of this movie is poorly written, a real shame. I couldn't believe that this all-star cast would sign up to make a movie of this low caliber.

I have watched all 3 Entebbe movies. As others have commented, the "Raid on Entebbe" is strongly on point for the story at hand (the rescue of 101 Israelis held by terrorists).

"Operation Thunderbolt" is also on-point, and has many of the actual players playing themselves, but it is largely unfocused.

So, for the people who want to get lost in the background, "Victory" is the pick. I wish they could have taken this cast, and had them perform the Raid on Entebbe script ... it would be incredible.

Great story, bad movie

[Sulaco72 · 3/10 · 28 July 2005]

This is a bad movie. The real story of the Entebbe rescue was much more exciting and interesting than this. Everything about the movie, apart from the star-studded cast, screams low-budget. But even the stars can't save this movie: Kirk Douglas and Liz Taylor overact horribly. So does the guy who plays Idi Amin, but I suspect Amin was even worse in real life so I'll cut him some slack. Anthony Hopkins and Richard Dreyfuss perform well, though. The woman who plays the female German terrorist is a caricature of a Nazi. The characterization is paper-thin, though that is perhaps understandable given the number of characters. A lot of the dialogue is awful, a part near the beginning where Linda Blair is having an insipid conversation with her new beaux actually made me laugh out loud. The effort to humanize the male German terrorist was silly and pointless. I haven't seen the other two movies about Entebbe, but don't watch this one. Read a book about it instead.

They should have stayed down! excellent film

[mombasa_pete · 10/10 · 7 January 2007]

I disagree.

I have seen all 3 films of this incident, all have merits.

This is the only one to truly show the bloodiness of the final shootout.

We really see people getting riddled with bullets and blood all over the place, the other 2 shy away from this.

As to the other matter, the Israelis shooting down hostages. well I have also read the book, and in reality, some hostages were caught in the crossfire and killed. They disobeyed directions and stood up.

This was not the fault of the Israeli soldiers, it was the stupidity of the hostages to not listen and obey.

In a counter-terrorist operation like this it is inevitable there will be casualties.

This is the calculated risk.

just because viewers mired on the unrealistic world of Hollywood dross where the good guys always give the bad guy a chance to draw his gun first, and never miss a shot, may not like it, it actually did happen and will happen.

This is the real world: sometimes innocent civilians who don't do as they are told in a counter terrorist situation will be killed, by either side.

They should have stayed down.

Famous event about flight from Tel-Aviv to Paris via Athens was hijacked and forced to land in Entebbe with very good cast

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 24 October 2014]

This is one of 3 American/Jewish productions based on the notorious happening . Passable though a little boring dramatization based on a true story about a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces . An Air France flight is hijacked by the PFLP and German terrorists (Helmut Berger , Bibi Besch) the plane has about 100 Jewish passengers. This is the true as well as exciting story of a daring Israeli commando assault on the Entebbe Airport in Uganda to free hostages of a terrorist hijacking . The plane is grounded in Uganda but Israelis would not negotiate . Crew and passengers were kidnapped by dictator Idia Amin (this version Julius Harris plays Ugandan dictator Idi Amin) . The Jewish passengers were separated and held hostage in demand to release many terrorists held in Israeli prisons . The movie then shows how less than 500 soldiers (led by Colonel Yonatan 'Yonni' Netanyahu : Richard Dreyfuss ,he was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, the future Israeli prime minister) actually flew so far and rescued the passengers in one of the most successful Military operations in history. The implacable operation is executed by expert Israeli commandos , they carry out the rescue of passengers held hostage by terrorist at Uganda's Entebbe Airport in 1976 . The world watched , The world waited , and then the world cheered . The film is based on the true facts and follows the events since the flight's takeoff and until the hostages' return to Israel.

A compelling but slow-moving actioner all the more gripping because true . It is packed with thrills , drama , suspense and nice interpretations . The commander of the Israeli paratroopers, Lt Col Yonatan Netanyahu was the only member of the platoon to die during the actual raid when he was struck in the back by a sniper's bullet. All main star cast gives passable acting as well as support cast , such as : Helen Hayes , Elizabeth Taylor , Theodore Bikel , Anthony Hopkins , Linda Blair , Christian Marquand , Jessica Walter , Harris Yulin and Bibi Besch . Brief appearance by two great actors Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster as Shimon Peres . This is sixth of seven films that Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster made together . Special mention to actor Julius W Harris , he is awesome though overacting , he plays Ugandan President Idi Amin . Actor Godfrey Cambridge was selected to the play the role of General Idi Amin Dada, but died on the set from a heart attack early in the filming , then Julius took over the part , in the other production, "Raid on Entebbe (1977)," Yaphet Kotto plays Idi Amin. Both these actors played the Villains in the James Bond film "Live and Let Die (1973)" , Kotto the head villain and Harris his henchman . The motion picture was professionally directed by Marvin Chomsky (Holocaust)but in TV style . This is one of 3 American/Jewish productions based on the known deeds . The shows aired on American TV less than a month apart. It was in production at about the same time as Raid on Entebbe (1976) , another TV production about the same incident filmed by Irvin Kershner with Charles Bronson , Yaphet Kotto , Martin Balsam , Horst Buchholz , John Saxon , Jack Warden and Sylvia Sidney . Furthermore , Jewish production titled ¨Operation Thunderbolt¨ by Menahem Golan with Assaf Dayan , Klaus Kinski and Sybil Danning .

The picture is well based on real events , they are the followings : Operation Entebbe was a mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (I(IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked, by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the German Revolutionary Cells, and flown to Entebbe, the main airport of Uganda. The local government supported the hijackers and dictator Idi Amin personally welcomed them. The hijackers separated the Israelis and Jews from the larger group and forced them into another room. That afternoon, 47 non-Israeli hostages were released. The next day, 101 more non-Israeli hostages were allowed to leave on board an Air France aircraft. More than 100 Israeli and Jewish passengers, along with the non-Jewish pilot Captain Bacos, remained as hostages and were threatened with death .The IDF acted on intelligence provided by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad . This threat led to the planning of the rescue operation. These plans included preparation for armed resistance from Ugandan military troops.The operation took place at night. Israeli transport planes carried 100 commandos over 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to Uganda for the rescue operation. The operation, which took a week of planning, lasted 90 minutes. 102 hostages were rescued. Five Israeli commandos were wounded and one, the unit commander, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, was killed. All the hijackers, three hostages and 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed, and thirty Soviet-built MiG-17s and MiG-21s of Uganda's air force were destroyed. Kenyan sources supported Israel, and in the aftermath of the operation Idi Amin issued orders to retaliate and slaughter several hundred Kenyans present in Uganda. Operation Entebbe, which had the military codename Operation Thunderbolt, is sometimes referred to retroactively as Operation Jonathan in memory of the unit's leader, Yonatan Netanyahu. He was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel. The narrator of the film states at the end of the film that it's unknown what happened to Dora Bloch -played by Sylvia Sidney-, who had been taken to the hospital. It was later learned that she was murdered in Kampala. Her remains were found outside of Kampala in 1979 and were flown to Israel for burial.

Not the best account of the incident but worth watching.

[yenlo · 9 April 2002]

If one is a history buff and enjoys reading about and viewing films made about historic events then they will read and view everything they can find on the subject. This film is an account of the Israeli commando rescue of Jewish hostages who were hi-jacked in July of 1976 and flown to Idi Amins Uganda. While this film which boasted an all star cast is clearly inferior to the one which came out a year later and starred Peter Finch and Charles Bronson it still makes for good viewing. It also makes one wonder with the talented cast had more time and perhaps more money been spent on making this version it might have been the best of the lot.

The terrors inflicted by Idi Amin would make an exceptional movie...but not the one here

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 15 March 2009]

In late June 1976, Air France flight 139--which had some 240 passengers on-board traveling from Athens to Paris--was hijacked by armed Arab terrorists who re-routed the plane to Entebbe, Uganda. All-star political adventure, filmed inexplicably on videotape (later transferred, with poor results, to film), was shown on ABC-TV just a few months ahead of NBC's version of the story, "Raid on Entebbe"; it was a rush job to beat the clock, and it shows. The harrowing facts of the ordeal have a tough time making an impact here, what with Ernest Kinoy's teleplay whipped up on the spot and Julius Harris stepping in for Godfrey Cambridge at the eleventh hour as dictator Idi Amin. The casting is certainly interesting; these stars must have had a vested interest in the proceedings and felt a great need to be a part of the experience, even if three-dimensional roles weren't exactly waiting for them (Kirk Douglas and Elizabeth Taylor, in particular, are poorly used). Some suspense and excitement near the finale, but it's long and talky when it should have been a gripping docu-drama.

Why was Gene Ruyman not listed in cast

[sharyclancy · 10/10 · 1 May 2019]

My step father Gene (Eugene) Ruyman is the handsome man with the white goatee never mentioned. He is on the cover of the film with his good friend Burt Lancaster.

Made for TV and sorry to say badly.

[captainglen1-532-551014 · 17 November 2012]

What I am writing is intended for those considering purchasing this movie on DVD from Warner Archive. Do not mistake this movie for Raid On Entebbe which is a first class film. A first class cast deliver poor performances down to the last man woman and child. Although not annoying there certain scene changes with gaps intended for placement of commercials. a The plot is slow to develop and tends to drag painfully. Filmed in academy aperture on either poor film stock or the print is bad. There are frequent focus errors and audible camera noise. There are numerous technical and historical errors including piston engine sound for the turboprop C-130s. As digitized by Warner Archive has shutter type sound track partially visible to the right of the picture.

Other versions are better, but see them all

[enoent · 9 October 2005]

This and "Raid on Entebbe" were American all-star takes on the Entebbe rescue. The definitive movie is "Operation Thunderbolt" (in IMDb under its Hebrew name, "Mivtsa Yonatan"). It was the only one made with the cooperation of the Israeli government, and has Israelis in all the Israeli roles.

For movie buffs, though, it's fun spotting well-known actors (like Burt Lancaster) here and in "Raid" whose Judaism was downplayed or concealed by the studios earlier in their careers.

For Star Trek fans, Theodore Bikel (Worf's father) has a major role and Bibi Besch (Dr. Carol Marcus in Star Trek II) appears in passing.

Victory at Entebbe Meets Defeat on the Small Screen.

[Piper12 · 12 May 2000]

The bargain-basement production values that mark this quickie shoot-em-up, filmed and released literally months after the dramatic Israeli commando raid, would be enough to consign this turkey to the dustbin of TV history. But it gets worse. The audience can play spot-the-star as Hollywood legends Liz Taylor, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Helen Hayes etc., turn in embarrassing cameos. Unintentional hilarity is the only possible response to the scene in which Linda Blair offers a box of chocolates to the flight crew and the terrorists holding them at gunpoint. Mirth gives way to anger, however, when the film depicts unruly hostages being deliberately shot down by Israeli soldiers during the rescue scene! With rescuers like these, who needs hijackers? "Raid on Entebbe," which came out a year later with Charles Bronson, is much the superior account of this operation.