While not a well-known film about World War II, "Operation Daybreak" is a well-made movie about an historical event that shook the Nazis. For, up until the May 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the Germans had seemed invincible to themselves and to much of the world. This film shows the Czech underground and resistance, little known to that time. For that alone, it is an important film for any WW II collection. It also shows the brutal German retaliation in its slaughter of civilians. And it shows questionable judgment about one of the men chosen by the British for a companion mission who betrays his fellow Czechs, and the consequences of his treason. This film is a joint Czech-American production. It's based on a 1966 book by Alan Burgess, a former RAF Pilot who became a prominent biographical author. "Seven Men at Daybreak" tells the story about the British Operation Anthropoid, that was planned and carried out to assassinate Heydrich. The movie was filmed in Prague, Czech Republic in 1975. I didn't see it or remember it from around its release date and only came across it in recent years. It apparently didn't have much notice when it was released – at least in the U.S. That may have been due as much to the times as anything else. By 1975, World War II was three decades past and the wave of serious films about the war had run its course. And, well before then, a splashy, fictional wave of dark comedy war films had had its run ("The Dirty Dozen" in 1967 and "Kelly's Heroes" in 1970 among the better known). Finally, the Vietnam War had just ended in 1974, and the public was tired of war. Only occasional war films would be made after that – a few about Vietnam and some yet about WW II. Most of those would be about resistance in various countries, the Holocaust, or special operations that had not been made public during the war. Then there's the question about how widely Warner Brothers distributed this film in the U.S. For whatever reasons that it's not well known, "Operation Daybreak" (aka, "The Price of Freedom" in the U.S.), is a superb WW II movie. It is based on a true story, and gives a fine depiction of the Czech underground and resistance to Nazi Germany. Other reviewers note some distinctions between the factual details and the movie. But overall, this is a marvelous portrayal of the British special operations mission, "Anthropoid." Reinhard Heydrich, aka the Butcher of Prague, was the second most powerful henchmen in the Nazi regime, right below Himmler. He was the planner of the Third Reich's Final Solution, and the chief overseer of the Holocaust to that time.The operation was planned by Czech intelligence services in exile with the British Special Operations Executive. It was carried out by trained Czech paratroopers who jumped into their homeland on Dec. 28, 1941. The two principals of the operation were Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis. Kubis was a late replacement for Karel Svoboda who had suffered a head injury in training. One of seven others sent along for other missions, Karel Curda, turned traitor for one million Reichsmarks. He revealed the Czech collaborators who were rounded up and executed, and through whom the Nazis found the hiding place of the assassins. The movie has Curda staying with his wife and child in a rural area. He supposedly wanted to protect them. As the movie credits report at the end, he was hanged for treason in 1947. As the movie shows, more than 500 people from two towns were shot or sent to concentration camps where they were killed. The towns of Lidice and Lezaky were burned to the ground, and Lidice was then razed. The bishop and priests of the Orthodox Cathedral where the Czechs hid were all killed, and all the civilians who had hid the men were rounded up and killed – some in concentration camps. Several memorials today pay tribute to the people, the towns and the heroes who gave their lives. The entire cast of this film is superb. Timothy Bottoms is Jan Kubis, Anthony Andrews is Jozef Gabcik, Anton Diffring is Reinhard Heydrich, Martin Shaw is Karel Curda, and Nicola Pagett is Anna. This is a great movie.

Operation Daybreak is the World War II movie which adopted from the actual Operation Anthropoid ,occurred in 1942, and some parts are from the novel "Seven Men at Daybreak". It's very interesting that this movie filmed use more than 80% of actual event as the screenplay and many things looked very realistic.I think this movie has 2 parts. First is the thrilling for every viewer in the SOE's mission to kill General Reinhard Heydrick. (SOE is the British's Secret Service Organization before they changed to MI6) Everyone can see Heydrick's notoriously action which made him "the Butcher of Plague" before his assassination. This part can make everyone think about the operation and could judge about what Heydrick's deserved. Another part is about the tragedy that occurred until the end of the movie.In my opinion, Operation Daybreak is the very interesting film which everyone who likes in history should see. The most part of the film is inspired by actual story even it is not the documentary. Nevertheless, due to it's not completely "hero" film, everyone should understand the crew and the circumstance during World War II in order to understand this movie.At last, if you like history, this is one of your choices, but don't hope too much about "the beautiful way of the film".

I watched this film on television when I was just in secondary school and I can still remember the impact of this film on me.This should be one of the most underrated war movies of all times.Briefly summarized this is about a trio of paratroopers and a resistance group that attempted the assassination of Hitler's henchman, Heydrich.This was a fast moving plot with credible acting and the action was few but still exciting to watch when it occurs. At first some of the scenes may appear incredible especially on the fateful day of the assassination but I was thrilled when I discovered that it was actually based on a true story.This film did not have the grandeur scope of The Longest Day or A Bridge Too Far. It was just lean and mean.Right from the opening credits with the thrilling music score, the film grabs you and never lets you go till the very end. I dare say, I have never enjoyed a war movie this much.Its still a shock to me that this incredible movie has not enjoyed the limelight like such other war classics such as Saving Private Ryan.

Yes the music does date the film (were ARP synthesisers ever a good thing) but does that matter? No!! Some poetic licence is taken with the facts (how Jan Kubis really died or the romance with Anna) but the portrayal of the occupiers, particularly Reichsprotektor Heydrich in no way understated how heinous these people were.The depiction of siege at St Cyril's conveys a whole range of emotions as tension builds. The motivation of the resistance was unquestionably heroic at this part of the episode.This is so much more than an action story. However the issues tend to be portrayed in a very polar black / white manner. Even Karel Chudra's motivation is shown in very clear terms (he is treated far less sympathetically in Czech history). It is unfortunate that the film did not have time to develop the political tension between London and the local resistance. How aware was London of the probability of reprisals following the assassination? Was it their intention that reprisals would do more to stir local opposition to the occupation than the assassination itself? Why did Karel Moravec later take his own life?Overall, however, this is a film to see and for the most part it is very realistic. Visit Prague and leave the tourist traps to see St Cyril's - it looks just like the movie and is almost guaranteed to make you cry for all the victims of the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia.