THE GUNS OF NAVARONE [1961 / 2011] [50th Anniversary Edition] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
The Greatest Adventure Ever Filmed!
Academy Award® winners Gregory Peck [1962, Best Actor: ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’], David Niven [1958, Best Actor: ‘Separate Tables’], and Anthony Quinn [1952, Best Supporting Actor: ‘Viva Zapata!’ and 1956, ‘Lust For Life’] star as a team of Allied military specialists recruited for a dangerous but imperative mission: to infiltrate a Nazi-occupied fortress and disable two long-range field guns so that 2,000 trapped British soldiers may be rescued. Faced with an unforgiving sea voyage, hazardous terrain, and the possibility of a traitor among them, the team must overcome the impossible without losing their own lives. Adapted by screenwriter Carl Foreman from Alistair MacLean’s best-selling novel “The Guns of Navarone.” James Robertson Justice Prologue Narrator.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1962 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Effects and Special Effects for Bill Warrington (visual) and Chris Greenham (audible). Nominated: Best Picture for Carl Foreman. Nominated: Best Director for J. Lee Thompson. Nominated: Best Writing for a Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Carl Foreman. Nominated: Best Sound for John Cox (Shepperton SSD). Nominated: Best Film Editing for Alan Osbiston. Nominated: Best Music Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture for Dimitri Tiomkin. 1962 Golden Globes: Win: Best Motion Picture in a Drama. Win: Best Original Score for Dimitri Tiomkin. Nominated: Best Director for J. Lee Thompson. 1962 BAFTA Film Awards: Nominated: Best British Screenplay for Carl Foreman. 1962 Directors Guild of America Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for J. Lee Thompson. 1962 Grammy Awards: Nominated: Best Soundtrack Album or Recording or Score from Motion Picture or Television for Dimitri Tiomkin. 1962 Laurel Awards: Win: Golden Laurel Award for Top Drama. Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance for Gregory Peck. 2006 International Film Music Critics Awards: Nominated: Best New Release, Re-Release or Re-Recording of an Existing Score for Dimitri Tiomkin (music) and James Fitzpatrick (album producer).
FILM FACT No.2: Peter Grant, who had a brief (three films) career as an uncredited extra before becoming music manager of such popular English bands as the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin and Bad Company, played an uncredited British commando. A complication arose when it was found that Gregory Peck, whose character was supposed to be fluent in German, could not speak the language convincingly. Voice actor Robert Rietty dubbed all of Gregory Peck's German dialogue for the film. The film's maps were created by Halas and Batchelor, a British team best known for their animated films. Although the island of Navarone is fictional, a map depicted in the film purporting to show the island of Navarone shows it as the real island of Antikythera. Several members of the Greek royal family visited the set the day the Mandrakos cafe scene was filmed and appear in the background as extras. Dimitri Tiomkin’s theme song featured on the soundtrack album with lyrics recounting the plot of the film. Dimitri Tiomkin’s theme became a popular instrumental with several cover versions including a 1965 version by the group The Skatalites. Other cover versions were performed by Johnny Griffin, Al Caiola and the Hollyridge Strings. ‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ had its Royal World Premiere in aid of the Edwina Mountbatten Trust and in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on 27th April 1961, at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End. The film grossed $28,900,000 at the box office and was the second top-grossing film of 1961, earning a net profit of $18,500,000.
Cast: Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle, James Darren, Irene Papas, Gia Scala, James Robertson Justice, Richard Harris, Bryan Forbes, Allan Cuthbertson, Michael Trubshawe, Percy Herbert, George Mikell, Walter Gotell, Tutte Lemkow, Albert Lieven, Norman Wooland, Kleo Skouloudi, Nicholas Papakonstantinou, Christopher Rhodes, Victor Beaumont (uncredited), Jack Cooper (uncredited), Maxwell Craig (uncredited), Carl Duering (uncredited), Peter Evans (uncredited), Chick Fowles (uncredited), Wolf Frees (uncredited), Peter Grant (uncredited), Frank Henson (uncredited), Arthur Howell (uncredited), Walter Kightly (uncredited), Rosemary Nicols (uncredited), Robert Rietty (uncredited), Michael Sarne (uncredited), Bob Simmons (uncredited) and John Tatum (uncredited)
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Producers: Carl Foremanm Cecil F. Ford and Leon Becker
Screenplay: Alistair MacLean (novel) and Carl Foreman (screenplay)
Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin
Cinematographer: Oswald Morris, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (CinemaScope)
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio,
German: 5.1 DTS-HD
Italian: 5.1 DTS-HD
Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD
Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Danish, English, Finnish, Greek, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish
Running Time: 158 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Columbia Pictures / SONY Pictures Home Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: "Men-on-a-mission" films are almost always great fun. Watching a disparate group of no-nonsense soldier’s band together for the greater good against a common enemy can be popcorn entertainment at its best. While it may be a pretty tried-and-true formula, it's also one that happens to work more often than not, and sometimes manages to serve as a perfect basis for action-packed cinematic bliss. A classic and highly influential entry into that irresistible genre, ‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ sparks with exciting action, memorable performances, and a surprising amount of depth. Far from a brainless exercise in tough guy bravado, the film manages to form a thought provoking and well-rounded examination of wartime ethics and morality. Also, it kicks ass and it's the best of both worlds.
Based on the novel of Alistair MacLean with the same name, the script details a fictional mission set during WWII to blow up two incredibly large, long-range field guns on the Greek Island of Navarone, which doesn't actually exist. In classic genre fashion, the team is made up of a group of specialists, each with their own specific skill, personality quirk, fatal character flaw, and irresistible charm. Headlining the gang are Capt. Keith Mallory [Gregory Peck], a steadfast leader and skilled mountain climber, Corporal Miller [David Niven], an explosions expert, and Col. Andrea Stavros [Anthony Quinn], a Greek solider with a personal vendetta against Capt. Keith Mallory. Together they must embark on the dangerous and potentially suicidal mission, outsmarting and outgunning German soldiers through equally perilous seas and terrain. Filled with exciting set pieces, powerful emotional conflicts, and ambiguous moral dilemmas, the story runs the full gamut of suspense and drama.
With an ensemble piece like this, the success of the film really lives or dies on the strength of its performers and the chemistry between them. Thankfully, the entire actors do a wonderful job, and the dynamics that develop within the group are fun to watch grow and evolve. Gregory Peck is fantastic as the stalwart leader, exuding confidence and compassion all at once. From the moment he appears on screen, he instantly embodies exactly the type of man one would follow into battle. David Niven is also great as the British explosives expert. The conflict that develops between his character and Gregory Peck's Capt. Keith Mallory helps to form the central moral question of the film and serves to elevate the material. As Col. Andrea Stavrou [Anthony Quinn] oozes cool and becomes a genuine on-screen badass. Tension hangs high between the Greek and Mallory, and one gets a sense that their conflict could turn deadly at any moment. The rest of the team is rounded out by several more extremely capable actors, including Anthony Quayle, Stanley Baker, and James Darren. Though their characters are given less focus, particularly James Darren and Stanley Baker, but each member gets their moment to shine and little details are organically revealed throughout the picture, helping to flesh out back-stories and inform present-day decisions. Two female stars also join the team, and Irene Papas and Gia Scala do an admirable job of holding their own against the men, creating strong female characters that are much more than mere love interests.
Director J. Lee Thompson utilises the majestic of CinemaScope presentation to its fullest, injecting the widescreen frame with big budget action and exotic locales. Shot in part on studio sets and real locations, primarily the Greek Island of Rhodes, the film features some strong production value and occasionally lush cinematography. Thompson does a great job of creating tension, and as pointed out in the included commentary with film historian Stephen J. Rubin, the climax plays out more like a Hitchcock thriller than a generic war picture. Most notable of all, however, is a brilliant dialogue free section where the team gets shipwrecked by a massive storm and then has to scale a mountain in the unrelenting downpour and dead of night. With only score and effects, J. Lee Thompson creates a truly visceral experience that manages to remain gripping through visuals alone. Though the director expresses regrets about the sequence's length and the film's pacing as a whole in his own commentary, I actually found the slower, methodical rhythm to be a refreshing contrast to the more quick cutting style of today. With that said, the movie definitely is on the slow side, and at two and a half hours in length, it might test some viewers' patience.
In between all of the blazing guns and explosions, J. Lee Thompson and writer/producer Carl Foreman layer the film with several interesting ethical quandaries that all work together to form a pretty strong anti-war message. Questions about manipulating and risking the lives of fellow soldiers for the greater good, and the potential penalties for betrayal, are all brought up and examined with intelligence, and even after the credits roll, there are no easy answers presented. While some of the philosophical musings might get lost in all the heroics and excitement, to the filmmakers' credit, the script really does pack in some thought provoking material that actually makes the film's quieter moments among its most powerful.
‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ is a true classic of "men-on-a-mission" film that offers much more than simple thrills and action. Beneath the exciting and tense battles are some heavy questions about brotherhood, loyalty, and justice in the midst of war. Though the pacing is certainly on the slow side, some characters are a bit marginalised, and there are clichéd elements to the storytelling, the stellar cast, strong script, and confident direction overcome any small flaws. This is an entertaining and intelligent war epic, that's influence can be seen in countless similar efforts since.
THE GUNS OF NAVARONE MUSIC TRACK LIST
KARAGOUNA (uncredited) (Traditional) (Arranged by Andreas Markides)
ENA KARAVI APO TE CHIO (uncredited) (Traditional) (Arranged by Andreas Markides)
YALO YALO (uncredited) (Traditional) (Arranged by Andreas Markides)
TREU SEIN (uncredited) (Music by Dimitri Tiomkin) (Lyrics by Alfred Perry)
DAS SUNDENLIED (uncredited) (Music by Dimitri Tiomkin) (Lyrics by Alfred Perry)
THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (uncredited) (Music by Dimitri Tiomkin) (Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster) (theme)
Blu-ray Image Quality – The film is provided with an awesome 1080p encoded image transfer in the equally thrilling CinemaScope 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Though mistreated quite badly over the years, restoration attempts have resulted in a strong but still occasionally inconsistent video presentation. The restored print is in good shape and while some scenes look rougher than others, there are no major signs of damage. A light to moderate layer of grain is present throughout that often gives the picture some nice texture. Detail is quite strong, especially in brightly lit scenes which exhibit some pleasing dimension and pop (the scene where the gang first arrives at their doomed vessel is among the most impressive). Colours can be vivid with rich vibrancy, again, especially in brightly lit outdoor scenes which show off the beautiful shooting locations in Greece. Unfortunately, dimly lit and night-time scenes are fairly underwhelming, and like many movies which utilise a day-for-night shooting method, these sequences exhibit a washed out and unnatural quality. With the exception of these instances, black levels and contrast are consistent and offer a solid experience without blooming. Numerous effects shots featuring rear projection, matte paintings, and various optical techniques do stick out, but that is to be expected and is certainly forgivable. The most irksome feature of the transfer involves some pretty thick halos that are periodically visible around characters and objects, but thankfully this doesn't detract too much from the presentation.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The audio presentation is in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix and utilising the film's original four channel design, the track is solid but not as immersive as one might expect. Dialogue is clear with no major signs of crackle or hissing. Directionality and separation across the front sound stage is good, especially during various battle and action sequences. Surround use is disappointingly rare, however, and while there are many opportunities for rear speakers to add immersion to the experience, there are only three real instances where they are active (the end of the shipwreck, an aerial attack, and the film's climax). Bass activity is decent with some instances of nice punch, but some of the gun fights lack the kind of thump that most war films have. Dynamic range is good, with no signs of distortion, and balance between the various elements is handled well. Though surround use is infrequent, the track respects the film's original sound design, and it's hard to fault a mix for remaining authentic. Even if the audio lacks a bit of immersion, I actually have to commend Sony for staying faithful to the movie's roots and resisting the urge to produce a new spruced up and overdone remix. It may not come close to matching contemporary war films, but the audio does a solid job of bolstering the action.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary with Film Historian Stephen J. Rubin: Film Historian Stephen J. Rubin comes across as very knowledgeable and provides an extremely informative audio commentary that covers the film's entire production as well as details on the cast and crew. Among the multitude of trivia shared, the historian discusses writer/producer Carl Foreman's blacklisting, the film's anti-war message, and plans for a sequel with the original cast and one was made, but with different actors. Though some information is repeated from the director's track, this is the more consistent and engaging of the two audio commentaries and is definitely well worth a listen.
Audio Commentary with Director J. Lee Thompson: Director J. Lee Thompson provides a decent but not particularly stimulating audio commentary track. The director speaks slowly and there is some large amount of gaps in the conversation throughout. Still, some interesting bits of trivia are brought to our attention, including insights into the casting process, locations, effects work, J. Lee Thompson's desire for lots of rehearsal time, and one actor's serious brush with death that almost resulted in the film's cancellation. While the director spends too much time simply describing where certain shots were filmed and keeps stating the obvious, which is so very annoying, but despite this, there are sporadic pieces of worthy information, and it's always nice to hear the actual filmmaker discuss his work first hand.
Special Feature: Narration-Free Prologue [2006] [1080p] [1.78:1] [00:19] Here John Burlingame [Film Music Historian] gives a very short introduction to the Narration-Free Prologue of the film ‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ and talks about the reason behind the prologue and main title sequence for the film that is without the narration of James Robertson Justice, and instead presenting Dimitri Tiomkin's powerful film music score unhindered.
Special Feature: Message From Carl Foreman [1961] [1080p] [2.20:1] [2:00] Carl Foreman, producer of ‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ [1961], sends his greetings and regrets to those attending the Australian National Premiere of the film ‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ at the New Barclay Theatre in Sydney. Carl Foreman was unable to attend because he is filming his new Drama/Anti-war picture ‘The Victors’ [1963] at Shepperton Studios in England, where most of ‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ was also made.
Special Feature: The Resistance Dossier of Navarone: This is an interactive feature that offers six text and video featurettes entitled "Military Fact of Fiction" [4:00],"Greek Resistance" [4:00], "The Navarone Effect" [4:00], "The Old School Wizardry of the Guns of Navarone" [4:00], "The Real World Guns of Navarone" [4:00] and "World War II in the Greek Islands" [4:00]. All of the text and video offer insights into the film's historical accuracy (or lack thereof), effects work, release, and influence. To fully access this feature, you have to use the arrow keys on your remote control.
Special Feature: Forging the Guns of Navarone: Notes From The Set [2006] [1080p] [1.78:1] [13:59] Led by Carl Foreman's widow Eve Williams-Jones and director Peter Yates, who was an advisor on the film. This is a very short documentary about the film and features some insights into the production, along with stories about working with the cast and crew and dealing with the sometimes tough and dangerous shooting conditions. We also hear about the directorial issues and J. Lee Thompson’s whole approach, Carl Foreman’s work during the shoot, politics on the set, cast and relationships, staging the action scenes and balancing the various camera units, locations, the prop guns, and a few other production details. As a bonus we get to view lots of wonderful Black-and-White publicity photographs on location, as well as scenes from the film.
Special Feature: An Ironic Epic of Heroism [2006] [1080p] [1.78:1] [24:38] Here Author and Film Historian Sir Christopher Frayling takes an in depth look at the film. The piece looks at the project’s origins, the adaptation of the novel and the introduction of various themes, logistical challenges, and allusions to Greek myths in the film, “global casting” and locations. Sir Christopher Frayling talks about the impact on the film set and also provides in-depth details on the production, and places the emphasis on the film's themes and moral dilemmas. Sir Christopher Frayling also discusses the film’s take on World War II, more about subtext and characters, and a few other reflections. Sir Christopher Frayling comments repeat information found elsewhere, but he still manages to introduce some good material and gives the film more of an introspective view and less “nuts and bolts”. This becomes an interesting examination of the film’s deeper aspect of World War II. Once again as a bonus we get to view lots of wonderful Black-and-White publicity photographs on location, as well as scenes from the film.
Special Feature: Memories of Navarone [1999] [480i] 1.37:1] [29:34] In this Columbia Pictures promotional documentary we are treated to first-hand accounts of the making of the film from cast and crew, including Gregory Peck [Capt. Keith Mallory], Anthony Quinn [Col. Andrea Stavros], J. Lee Thompson [Director] and James Darren [Spyros Pappadimos]. Details are shared about the frequent chess games between the cast and crew to the point it looked like a Chess competition at times. We also hear about the strategic decision made by Anthony Quinn to give his character a red undershirt. We also hear about the choice of director, the very extremely dangerous shipwreck scene, the visit from the King and Queen of Greece to the set and wanting to appear in the film. It was great to hear from the actual performers and filmmakers, and this is a very worthy documentary that fans of the film should check out.
Special Feature: Epic Restoration [2006] [1080p] [1.78:1/2.35:1/1.37:1] [9:37] Here the focus is on the film's elaborate restoration and how badly damaged the original negative was of the film ‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ was when they started the long restoration project. You get to see an in-depth look at what was done to make the film presentable again and really makes the image transfer seem that much more impressive. Narrated by Robert Gitt [Preservation Officer of UCLA Film and Television Archive].
Special Feature: A Heroic Score [2006] [1080p] [2.35:1/1.78:1] [2007] [9:19] This documentary deals with the amazing film composer Dimitri Tiomkin who was part of the Golden Age of Hollywood and was paid $50,000 for this one film and was paid more than any other film composers on other films at the time. John Burlingame [Film Music Historian] offers some in-depth details on Dimitri Tiomkin’s style and John Burlingame gives us an in-depth look at some of the film's major composed themes that is heard throughout the film and includes “The Legend of Navarone;” “Yassu” (which means “Farewell” in Greek); “The Storm;” “Anna;” “The Brooding Guns” and “Mission Accomplished.”
Special Feature: Great Guns [1961] [1080p] [1.37:1] [4:34] This short Columbia Pictures black-and-white vintage documentary gets to see the stars fly in as they arrive to shoot on the Greek Island of Rhodes. We first see the stars of the picture arriving by airplane on Rhodes. They ride pack animals along steep mountain paths to the first filming location. We are treated to two exciting sequences seen in the finished film: the attack by German dive bombers, and the famous storm scene in which their boat runs aground on the rocky shore. Afterward, we see the stars relaxing from their hard work: Gregory Peck plays English football with some of the island schoolboys, while actresses Gia Scala and Irene Papas patronize the local shops. Helpful and courteous young island boys carry their packages of the women who did a massive shopping spree. We then see the filming of the dangerous cliff-climbing sequence, and finally the firing of the "great guns." We also get to view some rare behind-the-scenes film footage. Though this is pure promotional stuff, there is something about these old, vintage pieces that I find very appealing.
Special Feature: No Visitors [1961] [480i] [1.37:1] [4:36] Similar to the previous documentary, but here we get some more black-and-white film footage of the production on the Greek Island of Rhodes, with an emphasis on interactions with the natives on the Island of Rhodes, where the people of Rhodes were curious, as most had never seen a film company in action before or even not seen any films. When the American Sixth Fleet dropped anchor at the Island of Rhodes, U.S. sailors also visited the set and some had their hats signed by actress Gia Scala. During the Easter holiday, the Greek prime minister came to visit and to participate in the traditional festivities, joined by the film's stars. Probably the most unusual visitors ever to a film production set were members of the Greek royal family including the King, Queen and princesses, and also the former King and Queen of Romania.
Special Feature: Honeymoon on Rhodes [1961] [480i] [1.37:1] [4:36] Another vintage black-and-white documentary that is narrated by James Darren, but this time it takes a brief look at actor James Darren and his wife Evy enjoying time off on the Island of Rhodes as Evy and James had been married 3 weeks before they came to do the picture. The shoot also served as their honeymoon and seems to serve as a kind of promo piece for the beautiful Greek Island of Rhodes. We see the old fortified town, where the harbor is renowned as the location of the famous Colossus of Rhodes statue of antiquity. They also visit the Turkish quarter, and the town of Lindos on the other end of the island. They take a donkey ride to the Acropolis above the town. But from there they can see the boats used in the film, so eventually for James Darren was soon time to get back to work on the film.
Special Feature: Two Girls on the Town [1961] [480i] [1.37:1] [4:35] Actress Irene Papas narrates this black-and-white promotional short film advertising the upcoming action movie ‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ (1961) which was filmed on the Greek island of Rhodes. Here actresses Irene Papas and Gia Scala enjoy a short break from shooting to shop around the Island of Rhodes and look forward to wearing dresses and high heels again. The nearby town of Rhodes is a shoppers total paradise; almost everything is for sale is duty-free. Traditional Island of Rhodes jewellery is handmade in dozens of back rooms all over the town. With young men graciously offering to carry their packages, Irene Papas and Gia Scala also buy cloth, shoes, umbrellas, furs, dolls, decorative plates, and a large sea sponge for bathing. But it is soon back to work for the two stars. After spending so much time in the mud and dirt, Irene Papas is glad she bought that sponge! Again, like the previous documentary this doesn’t really have anything to do with the film, but still carries a certain retro charm.
Finally, ‘THE GUNS OF NAVARONE’ is a brilliant fun and thematically rich war film that manages to raise important ethical questions while still providing classic enjoyable popcorn entertainment. Though the film has been poorly treated over the years, the print has gone through some painstaking restoration, resulting in an uneven but mostly strong presentation. Audio is pretty front heavy but authentically represents the original sound design. Supplements are plentiful and informative, rounding out a strong disc for a strong film. Ever since I originally saw this epic film in the cinema, I have loved its total brilliance at keeping you guessing right to the final scene on whether they will succeed in thwarting the German advance in blowing up the massive guns and makes you feel so good when the final end Titles appear on the screen and now I am so proud to add this brilliant classic war film to my Blu-ray Collection, as the makers of this film have made a truly magic presentation that will last forever and is also a good historic film for future viewing. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
