Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 masterpiece, The Day of the Jackal , is widely considered one of the greatest political thrillers ever written. The novel, which won the 1972 Edgar Award for Best Novel, is a masterclass in tension, procedural detail, and meticulous research, detailing the plot to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle in 1963.
The first, and for many the definitive, adaptation of Forsyth’s novel arrived just two years after the book's publication. Released in 1973, the film is a landmark of 1970s cinema, directed by the legendary Fred Zinnemann and starring Edward Fox as the Jackal and Michel Lonsdale as Commissioner Lebel. This political thriller remains a crucial cultural touchstone, with the British Film Institute ranking it the 74th greatest British film of the 20th century. Index Of The Day Of The Jackal