Frank sinatra mandated that this movies ending be changed and subsequently this destroyed any possibility of a sequel that the 20th century fox studio was considering. A thousand british and american pows learn to hate the american colonel who singlehandedly shapes them up. Ryan sinatra is an american army air corps pilot that is shot down over italy near the end of the. The novel was adapted for the screen by hollywood screenwriters wendell mayes and joseph landon. In the original ending which appears in the source novel, ryan is not killed as with the films ending. The character has the same name in both the book and the movie. With a strong sense of pacing and a handful of stellar acting performances, this one acquits itself extremely well and the result is an exciting and engrossing piece of moviemaking. It was ably directed by mark robson the bridges at tokori.
Westheimer captures the gritty oblivion of pow life, while the suspense builds as the prisoners try to plot their escape. While the majority of the prisoners at the camp are british, a. Taken from the book released two years prior, the film is set in an italian prisoner of war camp, where col. One curious and intirguing thing is to watch how many crossing the alps railways projects had been made at the end of the xix century and at the beginning of the xx century. The deservedly famous ending goes against audience expectations. It inspired me to write my first novel, 2 years later as a christmas present for my sister, which was, sadly, historically rather inaccurate.
Frank sinatra is perfectly cast as the american colonel who matches wits with an italian pow camp director and the nazis. They could just see, they said, its vivid story of a prisoner. And for what it s worth, force 10 from navarone didnt begin life as some boneheaded idea by a studio trying to cash in on the first movie s success. It stars frank sinatra and trevor howard, and is based on the novel by david westheimer. While the basic story line is the same in the book and the movie, i found the changes in the screenplay to have made the principal characters more interesting, more human and more appealing i came to. It is now the february book ofthemonthclub selection. As sao senior american officer, he quickly puts a stop to disorder, and becomes the most hated man in the camp. The screenplay concerns a group of allied prisoners of war who conduct a daring escape by hijacking a freight train and fleeing through germanoccupied italy to switzerland. The pictures and value guide alone are worth the price of the book. In the original ending which appears in the source novel, ryan is not killed as with the film s ending. This film is all fun and games until someone gets hurt. We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. Ryan frank sinatra is locked up with british prisoners, after his army air corp plane crashes in a nearby town.
To refer to this film as exhilarating is, i admit, the mildest bit misleading. His most memorable if you were a teenage boy when the movie came out in 1965. The ending of the novel had ryan rejoin his men and escape nazi persecution together. This movie is much better when seen in its original widescreen format. Frank sinatra mandated that this movie s ending be changed, and subsequently this destroyed any possibility of a sequel that the 20th century fox studio was considering. While most of the prisoners at the camp are british, a determined, resourceful american air force colonel frank sinatra takes charge and leads the escape, which requires that the prisoners wrest control of a german train and propel it through. While the majority of the prisoners at the camp are british, a strongminded, quickwitted. The book ending is also different than in the movie in that ryan survives. I imagine its tough putting a book into movie form and maintaining the essence.
Like a strip from every schoolboys favourite, the commando comic, this is a ripping yarn of a wwii adventure story that also manages to rather subtly and neatly turn a particular hollywood cliche on its head. Movies, tv, celebs, and more is this movie based on a book. During ww ii colonel joe ryan crashes in italy and is interned at pow concentration camp 202. This ending would have allowed ryan, the movies central character, to appear in a sequel. An action adventure tale, van ryans express remains quite credible until halfway through, when the action begins to pour and roar like walter mitty in full flood. It is a star vehicle for frank sinatra and he gives one of his most memorable performances. Frank sinatra stars in this implausible but relatively engaging wwii pow escape film, playing col. It was sinatra who suggested the more somber epitaph a strange yet unsettlingly memorable finale with patriotic moralizing undertones. The story is straight forward and simple and doesnt require much attention to follow. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that youve provided to them or that theyve collected from your use of their services. The oscarnominated special effects range from some good miniature trains almost the entire nighttime firebombing scene to some dynamic but weakly superimposed. Feb 12, 2017 a war film starring frank sinatra and trevor howard. Westheimer captures the gritty oblivion of pow life, while the suspense builds as the.
And for what its worth, force 10 from navarone didnt begin life as some boneheaded idea by a studio trying to cash in on the first movies success. Its definitely a slowstarter, taking its sweet time for the action to build up. The main character, ryan, can be hard to root for at times, but in the end he has the. To order your copy today, click on buy now, or email wayne with your request you can. See more ideas about war film, trevor howard and film. I remember reading the book as a young kid in the early 70s, then seeing the movie. It was an actual sequel novel written by alistair maclean. Like a strip from every schoolboy s favourite, the commando comic, this is a ripping yarn of a wwii adventure story that also manages to rather subtly and neatly turn a particular hollywood cliche on its head. The houstonborn writer had served with distinction in world war ii as a b24 navigator distinguished flying cross. When italy surrenders three days later, the germans capture the camp, and load everyone on a train to germany. Ryan sinatra, an american pilot, is shot down in fascist italy and put in a fascist prisoner of war camp there, where he becomes the new ranking officer among the allied prisoners. An action adventure tale, van ryan s express remains quite credible until halfway through, when the action begins to pour and roar like walter mitty in full flood. Sometimes the participants seem to forget just who was the enemy.