MovieChat Forums > Operation: Daybreak (1976) Discussion > Late Change of Title?

Late Change of Title?

posted 8 years ago by john-p
1 reply | jump to latest

I was watching this again last night - it's been a favourite of mine for years - and I'm wondering if it underwent a last-minute change of title. Obviously the actual mission was known as Operation Anthropoid, and I was struck by the way the camera cuts away from the General (Nigel Stock) just as he's about to name the mission, with "...Daybreak" heard in voice-over. In fact, you may wonder if he was just beginning to mouth a word beginning with A rather than D.

The script also stresses the fact that the team are planning to escape from Prague "at daybreak", when people might more naturally say "at dawn". So I'm wondering if the film was originally going to be called Seven Men at Daybreak after the book it's based on, only to be given a snappier title in post-production...?

[–] rabbitmoon 7 years ago

I think you're absolutely right. I noticed that shift too as "Daybreak" is said.

My only guess is that the makers somehow thought Operation Daybreak sounded like a more accessible crowd-pleasing title rather than Operation Anthropoid which sounds more weird and unusual. And yes, the word "daybreak" then does feel forced in to justify this (a bit like how in Taken, every time the word kidnap would ordinarily be used they say "taken" instead :)

Would be interesting to know how and why though.