Obscure Day of the Jackal Q

Cafe Society
1

(This relates mostly to Zinneman’s film and not to Forsythe’s book. FTR, both are fantastic.)

I watched this again last night, and noticed something that I’d missed before. (I’ll try to do this without spoilers, although unless you’re completely clueless about French history, you know how it ends.)

Right before the Jackal boards the train to Paris, a gendarme at the station asks for and examines his papers. Later, as he’s walking down a Paris street on Liberation Day, a gendarme does the same thing. (Different papers, of course.) Gendarme #1 is a dead ringer for Gendarme #2. Are they supposed to be the same guy? Am I imagining things?

This is not as crazy as it might seem. It’s been a while since I read the book, but I think there’s a line in it that talks about shipping a few thousand provincial gendarmes to Paris to assist in the manhunt.

2

I just finished reading it less than a month ago, and it definitely mentions that Paris is now absolutely crawing with gendarmes since they know the Jackal is loose - the frog police is out in full force. Haven’t seen the movie yet though, sorry!!

3

That was a great movie. One of the few that have done the book it was based on justice. Have you tried renting it and checking the credits?

4

I have the movie on DVD, and did check the credits. There is one Gendarme creditted. An internet site with expanded credits is the same, but lists seceral other uncreditted actors, without roles specified. Not conclusive.