History Film / ThirtySixHours1965

* MassiveMultiplayerScam: Just before D-Day in 1944, the Germans try to get an American intelligence officer to reveal the time and location of the landings by setting up an entire fake American military hospital and convincing him that it is 1950 and that he has had amnesia and forgotten the last six years.

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Gerber.]]

* WorthyOpponent: Pike is this for Gerber.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/poster219251.jpg]]

''36 Hours'' is a 1965 UsefulNotes/WorldWarII film directed by George Seaton and starring Creator/JamesGarner, Creator/RodTaylor, and Creator/EvaMarieSaint. It was loosely adapted from "Beware of the Dog", a short story by Creator/RoaldDahl.

The film is set just before D-Day. The Germans drug and capture Major Jefferson Pike (Garner), an American intelligence officer on a mission to Lisbon. They know he was briefed on the planned time and place of the invasion. How to make him talk freely?

When he wakes, he is told that he has lost all memory of the last six years. That's right, Major, it's 1950. Yes, of course the Allies won the war back in 1944. You are in a U.S. military hospital in Occupied Germany while we treat your most recent bout of amnesia. Now, as part of your therapy, tell us the last thing you remember...

* TheFilmOfTheBook: As noted, the film was based on Roald Dahl's short story "Beware of the Dog". The movie keeps the basic plot of an Allied soldier being held in a hospital by deceptive Germans, but changes [[InNameOnly pretty much everything else]].[[note]]For example, the protagonist of "Beware of the Dog" is an RAF pilot who's lost a leg, and the Germans tell him he's back in England (specifically Brighton) when he's actually in Vichy France.[[/note]]

* AffablyEvil: Gerber, even after his scheme is revealed, he continues to be cordial towards Pike.

''36 Hours'' is a 1965 UsefulNotes/WorldWarII film directed by George Seaton and starring Creator/JamesGarner, Creator/RodTaylor, and Creator/EvaMarieSaint. It was adapted from "Beware of the Dog", a short story by Creator/RoaldDahl.

* TheFilmOfTheBook: As noted, the film was based on Roald Dahl's short story "Beware of the Dog". The movie keeps the basic plot of an Allied soldier being held in a hospital by deceptive Germans, but changes pretty much everything else.[[note]]For example, the protagonist of "Beware of the Dog" is an RAF pilot who's lost a leg, and the Germans tell him he's back in England (specifically Brighton) when he's actually in Vichy France.[[/note]]

''36 Hours'' is a 1965 UsefulNotes/WorldWarII film directed by George Seaton and starring Creator/JamesGarner, Creator/RodTaylor, and Creator/EvaMarieSaint. It was adapted from a short story by Creator/RoaldDahl.

* AmnesiaDanger: {{Inverted}}. Pike doesn't have amnesia. He just is being made to think he does.

!!This film provides examples of:

* GoodShepherd: The (unseen) German minister who helps people get out of Nazi Germany.

* AllGermansAreNazis: {{Averted}}. Gerber expresses distaste for the SS, was forced to help trick foreign agents into giving information with the amnesia ploy, then helps Pike and Hedler escape near the end. He tries to stop Schack when he's after them, but fails. Then there is the German smuggling ring who help people escape into Switzerland, one of whom roundly mocks Hitler. Hedler, naturally, is also no Nazi, having been sent to a concentration camp. The SS officer Schack is especially suspicious when Gerber's story of how the Allies won involves the German generals overthrowing Hitler with a coup, killing him, and the SS (along with its leader Himmler) then being purged, wondering acidly if it's "wish fulfillment" (the July 20th plotters actually tried this, but sadly it didn't work. This might suggest Gerber is one of them).

* LockedOutOfTheLoop / MassiveMultiplayerScam: An entire cast of English-speaking German agents work together to deceive Pike.

''36 Hours'' is a 1965 UsefulNotes/WorldWarII film directed by George Seaton and starring Creator/JamesGarner, Creator/RodTaylor, and Eva Marie Saint. It was adapted from a short story by Creator/RoaldDahl.

* AllGermansAreNazis: Refreshingly {{averted}}. Gerber expresses distaste for the SS, was forced to help trick foreign agents into giving information with the amnesia ploy, then helps Pike and Hedler escape near the end. He tries to stop Schack when he's after them, but fails. Then there is the German smuggling ring who help people escape into Switzerland, one of whom roundly mocks Hitler. Hedler, naturally, is also no Nazi, having been sent to a concentration camp. The SS officer Schack is especially suspicious when Gerber's story of how the Allies won involves the German generals overthrowing Hitler with a coup, killing him, and the SS (along with its leader Himmler) then being purged, wondering acidly if it's "wish fulfillment" (the July 20th plotters actually tried this, but sadly it didn't work. This might suggest Gerber is one of them).

''36 Hours'' is a 1965 UsefulNotes/WorldWarII film directed by George Seaton and starring James Garner, Creator/RodTaylor, and Eva Marie Saint. It was adapted from a short story by Creator/RoaldDahl.

* TrappedInVillainy: [[spoiler: Anna Hedler, a concentration camp prisoner forced to help deceive foreign agents. Possible Gerber also, since he first used his technique to help traumatized soldiers, but then was ordered into this instead.]]

''36 Hours'' is a 1965 UsefulNotes/WorldWarII film directed by George Seaton and starring James Garner, Rod Taylor, and Eva Marie Saint. It was adapted from a short story by Creator/RoaldDahl.

* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: Ernst [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this to justify shooting Schack to another border guard, saying he tried to desert into Switzerland.

''36 Hours'' is a 1965 WorldWarII film directed by George Seaton and starring James Garner, Rod Taylor, and Eva Marie Saint. It was adapted from a short story by Creator/RoaldDahl.

* AllGermansAreNazis: Refreshingly {{averted}}. Gerber expresses distaste for the SS, was forced to help trick foreign agents into giving information with the amnesia ploy, then helps Pike and Hedler escape near the end. He tries to stop Schack when he's after them, but fails. Then there is the German smuggling ring who help people escape into Switzerland, one of whom roundly mocks Hitler. Hedler, naturally, is also no Nazi, having been sent to a concentration camp. The SS officer Schack is especially suspicious when Gerber's story of how the Allies won involves the German generals overthrowing Hitler with a coup, killing him, and the SS (along with its leader Himmler) then being purged, wondering acidly if it's "wish fulfillment" (the July 20th plotters actually tried this, but sadly it didn't work).

* AllGermansAreNazis: Refreshingly {{averted}}. Gerber expresses distaste for the SS, was forced to help trick foreign agents into giving information with the amnesia ploy, then helps Pike and Hedler escape near the end. He tries to stop Schack when he's after them, but fails. Then there is the German smuggling ring who help people escape into Switzerland, one of whom roundly mocks Hitler. Hedler, naturally, is also no Nazi, having been sent to a concentration camp. The SS officer Schack is especially suspicious when Gerber's story of how the Allies won involves the German generals overthrowing Hitler with a coup, killing him, and the SS (along with its leader Himmler) being purged, wondering acidly if it's "wish fulfillment".

* AllGermansAreNazis: Refreshingly {{averted}}. Gerber expresses distaste for the SS, was forced to help trick foreign agents into giving information with the amnesia ploy, then helps Pike and Hedler escape near the end. He tries to stop Schack when he's after them, but fails. Then there is the German smuggling ring who help people escape into Switzerland, one of whom roundly mocks Hitler. Hedler, naturally, is also no Nazi, having been sent to a concentration camp. The SS officer Schack is especially suspicious when Gerber's story of how the Allies won involves army generals overthrowing Hitler in a coup, killing him, and the SS (along with its leader Himmler) being purged, wondering acidly if it's "wish fulfillment".