In the book 'Marlon Brando: The Biography' by Peter Marso, it states that Marlon Brando was "faced as he was with his still unfulfilled obligation" to "his ten-year old debt to studio 20th Century Fox, which would force him to begin shooting 'Morituri' in April 1964." Brando plays a Nazi soldier in this film as he had done so in the earlier The Young Lions for 20th Century Fox, both movies being filmed in black-and-white and both being for made for the same studio.
The film's marketing boasted the surname alliteration of Brando and Brynner. The Marlon Brando and "Yul Brynner" alliteration is another example in film history of promotional star-team name alliteration - see also: Bogie and Bacall in four films; McQueen and McGraw in The Getaway and Baldwin and Bassinger in The Getaway.
The film's opening camera shot is a close-up of a stone plaque which reads "Morituri Te Salutant" (Those who are about to die salute you) which it is stated in the film as being a Roman Gladiator's salute to Caesar.
The literal meaning of the film's title "Morituri" is "about to die", a plural word from the Latin language.
The terms "Morituri te salutamus" or "Morituri te salutant" were often used in by Roman gladiators in battles in the arena. It translates as "We/They who are about to die salute you."
The title "Morituri" is Latin which can be translated as "we who are about to die", from the traditional salute of Roman gladiators in the arena, "Morituri te salutamus" (We, who are about to die, salute you!)
This is not the first movie with the title "Morituri" nor is it the first World War II movie with this title. Morituri, a German film, was made seventeen years prior to this movie, and it was the first German film made after the war which was about the Second World War.
This movie bombed at the box-office upon initial release. It is believe that the film's title was not understood by the public. As such, when re-released, the film was re-named "Saboteur: Code Name Morituri".