In Honor of One of Peter O'Toole's Best Films: Leadership Flaws in General Tanz in the Night of the Generals 

The Night of the Generals (1967) is as much a study of psychological impairments as it is Hollywood entertainment. A murder mystery focused on Nazi Germany during World War II, the film highlights the actions of Lt. General Tanz, a serial killer with an extreme narcissistic complex. Tanz, played by Peter O’Toole, is a fictional character who cannot function as commander of the Niebelungen Division without having brutally killed a prostitute. But Tanz is not the only character with psychological problems; the film explores the weaknesses of other characters. In the end, Tanz, asked by a young corporal “why,” stares into space and mutters, “it was the war…”

 

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

 

Narcissistic personality disorder, “involves arrogant behavior, a lack of empathy for other people, and a need for admiration…” (Psychology Today)

The definition includes “Machiavellianism” and “obsessive self-interest.” According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the disorder is complicated by alcoholism. This conforms to behaviors exhibited by Tanz in the film.

 

In The Night of the Generals, Tanz is one of three suspects in a murder mystery that began in Warsaw, Poland during the German occupation. Omar Sharif plays the role of Major Grau, an intelligence office with an “over-zealous nature” and a keen sense of justice. “If it is a German general…we shall have to hang him,” he tells a Polish police inspector.

 

Tanz, despite his bazaar habits, appears to be the least likely suspect. A “pet of Hitler,” Tanz destroys cities as easily as eating his breakfast. He demands “absolute cleanliness” and berates orderlies for dirty fingernails. When not on duty, however, he smokes constantly and consumes vast amounts of brandy. The best view of his unbalanced mind takes place in a Paris art museum, sealed and guarded by the German military. His reaction to “Vincent in Flames,” van Gogh’s self-portrait, demonstrates the extent of his mental break.

 

Narcissism includes a “desire for admiration” and “functions as a means to demonstrate superiority to others,” according to various definitions including that found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Contemporary studies on over-achieving college students that cheat, for example, link such behaviors to narcissism (Chronicle of Higher Education, December 6, 2010). In General Tanz, these attributes are subtle but evident. Tanz’s body language exudes superiority, even in the company of his commanding officer, General von Seidlitz-Gabler.

 

The Other Suspects

 

General Gabler, married to a domineering, self-centered and ambitious woman, pursues his own romantic adventures. He is “something of a sexual athlete,” according to French Inspector Morand. His assistant, General Klaus Kalenberge, is involved in the plot to kill Hitler – Operation Valkyrie. Gabler’s daughter Ulrike falls in love with a corporal who confesses early on in the film that he has a “horror of death.” In this he parallels Tanz. Ordered by Kalenberge to drive Tanz while in Paris, Corporal Hartmann is advised to avoid all cemeteries and any mention of death.

 

All of the supporting characters exhibit their own psychological problems and in almost every case their weaknesses are tied to the war. Perhaps the writer intended to extend the madness of Hitler and the insanity that encapsulated Nazi Germany to the protagonists, men and women caught in a moment of history designed to bring out the best and the worst of human behaviors.

 

The Marks of the Serial Killer

 

Tanz targets prostitutes, young and vulnerable women whose offers of sex offend his sensibilities. He kills them brutally, inflicting dozens of knife wounds that demonstrate his exaggerated sense of power and retribution. At the same time, Tanz is purging his own being, a personal confession of sorts sealed by innocent blood. Killing the prostitutes is different than the massacre of thousands of innocent civilians.

 

Despite his great weaknesses, Tanz has moments of compassion, throwing his lunch to hungry Polish children, for example. When Gabler suggests arresting Major Grau for the impertinence of questioning the generals at a party he crashed, Tanz comes to the major’s defense: “he was only doing his duty.” Tanz is precise and utterly meticulous in everything he does. The audience gets the impression, however, that he wants to be caught, but this would end the ability to rejuvenate his being.

 

In the end, it is his pattern that leads authorities in Hamburg to confront him. Additionally, Tanz’s mistake was in letting an eye-witness live – the young corporal who Tanz manipulated into blame for the Paris murder. But it was July 20, 1944 and Paris was in the midst of chaos. Tanz’s triumph is shooting Grau is eclipsed by that chaos, allowing Hartmann to escape and disappear.

 

Although narcissism is the primary characteristic of Tanz, other behaviors in the film lead the viewer to a host of psychological problems. Tanz is unable to engage in serious, intimate personal relationships. He is a typical “loner” who uses women to inflict pain and death in order to establish a missing sense of self-esteem. General Tanz characterizes the serial killer profile in a film the can easily be used in Psychology classes and studies involving personality disorders.

 

References:

 

Tom Bartlett, “Are Narcissistic Students More Likely to Cheat?” The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 6, 2010.

Lindsay Lyon, “7 Myths About Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disoder,” US News and World Report, April 21, 2009.

Joshua D. Miller and others, “Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the DSM-V,” Journal of Abnormal Psychology, November 2010, Vol. 119, Issue 4.

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder,” Psychology Today, Diagnostic Dictionary.

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder,” U.S. National Library of Medicine, November 14, 2010.

The Night of the Generals. 1967. Dir. Anatole Litvak  Perf. Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom Courtney. Columbia Pictures. Running Time: 146 minutes.