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The Guns Of Navarone [1961]
![The Guns Of Navarone [1961]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JZMZZ1ZRL._SL160_.jpg)
On the DVD: This special-edition DVD gives the modern-day viewer a taste of what movies were like in 1961. Four curious featurettes are included, produced as publicity for the film. James Darren narrates a little ditty at his honeymoon in Malta during filming; Irene Papas narrates a giddy, old-fashioned look at "Two Girls on the Town". There is even a filmed bit with producer-writer Carl Foreman that was shown once at the premiere. The 30-minute retrospective, "Memories of Navarone", made in 1999 has the expected reminiscences from Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn. Director J. Lee Thompson's audio commentary is a bit frustrating; he's now in his 80s, and most of his recollections are slow in coming. A historian could have brought out the film's history (it was the most expensive movie ever made at time of release) and produced a more vital viewing. --Doug Thomas For all that there a few dark scenes where visibility is poor, there are some wonderfully atmospheric scenes of Greek island life. The scene where the team attend a wedding and the villagers sing a folk song is spine tingling and beautiful simultaneously. The denouement of the film is exciting and fulfilling. One's attention is never lost here. A great rainy afternoon watch !
RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £3.69 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
This rousing, explosive 1961 World War II adventure, based on Alistair MacLean's thrilling novel, turns the war thriller into a deadly caper film. Gregory Peck heads a star-studded cast charged with a near impossible mission: destroy a pair of German guns nestled in a protective cave on the strategic Mediterranean island of Navarone, from where they can control a vital sea passage. As world-famous mountain climber turned British army Captain, Mallory (Peck) leads a guerrilla force composed of the humanitarian explosives expert, Miller (David Niven), the ruthless Greek patriot with a grudge, Stavros (Anthony Quinn), veteran special forces soldier Brown (Stanley Baker) and the cool, quiet young marksman Pappadimos (James Darren). This disparate collection of classic types must overcome internal conflicts, enemy attacks, betrayal and capture to complete their mission. Director J. Lee Thompson sets a driving pace for this exciting (if familiar) military operation, a succession of close calls, pitched battles and last-minute escapes as our heroes infiltrate the garrisoned town with the help of resistance leader Maria (Irene Papas) and plot their entry into the heavily guarded mountain fort. Carl Foreman's screenplay embraces MacLean's role call of clichés and delivers them with style, creating one of the liveliest mixes of espionage, combat and good old-fashioned military derring-do put on film, while Dimitri Tiomkin's score is as sturdy as the rock of Navarone itself. --Sean Axmaker
A wonderful film
Review date: 2005-03-04 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is a superb war film. Based around the (fictional) efforts of a group of disparate SAS type specialists to destroy two huge guns blocking Allied martime accesss across the Aegean Sea, it has bags of tension, atmosphere and great characterisation. The team is comprised of Mallory (Gregory Peck), a mountaineer and reluctant "volunteer" for this task; Miller (David Niven), an English gentleman and thoroughly cynical explosives expert; Andrea Stavrou (Antony Quinn) a Cretan "man of honour" who has vowed to kill Mallory once the job is over to assuage his code of honour and avenge his family's death (which he blames on a previous miltary blunder by Mallory); Stanley Baker plays a knife expert who has lost his nerve; Irene Papas a proud Greek resistance worker and James Darren plays Spiro, her gun-happy cousin. Then there is Anthony Quayle as the injured officer they have to abandon. Top class characters and great performances all round.
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Reviews
The Guns of Navarone /must see vintage war film
Review date: 2003-11-10 Rating: 8 out of 10
The Guns of Navarone is still in spite of its age one of the best war films .Written by Alistair Mclean,and starring screen greats Gregory Peck,David Niven and Anthony Quinn ,it tells the story of an attempt by war time sabatours to destroy the Germans guns on the island of Navarone to allow the evacuation of British troops trapped without hope on neighbouring islands.The excitement and tension of the plot is added to in no small measure by the possibility of a traitor in the midst of the hard pressed group.Watch it and enjoy!
Slow, lumbering and oh so mediocre
Review date: 2003-05-02 Rating: 6 out of 10
My favorite WWII movie of all time is Where Eagles Dare, and so I had high hopes for this movie, maybe too high... Although I found the extras interesting on this DVD, the film itself was slow moving and littered with all too few action sequences. It leaves one with the impression of a movie that cannot decide whether it wants to be an action adventure or a character driven drama and in trying to be both it falls under its own weight....I would definately recommend renting this before buying...
Slow, lumbering and oh so mediocre
Review date: 2003-04-16 Rating: 6 out of 10
My favorite WWII movie of all time is Where Eagles Dare, and so I had high hopes for this movie, maybe too high... Although I found the extras interesting on this DVD, the film itself was slow moving and littered with all too few action sequences. It leaves one with the impression of a movie that cannot decide whether it wants to be an action adventure or a character driven drama and in trying to be both it falls under its own weight....I would definately recommend renting this before buying...
An all time classic
Review date: 2001-02-26 Rating: 10 out of 10
Gregory Peck plays Mallory, the worlds greatest living mountaineer, linguist and commandoe, picked along with Anthony Quin, to escort a group of sabotuers onto Navarone, where terrifying anti-shipping guns are impeding the rescue of a British garrison. When the vessel sinks in a storm, Mallory is compelled by fate to join and ultimately lead the deadly mission, stirring stuff indeed and highly enjoyable to boot. All of the characters are flawed in that wonderful Great Escape way. Instead of a claustrophobic miner, we get the knief man who's lost his taste for killing. No blind forger hear but a man who's closest comrade will kill him at the end of the war. There's good Germans and bad Germans, a traitor in the camp, Anthony Quayle with gangreen, romance and a surprise ending(well sort of). My personal favourite is where Messrs. Peck and Niven appear to share a cigarette of dubious nature in the closing moments of the film!
This film is a classic, and has always been well regarded, but is it worth buying on DVD? Now to be fair this movie is long in the tooth, and has long been the staple fair of Sunday matinees and video-store bargain bins. So is it worth forking out for? Simple answer:yes!
Long answer: Aside from a great tranfer, where the day-for-night shots are printed as night,its in widescreen, with Dolby digital sound! To boot, there is a plethora of extras. Not many forty year old movies come with a directors' commentary, but this does. As J. Lee Thompson was a studio gun-for-hire, this was just another job rather than a personal obsession, so dont expect great personal insights. For me the real goodies are the bizarre promo films thrown in for good measure. Publicity films date faster than calenders and theses are excellently silly, fun, pathe style newsreels. Worth a look if only to see Peck playing football with war-orphans in Nazi regalia, and check out the gals shopping. This is capped with an indepth making of, based around lenghty interviews with Peck, Quin and Thompson. Some great personal reflections.
Fans of this movie will need not my recommendation, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and all the bonus material. Two thumbs up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Gregory Peck
Stanley Baker
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quayle
David Niven
Creators:
David Niven (Primary Contributor)
Gregory Peck (Primary Contributor)
Oswald Morris (Cinematographer)
Carl Foreman (Producer)
Carl Foreman (Writer)
Cecil F. Ford (Producer)
Leon Becker (Producer)
Alistair MacLean (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5035822001039
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2000-12-04
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 150 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1961-06-22
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Original Language)
Language: German (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Hindi (Subtitled)
Language: Turkish (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Icelandic (Subtitled)
Language: Bulgarian (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Subtitled)
Language: Polish (Subtitled)
Language: Arabic (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: Czech (Subtitled)
Language: Greek (Subtitled)